Abstract
Spagyric medicine is an alternative approach to modern medicine that is, at least on a theoretical–historical perspective, based on the ancient study of alchemy. Because of its roots in classical and mediaeval views of the world, spagyric medicine can be referred to as a genuine part of ‘traditional occidental medicine’. To understand and determine the underlying principles of contemporary spagyric medicine it is indispensable to retrace these historical views that consisted of analogies, symbolism and holistic beliefs. They are embodied today by fifteen (pharmaceutical) companies in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. This dissertation combines research in the fields of Botany, the History of Pharmaceutics, Medicine and Sociology.
Keywords
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.