Liver and Gallbladder - Acquired Authority by Rosina Sonnenschmidt, Review

published in Spectrum of Homoepathy 1/2010

Liver and Gallbladder – Acquired Authority

Liver and Gallbladder –
Acquired Authority

Eastern and Western medicine meet in Rosina Sonneschmidt’s inspirational guide to “liver energy”; its complaints and its holistic treatment. Laugh your way to a healthy liver!

Those who are used to the therapeutic approaches of classic or Indian homoeopaths will have a very pleasant surprise: Rosina Sonnenschmidt‘s approach to organ pathology is wonderfully embracing and absolutely holistic.

The author has a colourful background in oriental studies and kinesiology amongst others, as well as her studies in homoeopathy. Added to that is her personal health history, which she shares with the reader. The result is a book that provides the deepest insights into the true meaning of the organ system of the liver and the gallbladder.

This book is a fascinating account of the role of the liver and gallbladder physiologically, energetically and spiritually. The author provides deep insights into the different aspects of these organs and how their dysfunction affects different aspects of the being. There are references to traditional Chinese medicine as well as to alchemical views, humours and miasms.

The spiritual and esoteric aspects are grounded with ‚real‘ physiology and diagrams of the actual physical structure of both organs. The author explains why pathology develops and what it means, in relation to the origin of tissues within foetal development. Again, the physical structure is linked with energy, meaning, and patterns. The author emphasizes that “spirit creates matter”.

The subtitle may seem unusual: “Acquired Authority”. The author explains that everybody is born with the natural authority that comes from the heart. However, how we come to acknowledge and live with this natural authority is a process of acquiring awareness of it, which, the author argues, happens through liver energy.

The liver is the organ of doing, of expression. This needs a healthy amount of aggression, tempered with authenticity. The author‘s chosen symbol for healthy liver energy is the Chinese God of Happiness, Hotei, commonly mistaken as the Laughing Buddha. Pictures of Hotei pop up throughout the book, giving it hope and a lightheartedness. Credit goes to the publisher who designed a beautiful book, with attractive colour graphics and pictures. It is bound to an extremely high quality, with a marker ribbon for convenience.

Included in the book are chapters on dietary suggestions for general support and naturopathic measures for removal of liver and gallstones. This is followed by several tables of herbal remedies and homoeopathic remedies. These lists are comprehensive but not very detailed, with one exception: Stannum, which the author regards as the one main remedy for liver and gallbladder. Other remedies are listed mostly for their clinical manifestations, which I found in strange conflict to the author‘s overall emphasis on energy and spirit. However, the lists provide useful pointers which will need to be differentiated and individualised from other sources.

The appendix offers sources for dietary supplements, unfortunately mostly aimed at the German market.

This book is volume two of a series of twelve books on organs and organ systems, originally written in German and hopefully awaiting translation. For some reason volume one has not been published in English yet, but I look forward to reading all of the series – they will make a truly holistic addition to my homeopathic bookshelf.