Secret lanthanides

Book Review by Sally Williams
Once again Jan Scholten has made an enormous impact on homeopathy with his new book entitled “Secret Lanthanides”. In this richly written book, Jan illuminates new remedies from the periodic table through mythology, provings and case studies. It is thrilling to see the evolution of Jan’s element theory as well as his writing. The book is not only abundant with information, but exciting to read, something that is not so common in homeopathic literature!
The Lanthanides are a group of remedies from the periodic table running between Barium and Hafnium, but are depicted in a separate row because the elements were not discovered until the first half of the 20th century. The name Lanthanide comes from the word Lanthanum which means “hidden” and turns out to be a significant part of the essence of this group of remedies. Their use in autoimmune illnesses are well documented in the book, but also reported by many homeopaths that have begun to use these remedies in their daily practices, including myself. Jan expounds on the lanthanides in great detail by discussing their material use in the world, their themes, through provings, and case studies. He further clarifies the characteristics of the group through mythology with the labors of Hercules and the story of Odysseus. Each discussion reveals another facet to create a more complete picture.
Jan explains his element theory and places each Lanthanide in a stage of the gold series. With every element discussed, Jan shows us the ideas and words that relate to the remedy and the stage, brilliantly illuminating the remedy picture. Those of us that have been following Jan and successfully using his element theory for the past 10 years will be excited by the deeper understanding of the stages and especially the salts. Jan presents case studies for each element and many of them show a comparison of how the salt subtly shifts the remedy picture. He reveals an insightful and clear understanding of how each salt influences the picture of the element. The result is a much more accurate prescription. For those new to Jan’s work, his humble confidence shows in every page and allows the reader to feel
comfortable with their own ability to prescribe these largely unknown remedies.
Jan rounds out this stimulating book with chapters on symbolic language, case taking, homeopathy and science, and homeopathy and classifications. He includes tables of the periodic system in different formats and detailed charts of his element theory. He also includes the color preference for many of the remedies validating the theory discussed in the book “Colors in Homeopathy” by Ulrich Welte. On the inside covers of the book are beautiful photographs taken by well known pharmacist Robert Muntz, who prepared the Lanthanides. The photos show the crystallizing salts of many of the lanthanides under a polarization microscope. The cover art is a stunning painting by Jan’s wife Maria Davits, which after studying this book you will come to understand is a profound expression of the Lanthanides.
The “Secret Lanthanides” is a continuation of Jan Scholten’s contribution to the evolution of homeopathy. Through his genius I have been able to take homeopathy to a higher level, to prescribe more accurately and serve my clients with greater success. In reading this book I was fascinated by his seemingly unending brilliance. Jan remains a pioneer in homeopathy and his books are a source of enlightenment. My hope is that there is more to come!.