Lithotherapy is a method that relieves ailments through the use of natural stones. Often defined as unconventional medicine and not scientifically proven, its effects are nevertheless easily recognized by a large community. 

Lithotherapy in History

Among the other known pseudo-medicines, we can notably cite chromotherapy, oligotherapy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, homeopathy, hypnosis, light therapy...

The origins

The etymology of the word "lithotherapy" comes from the Greek "lithos" (stone) and "therapeia" (cure). This naturally makes it the link between care and stone: it is the art of healing with stones. But if defining the origin of this word is quite easy, the very practice of this art is difficult to trace in time. 

 

Human ancestors, commonly called "Cavemen", already handled stones between 15,000 and 5,000 years before our era. They used the stones in all their common activities (tools such as knives), but also as art (worship and customs). We have thus found statuettes and amulets, temples in the form of menhirs or dolmens and representations of strength and fertility in the form of statues. 

 

The use of stones developed further during Antiquity when many peoples of the world began to make jewelry, ointments and ointments to use their physical and psychological virtues to relieve ailments. In China, mineral drugs were even made to balance and stimulate the energies.

Then, during the Middle Ages, alchemical science quickly became interested in stones to cure diseases. The practice was then centered on "the law of similarity", that is to say that we associated a stone of the same color as the organ to be treated. 

During the first millennium, knowledge develops towards a stronger symbolism all over the world. Alchemists formerly interested in the color of stones to heal, now seek to design the philosopher's stone while the Indians codified the properties of gems by their mineral symbolism. 

Until the great period of scientific progress that we experienced during the first half of the twentieth century, the stones used in medicine were so successful in the form of powders and elixirs that this art joined the medicinal scientific disciplines. Scientific rational skepticism will lead this science to gradually disappear, before its surprising reappearance today.

 

 

Today's lithotherapy

The religious concept "Wicca", inspired by shamanism, druidism and Greco-Roman, Slavic, Celtic and Norse mythologies, is gradually emerging as a result of an American feminist counterculture movement. The "wiccans" (followers of this pagan religion), advocate a cult towards nature and devote themselves for a large part to magic. Wicca is a mystery cult but it is thanks to it that many forgotten concepts have come back into fashion. The term "lithotherapy" appears following this "New Age" period of the 1960s to 1970s.

We then begin to unearth the old ideas that the healing properties of minerals were real. This won over many users who are still today fervent enthusiasts of the benefits of the stones. This art is then attached to other so-called "soft" or "unconventional" medicines and is associated in addition to traditional medicine. 

 

 

Few know that today our world is surrounded by hidden stones in our daily lives. If you are reading this article on your computer and you wear a watch, you are surely already in possession of Quartz, a stone used for small mechanisms. Rubies generate lasers and diamonds do cutting in industry. We engrave all of our customizable jewelry with a fine diamond wick!