Weleda


Weleda is a multinational company that produces both beauty products and naturopathic medicines. Both branches design their products based on anthroposophic principles, an alternative medicine which has heretofore not proved its effectiveness. The company takes its name from the German form of the name of the 1st-century Bructeri völva Veleda. As well as being known to use green energy, Weleda uses natural ingredients grown using biodynamic methods and none of their ingredients or products are tested on animals.
Weleda Group is member of the Union for Ethical Biotrade.

History

1920–28: Founding

In 1920 Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, and Ita Wegman, a Dutch gynecologist founded "Futurum AG", in Arlesheim, Switzerland, and "Der Kommende Tag AG" in Stuttgart, Germany. In 1920 "Der Kommende Tag AG" acquired the former "Colonial-Werke Paul Rumpus" in Schwäbisch Gmünd. In 1921 the two companies merged for financial reasons, and the new company was registered as "Internationale Laboratorien und Klinisch-Therapeutisches Institut Arlesheim AG" but was commonly known as Weleda. On 10 December 1928, the company officially registered under the new name Weleda AG, and it is still known as such today.

Anthroposophic medicine

Weleda bases its pharmaceutical products on Holistic medicine and Anthroposophic medicine, the company considers itself a "world-leading manufacturer of holistic natural cosmetics as well as pharmaceuticals for anthroposophical therapy". Anthroposophic medicine is a medicine inspired by the philosophy called Anthroposophy.

Products

Weleda is known as the historical and main producer of fermented white mistletoe extract, marketed under the name of Iscalor. This treatment stems from a 1917 Steiner vision: «According to Rudolf Steiner, it is only through the appropriate blend of mistletoe summer and winter extracts that the mistletoe can deploy its "real healing power" on cancer».
Sold as an anti-tumor, and widely used in the 1980s to cure different cancers in Switzerland and Germany, its ineffectiveness has since been established and its use is not recommended by the Swiss Cancer Congress and the Swiss cancer league.