Free as a bird – who wouldn’t want to be? The homeopathic community, too, has been fascinated by the world of birds ever since the provings of the peregrine falcon, the whooper swan and the silver gull. Yet the boundless freedom of flight is but one aspect of a bird’s existence, which begins confined within an egg from which the chick must struggle to break free. Freedom versus restriction, heaven and earth, form the fundamental polar theme of bird remedies. In the sky, the vastness; on earth, the confines of the nest, the burden of brooding, the tireless search for food, the constant threat from predators. 

With this issue of our journal, we would like to introduce you to the diversity of group and remedy themes, as well as to the broad spectrum of the bird world, from swallows to eagles, from ibises to loons. In the case studies, Superclasses and the MAP system play just as significant a role in analysis as provings, clinical experience and the signature derived from the biology and mythology of birds. Two articles each on Haliaeetus leucocephalus and Gavia immer particularly showcase different approaches. Some authors spotlight various bird-related cases from their practice, whilst others present detailed case histories and long-term follow-ups.

We would like to thank the authors from all over the world who have captured so many different birds and brought them down from the skies onto homeopathic ground.

Christa Gebhardt and Jürgen Hansel, Editors