Spagyric

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Spagyric (from the Greek spao "(out) pull, separate" and ageiro "unite, merge") was originally the most important principle of alchemical drug preparation for Paracelsus , and has been synonymous with alchemy since the 18th century . Essentially, by separating and re- combining the active principles of a drug, an increase in effectiveness should be achieved. Plant, mineral and animal raw materials are processed into spagyric (singular: spagyric ) according to an alchemical procedure . Distillation is an important processwhich, in addition to its simple form, is also used as circulation (reflux distillation ) or as coobation (multiple distillation ). As a rule, this is preceded by a digestion of the matter - for example through maceration , also under heat ( digestion ) - which, in the case of biogenic raw materials, is often accompanied by putrefaction or fermentation . Another well-known process is calcination , which is the drying and incineration of the distillation residue. In the alchemical worldview, the procedural steps concentrate on the separation of the "essential" from its material appearance. At the end there is the merging of the intermediate stages ( “conjugation” ) to form “quintessence”, to which special healing powers are ascribed.

Even today, drugs are still occasionally manufactured according to this principle. Various healing methods are summarized under the term spagyric. The therapeutic goal is to positively influence an imaginary “ life force ” to activate self-healing powers . Theoretical basis is formed by elements of ancient natural philosophy (e.g. "theory of elements"), the doctrine of signatures and humoral pathology .

For spagyric drugs, which are marketed by pharmaceutical companies today, neither an efficacy beyond the placebo effect nor a plausible mechanism of action could be proven.

history

The production of medicines and therapy according to the ideological and practical rules of alchemy goes back to Theophrastus von Hohenheim (1493–1541), called Paracelsus, from whom the term has been handed down:

"So learn alchimiam, who is otherwise called spagyria, who teaches the wrong way to separate from the just"

With the production of medicines using alchemical processes, Paracelsus distinguished his healing system from the " galenic " medicine that was widespread at the time . The therapeutic application was carried out against the background of alchemical philosophy and thus the alchemical view of man and his environment. This included the idea of ​​the Entien , the four elements , the philosophical principles , the Astra, the concept of Archaeus , Mumia , Virtutes and Tartarus , which was iatrochemically expanded by Paracelsus .

Iatrochemistry (16th and early 17th centuries)

Inspired by the Paracelsian spagyric, alchemy gained increasing importance for medicine in the 17th century and iatrochemistry or chemiatry emerged. In the period that followed, it found particular attention among the nobility and at court. Landgrave Moritz von Hessen-Kassel set up the world's first chair for chemiatry in Marburg in 1609 and filled it with Johannes Hartmann . Another iatrochemist was Johann Rudolph Glauber .

Iatrochemistry lost its importance at the end of the 17th century and experienced an upswing in the 19th century in the form of other healing systems.

Spagyric healing systems in the 19th century

Experiential teaching from Johann Gottlieb Rademacher

At the beginning of the 19th century, Johann Gottfried Rademacher (1772–1850) developed his empirical healing theory based on the teachings of the "divorced doctors" .

Electrohomeopathy by Cesare Mattei

The means used by the Italian politician and healer Cesare Mattei (1809-1896), which he used in the practice of the electrohomeopathy he founded, are said to be based on herbal substances prepared spagyric, but this has not been proven. Later, the electric Homeopathy originated in a modification of the homeopaths Theodore Krauss (1864-1924) in collaboration with the Regensburg pharmacist J ohannes So nntag (1863-1945), the JSO complex healing method by Krauss , also JSO-Spagirik called.

Healing system according to Dr. Zimpel

The Silesian railway engineer Carl-Friedrich Zimpel (1801–1879) developed the healing system named after him from 1868 after he had met Cesare Mattei in Italy. In addition to the "spagyric plant remedies", it also used the so-called "electricity means" and other means that were not exclusively spagyric ("Arcana"). Zimpel considered distillation to be an essential step in the production process and believed that long-term distillation processes would increase the medicinal effect of his products. However, the spagyrica offered today and labeled with the name Zimpels are not manufactured using the original Zimpel production method. They probably go back to instructions from Johann Rudolph Glauber. In contrast to the preparations, which were manufactured using the original Zimpel production method, they no longer contain any active ingredients. The products only contain the steam-volatile substances from the fermented batch and the soluble mineral salts from the ash from the press residue. A medicinal pharmacological effect of these products could never be proven.

Spagyric Medicines in the 20th / 21st century

Well-known spagyrists of the 20th century are about Conrad Johann Glückselig (1864–1934), Alexander von Bernus (1880–1965), Walter Strathmeyer (1899–1969) and Frater Albertus (real name Albert Riedel , 1911–1984). At the present time, spagyric drugs were and are essentially manufactured as finished medicinal products by various companies.

The processes used differ significantly from one another in the individual manufacturing steps. Six procedures (Krauss, Pekana, Strathmeyer, Zimpel, Glückselig, von Bernus) are contained in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia (HAB) as standardized manufacturing instructions. The finished medicinal products manufactured according to the HAB are legally treated like homeopathic medicinal products : their placing on the market requires official approval ( approval , registration), and strict requirements apply to the manufacturing conditions. The registration process does not require proof of effectiveness.

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literature

  • Hans-Josef Fritschi: Spagyric. Textbook and workbook . Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart et al. 1997, ISBN 3-437-55230-9 .
  • Axel Helmstädter: Spagyric Medicines - Pharmacy and Alchemy of Modern Times . Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 978-3-8047-1113-6 .
  • Ingrid Kästner: Spagyric in a medical-historical context . In: Nova Acta Paracelsica 13, 1999, ISSN  0254-8712 , pp. 185-216.
  • Ulrich Jürgen Heinz: The manual of modern herbal medicine - medicinal and medicinal plants, their effect and application in medicine, natural and folk medicine, homeopathy and spagyric , Verlag Hermann Bauer, Freiburg im Breisgau 1984, ISBN 3-7626-0276-X .
  • Robert Jütte : History of Alternative Medicine . From folk medicine to today's unconventional therapies. CH Beck, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-406-40495-2 . , Pp. 13 and 221–237 ( “Biochemistry” and Spagyric ).

Web links

  • Ulrich Arndt: The “Great Work” of Spagyric Healing , in: esotera 10/1997, pp. 50–56, online copy .
  • Margret Rupprecht: The spagyric of Alexander von Bernus in the tradition of Paracelsian alchemy . In: Erfahrungsheilkunde 54, 2005, pp 176-185, copy online .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ A. Helmstädter (1996), page 136 f.
  2. ↑ Spagyric - Therapy Test Therapy Method
  3. ↑ Heribert Nobis : Archaeus. In: Werner E. Gerabek u. a. (Ed.): Encyclopedia of medical history. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , pp. 93-95.
  4. ^ Robert Jütte (1996), pp. 13 and 164.