Torsten Arncken

Rudolf Steiner developed "Cinis capsella comp" an alchemical preparation for treating wounds which contains three plant species. We have studied it in a workgroup with the physician Andreas Arendt and the pharmacist Richard Söll. Our aim was to try to understand the importance of three species in the efficacy of the preparation.

The project was concluded in spring 2012 with a report which will be published in "Merkurstab". The results were presented to the Substance Workgroup of the medical Section of the Goetheanum and in an annual training on understanding medicinal plants.

One special result of this work was that the quality of form, smell and taste of the plants can be traced with the senses even into the ashes of the plants. Ribwort plantain produces the most ash. The ash structure is coarse and it tastes very salty. On the other hand, wormwood, which is completely permeated by aroma, and is thus very cosmic, produces little ash. This tastes very sweet and is subtly aromatic. There is an immediately obvious connection between the qualities of both plant and its ash.

In this YouTube video, Torsten Arncken explain his work on healing plants (German)