| BioPK experiments with plants Grad also tested Estebany’s influence on plant
growth, comparing plants which have been ‘treated’ by a healer, vs. untreated
plants. Plant growth (e.g. height, density of foliage, etc.) was measured by independent
observers (known as ‘blind judges’), who don’t know which plants were
treated and which not.
In the most interesting of these studies the healer was asked to just treat the
solution used to water the plant -- a saline solution, which normally stresses plants and
inhibits growth. Flasks were sterilized and sealed, to prevent any chemical contamination
of the solution from Estebany’s hands; they were also maintained at a constant
temperature, so that there could be no temperature differences between the treated and
untreated flasks. For each session, Estebany held the ‘influence’ flask for
several minutes and tried to cancel the harmful potential of its saline solution. Indeed,
plants watered by the treated solution grew significantly higher and were more robust than
those watered by the identical, but untreated solution.
One of the most dramatic demonstrations of distant-healing involved a single blade of
grass. Dr. Robert Miller, a chemist, had been conducting experiments on the growth rate of
rye grass under different lighting conditions; he used an extremely sensitive instrument,
capable of measuring the growth rate of grass to an accuracy within thousandths of an inch
per hour. By maintaining constant lighting, temperature and watering conditions, Miller
was able to measure a relatively constant growth rate in the plant of about .006 inches
per hour.
At some point, he met with the well-known psychic Olga Worrall, and her husband
Ambrose, both famous for their distant healings. To see whether they can indeed influence
living systems at large distances, Miller asked them to attempt to mentally affect the
growth a single blade of rye grass. A date was fixed, and the time was set for the regular
prayer time of the Worralls, 9:00 pm. At that time, the Worralls prayed for the plant,
visualizing a white light around it which would help it growing vigorously. Their home was
over 500 miles away from the lab. Here’s what Dr. Miller says about the graph
representing the plant’s growth:
"All through the evening and up until 9:00 pm the trace was a straight line with a
slope which represented a growth rate of .00625 inches per hour. At exactly 9:00 pm the
trace began deviating upward and by 8:00 am the next morning the growth reate was .0525
inches per hour, a growth rate increase of 830%" |
