Anthroposophic pharmacy

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Anthroposophic Pharmacy is the discipline related to conceiving, developing and producing medicinal products according to the anthroposophic understanding of man, nature, substance and pharmaceutical processing^[1]. Anthroposophic medicinal products are used in anthroposophic medicine, but not only. Anthroposophic medicine is now taught ^[2] at the University of Witten-Herdecke.

Anthroposophic medicinal products

Anthroposophic medicinal products ^[3] are conceived, developed, and produced following the investigation of the relationship between man and nature in a process-oriented way: Raw materials are considered to be the result of the formative forces of the mineral, plant, and animal worlds. These forces are similar to the formative forces acting on the human organism, whether healthy or diseased. The study of formative forces is the specific discipline within anthroposophic pharmacy.

According to the starting hypothesis the relationship between the human being and the origin of the substances exists at “three plus one” levels:

Furthermore it asserts that man and nature have an interconnected evolutional history during which gradually man has emancipated himself from nature. In illness though man finds himself becoming similar to the processes in nature. This constitutes the rationale why in order to regain control over his humanity, transformed natural substances can be administered as medicines. Raw materials from nature are then to be processed in such a way to be incline to stimulate the „overcoming“ of the nature-similar processes characteristic of the diseased state.

Anthroposophic medicinal products are defined in the German Drug Law, article 4 (33)^[4].

Pharmaceutical processing

Pharmaceutical processing involves specific anthroposophic and typical homoeopathic pharmaceutical procedures. Examples of pharmaceutical processes regarding raw materials of botanical origin:

Another pharmaceutical process widely used in anthroposophic pharmacy is potentisation (also widely used in homoeopathy): Potentised preparations are gradually diluted substances, whereby at each diluting step a rhythmic succussion (liquid potencies) or trituration (solid potencies) has been carried out. During this process the surface of the vehicle and the substance to be potentised are expanded and the mixing is thorough.

Anthroposophic preparations are described in the Swiss Pharmacopeia^[5].

See also

• Anthroposophical medicine
• Anthroposophy

References

Bibliography

• Michaela Glöckler, et al. Anthroposophische Arzneitherapie (Anthroposophic Therapeutics). Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Germany, 2005.
• Rudolf Hauschka. The Nature of Substance. Bristol, 233 pp. ISBN 1-85584-122-3.
• International Association of Anthroposophic Pharmacists: Anthroposophic Pharmaceutical Codex
• Gunver Sophia Kienle, Helmut Kiene, and Hans-Ulrich Albonico. Anthroposophic Medicine, effectiveness, utility, costs, safety. Schattauer Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 2006.
• Wilhelm Pelikan. Healing Plants Insights Through Spiritual Science. Mercury Press, 1997.
• Wilhelm Pelikan. The Secrets of Metals. Anthroposophic Press, 1973.

External links

• IAAP - International Association of Anthroposophic Pharmacists. Center of information for anthroposophic pharmacists
• ECHAMP - European Coalition on Homeopathic and Anthroposophic Medicinal Products
• Facts about Anthroposophic Medicine