Organic bud extracts: gemmotherapy in practice
The bud is the organ from which the leaf, the flower and the shoot grow. It is made of meristematic tissue, meaning cells that are still dividing, and it holds the raw material of the tree's growth: sugars, amino acids and nucleic acids. This is the part of the plant, harvested as the buds open in spring, that gemmotherapy uses for maceration.
How a macerate is made
The buds are picked fresh in spring and macerated without drying or freezing. The solvent combines three liquids in equal parts: water, ethyl alcohol and vegetable glycerine. Each one extracts different compounds: water draws out sugars and mineral salts, alcohol the compounds that dissolve poorly in water, and glycerine those that sit in between.
Two preparations result from this:
- Concentrated mother macerate — the direct maceration of fresh buds, with no further dilution.
- Diluted glycerine macerate — the mother macerate diluted to one tenth.
The label always gives the Latin name of the species and the part of the plant used. This is what tells apart two preparations from the same tree, such as blackcurrant leaf and blackcurrant bud.
Use and storage
Macerates come in dropper bottles. The number of drops and the length of use are given on each label: they vary from one species to another and cannot be transferred from one to the other. Keep the bottle tightly closed, away from light and heat.
These preparations are food supplements. They should not replace a varied and balanced diet or a healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. Keep out of reach of young children.
Our ranges
Other forms of extracts available on the site: mother tinctures, fresh plant extracts and plants in capsules.