Subject: healing properties?

From: [email-masked] (Ken McCarthy)
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 1994 03:42:58 GMT

Does anybody have anything to say about the reputed healing
powers of gemstones?

I've seen statements about this in passing, but have never delved
into the subject.

I'm particularlu currious about two things:

1) what gemstones are reputed to treat what conditions
2) the theory behind how gemstones can exert influence on the 
human body, in other words how do they do what they are reputed to do?

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From: [email-masked] (Jay D. Morris)
Date: 22 Feb 1994 15:44:32 GMT

>human body, in other words how do they do what they are reputed to do?
Just exactly what do you expect rocks to do? Certainly there are
certain elements/compounds that can have an effect on living tissue.
Substances with very high/low ph, Mercury, Uranium, and other
toxic metals for example. But chemically
and atomically stable substances like quartz and amethyst have no
beneficial side effects other than they look pretty hanging by a
string in your kitchen window or in your grandmothers brooch.

I suppose there could be some therapeutic value in believing that
these stones are beneficial, but scientifically speaking, there is
*no* evidence of any kind that supports the conclusions that
the so called "shamens" or "crystal healers" purport.

Listen, I like rocks as much as most people. I have been collecting
since I was a kid. But if you are sick, see a doctor.

Iconoclasically yours,
Jay
Eli from Hell

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From: [email-masked] (RICHARD EDWARD GAY)
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 1994 21:24:14 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Jay D. Morris) writes:
|>Path: taco!inxs.concert.net!concert!xanth.cs.odu.edu!organ.cs.odu.edu!jdm
|>From: [email-masked] (Jay D. Morris)
|>Newsgroups: alt.folklore.gemstones
|>Subject: Re: healing properties?
|>Date: Tue, 22 Feb 94 10:44:32 EST
|>Organization: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va
|>Lines: 30
|>Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
|>References: <[email-masked]>
|>NNTP-Posting-Host: organ.cs.odu.edu
|>Keywords: healing, gemstones
|>
|>In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Ken McCarthy) writes:
|>>Does anybody have anything to say about the reputed healing
|>>powers of gemstones?
|>>
|>>1) what gemstones are reputed to treat what conditions
|>>2) the theory behind how gemstones can exert influence on the 
|>>human body, in other words how do they do what they are reputed to do?
|>>
|>Just exactly what do you expect rocks to do? Certainly there are
|>certain elements/compounds that can have an effect on living tissue.
|>Substances with very high/low ph, Mercury, Uranium, and other
|>toxic metals for example. But chemically
|>and atomically stable substances like quartz and amethyst have no
|>beneficial side effects other than they look pretty hanging by a
|>string in your kitchen window or in your grandmothers brooch.
|>
|>I suppose there could be some therapeutic value in believing that
|>these stones are beneficial, but scientifically speaking, there is
|>*no* evidence of any kind that supports the conclusions that
|>the so called "shamens" or "crystal healers" purport.
|>
|>Listen, I like rocks as much as most people. I have been collecting
|>since I was a kid. But if you are sick, see a doctor.
|>
|>Iconoclasically yours,
|>Jay
|>Eli from Hell
|>
|>
|>
|>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

	However, since this is alt.FOLKLORE.gemstones, folklore
being the key word here, it is of interest to note that amethyst
has been reported to counter negative emotions, depression in
general.

	I am not implying that if there are serious medical/
psychological problems, that such ideas are more effective
than modern medicine.  However, doesn't it spice up life a bit???

rich
[email-masked]
-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 22 Feb 94 15:26:52 CST

> 1) what gemstones are reputed to treat what conditions
Well, from the folklore side of things, I have heard the following:
 - bloodstone (the jasper-like stone, not the agate you sometimes see
   sold as 'bloodstone' these days) was supposed to have all kinds of
   wonderful properties, esp. the ability to aid childbirth (when worn
   by the mother) and to reduce bleeding (when placed in a cloth 
   wrapped around the wound).
-  red jasper as a protection against/cure for venomous snakebite
-  turquoise:  When I was growing up in Utah, "everybody knew" that
   turqoise kept the wearer from being struck by lightning.  COmparing
   notes with a freind who grew up in south central Kansas, "everybody
   knew" there that if you wore turquoise you couldn't break a bone.
   At least not until after the stone broke...

> human body, in other words how do they do what they are reputed to do?
Well, my examples are folklore.  Bloodstone was probably reputed to 
prevent bleeding because it looks like a blood-flecked stone;  is this
sympathy?  I don't remember what all bloodstone was good for, but it
was my grandmother's favorite stone and so I looked up a lot of its
lore at one time.  Jasper is also associated with St. Peter and has
been considered a protection against spiritual evil, so I would say
the snakebite thing goes back to the snake=serpent in the Garden=evil
thing.  Turquoise, I have absolutely no idea.
Incidentally, these are all examples of things I heard growing up, but
there are books on the subject -- someone's "Lore of Precious Stones"
(if I remember the title correctly) is great fun, just a long
collection of similar bits of folklore.
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From: [email-masked]
Date: 22 Feb 94 23:00:48 CST

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Ken McCarthy) writes:
> Well, I've read several books on gemstones and healing and the theory
seems to be that certain stones (namely, quartz crystal - all varieties)
vibrate at a frequency that is soothing/pleasing to points in the human body.
I have a cousin who swears by "crystal healing" and has a lot of crystals
in her home.  My grandmother was part native american and she believed in
the healing power of certain quartz pieces she had.
I'm not sure this is the info you wanted, but I do recall that books seem
to point to the "vibrational frequency" explanation.

Jennifer