Anthroposophic Warmth Processes


What is a Warmth Process?

As a manufacturer of anthroposophic medicine Weleda uses eight processes, known as warmth processes, through which a substance is treated under a given temperature range to maximize its medicinal efficacy in treating a specific condition.

 
1. Cold Extraction
These preparations are made from fresh plants macerated with a mixture of water and alcohol and then pressed out after an appropriate interval.

2. Digestio
A plant extract is kept at body temperature (37°C  or 98.6°F) for the time prescribed, depending upon the substance, then pressed out and filtered.

3. Infusion
Similar to brewing tea, boiling water is poured over dried herbs, allowed to cool and strained.  This method is often used to preserve the aromatic quality of essential oils.

4. Decoction
Similar to cooking food, a substance—generally roots—are placed into water or an alcohol-water mixture, brought to a boil and kept at a boil for varying lengths of time.  A reflux condenser is used to prevent the loss of volatile substances.

5. Distillation
This process enables the pharmacist to separate volatile and non-volatile substances.  The condensed vapor is comprised of substances akin to air warmth. 

6. Tostatio
This method of production brings volatile substances to the surface and transforms them through heat.  Coffee beans, for instance, are roasted in containers with a limited air flow and in temperatures close to 220^o C.

7. Carbonization
Originally developed by charcoal burners, this method of production is a suffocated combustion—a partial burning at 300 to 600 o C occurring with reduced oxygen.  As a result, all of the volatile, watery and gaseous substances are expelled.  A carbonaceous skeleton remains.  These preparations, eager to regain the lost air, are effective in absorbing abnormal gas formation.

8.  Cinis
Ashes are prepared from dried vegetable or animal substances incinerated under an air supply stream at a temperature of 500 to 700 o C.  All combustible, organic matter is burned, leaving only the mineral oils previously absorbed by the plant from the earth.

Other Anthroposophic Processes

1. Cultum
Known as plant potentized metals, this pharmaceutical process enhances the relationship between certain plants and metals by adding a metal salt to the earth where the plant grows.  This crop is used to prepare compost for the planting of a new seed in the second year, and no further metal salts are added.  This potentization, which is taken over by the plant, is carried out of three generations.  The third harvest is used for medicines, allowing time for the inorganic metal to rise to the living sphere of the plant. 

Over the decades clinical experience has shown that when a metal is presented in this form it can better assimilate with other substances.  These medicines have been found to be particularly helpful in beginning treatment of chronic cases or in patient’s where the organism’s vitality is especially low.  Such preparations are made as 1% (2X) or .1% (3X) extracts.

2. Met. Praeps.
These metallic mirrors are preparations in which the therapeutic effect of metals can be strengthened by distillation.  Through this process, a metal is heated to the point of vaporization.  The metal is therefore purified by transforming it from the solid to the liquid and finally the gaseous state.  When working with large quantities of metal, a mirror is often obtained from a metal salt when it is in a liquid state.  The vapor is then cooled until it precipitates as a thin mirror on a smooth surface.  In this form it is less influenced by earthly forces.  All of these metal remedies are designated as “praep”. 

3. Mineral compositions
Dr. Steiner suggested that one study the functional relationships of various substances in a certain plant and them imitate these with mineral substances.  When this is done, greater effort is required by an organism to overcome such substances.  As the patient’s body is challenged it is also strengthened, and a more profound level of healing, especially when treating chronic illnesses, is attained.
 

4. Dorons
This special combination of minerals used to treat common illnesses can be recognized when a product name has the suffix “doron,” the Greek word meaning “gift.”

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