Spagyric represents an ancient natural healing method, which was founded by Paracelsus. The remedies produced in this procedure are intended to activate the body’s self-healing powers. Various methods have been developed for the production of spagyric remedies, all of which differ significantly from each other.
What is spagyric?
Spagyric represents an ancient natural healing method, which was founded by Paracelsus. The remedies produced in this procedure are intended to activate the body’s self-healing powers. Spagyric is a natural healing method, which can be described as a pharmaceutical and therapeutic implementation of alchemy. It works on the principle of “separating and uniting”. With the help of chemical processes, plant and animal extracts are first mixed with water, fermented with yeast, distilled, calcined and later reunited. Mostly plants and herbs are used today. After digestion and fermentation, distillation is first used to separate the substances. According to the definition of spagyric, this corresponds to the separation between body, mind and spirit. The biological residue is calcined (heated and ashed). In the process of preparation of spagyric, distillation is considered the most important operation, which must be carried out several times in order to remove toxins from the high quality extracts. Spagyric is attributed to the Swiss physician Theophrastus von Hohenheim (1493-1541), also known as Paracelsus. He conceived it as a practical application of alchemy for the production of remedies. For Paracelsus, even alchemy and spagyric were one and the same. Alchemical philosophy was based on the ideas of entien (influences on the body), the four basic elements (fire, water, earth and air) and other ideas of the philosophy of the time.
Function, effect and goals
However, the remedies obtained within the framework of spagyric showed healing effects when used even then. Their production is still carried out today according to the same principles of separation and combination. Body, mind and soul are first separated, purified and reunited. According to this principle, the separation of the biological substance, its purification and its reunification should also work. In the course of time, several spagyric healing systems were developed according to this principle, based on different separation and merging methods. Today, the healing system according to Dr. Zimpel is favored. The Silesian engineer Dr. Zimpel, who lived from 1801 to 1879, considered distillation to be the most important manufacturing step and believed that the effect of the remedies could be further enhanced by continuous distillation processes. In this process, the substance, which is initially macerated and fermented by means of yeast, is subjected to multiple distillations, and the vegetable residue is heated and ashed in the process. This process is called calcination. After completion of this procedure, the calcined residue is treated with distilled water to remove excess salts. Then the dried ash is again combined with the distillate. The composition of the produced remedy depends on the biological material chosen at the beginning and the method of production. Mixtures of plants, single plants and additions of other biological materials can be chosen. Extracts containing fragrant active substances are often obtained. Based on the method of Dr. Zimpel, other modified methods were introduced in the 20th and 21st centuries, which can be traced back to other well-known spagyricists such as Johann Conrad Glückselig, Alexander von Bernus, Walter Strathmeyer and Frater Albertus. Today, several well-known manufacturers produce spagyric remedies according to the different methods. The manufacturing methods used vary greatly. Of these, six procedures are listed in the homeopathic textbook as standardized procedures. The medicines produced according to these methods are legally considered as homeopathic medicines. Strict requirements apply to their production and they may be marketed only after official approval. The use of spagyric remedies should always be only a supplement to conventional medical treatments or other natural remedies. The main purpose is to activate the self-healing powers.According to the spagyricists, the tinctures produced during the manufacturing process are supposed to be even more healing than the original substances. According to them, the effect of the medicines is based on the programmed laws of life. Spagyrics are offered in the form of drops, ointments, creams, sprays, tablets, single preparations or complex remedies.
Risks, side effects and dangers
Spagyric remedies are used for a wide variety of diseases and symptoms. Scientific proof of the effectiveness of the remedies has not yet been provided. However, amazing effects often occur, which are usually only to a small extent due to the active ingredients contained in certain plants and to a special extent perhaps due to placebo effects. If symptoms occur, a doctor should of course always be consulted first in order to clarify the cause of the illness. Self-medication of serious diseases with spagyric alone can have fatal consequences. However, spagyric remedies have no side effects. However, they are ineffective in severe diseases. Those who rely only on the effect of spagyric remedies cannot build up sufficient self-healing powers in these cases. However, the additional medication can contribute to faster healing. A difficulty in explaining the mode of action of spagyric also lies in the fact that there are many different manufacturing processes, which do not allow for a uniform standard. The production is not based on scientific, but on mystical basis. Their effectiveness is still explained on the basis of the old philosophical ideas of alchemy, which also include astrological aspects. The active ingredient content in these remedies usually does not explain the positive health effects, because their concentration is very low. Probably the self-healing powers are strongly activated by the belief in healing.
