"We research and process indigenous plants." – This is the very successful company philosophy of Naturprodukte Dr. Pandalis GmbH & Co. KG. For us central Europeans indigenous plants mean those which originate in Europe or have been positively put to the test in Europe over a period of at least 10 generations. These are often spice plants, vegetables and medicinal plants which have sunk into oblivion - cichorium intybus or salicornia, for example, which are especially rich in special bioactive substances. Over the course of the millennia our organisms have adjusted - actively as well as passively - to the living and nutritional conditions in the area of the world in which we live. Over the long course of evolution our bodies have developed enzymes with which they can make use of exactly these traditional, local foods. Only very rarely – as a result of wars or colonialism, for example – did new foods conquer the traditional menu. We produce high quality natural products from these indigenous plants which are particularly rich in vital substances – under strict consideration as well as preservation of the original, biological composition.
Why indigenous plants?
From an evolutionary point of view, the human system has never before been confronted with so many alien substances as in the last decades: Leached soils and ruthless, profit-oriented growing methods have led to a situation whereby our cultivated plants contain consistently fewer healthy constituents. Instead, they are becoming increasingly contaminated by chemical and artificial fertilising agents and pesticides. Even our drinking water– with official approval by the authorities – contains more and more nitrates from agriculture whilst the omnipresent fine dust particles in the air impose a strain on our lungs and bronchial tubes. Our daily bread is enriched with artificially produced iodine and, last but not least, genetically manipulated foods are now beginning to find their way into our kitchens. Furthermore, new exotic foods from different countries are constantly penetrating the market and there seems to be no end to the flood of synthetically produced food with its "vitamin" megadoses. Similarly, many new types of medicines are indeed greeted with excitement but then quickly turn out to be chemical bombs.
Such developments are bound to have consequences: intolerances, allergies and other serious health damage after consuming these products and medicines have long since ceased to be the exception. Allergies, in particular, have experienced a dramatic increase over the last thirty years. Every third person is already affected. The alien components become potential allergens, thus imposing a strain on the immune system. Because the organism's so-called pre-immune antibody repertoire is limited. Approx. 10 15 different antibodies can be formed and after this the life-preserving stocks are exhausted. Renowned scientists warn that this change in nutrition habits, taking place at incredible speed in terms of the history of human evolution, can only be countered - if at all - by adjustment over the course of many thousands of generations(!). "Anyone who wants to avoid the danger of negative effects on their health should resort to traditional, local nutrition and remedies“, is how the geneticist Prof. Karl Müller of Münster sums up the situation.
Worms are also indigenous– for Australians
What may be considered to be indigenous depends entirely on the individual origin of the beholder. "The phenomenon of close familiarity with certain nutritional traditions, and thus the biological competence of the human system develops over the course of many generations“, declares the Würzburg medical historian Prof. Gundolf Keil. In Asia, for example, rice and algae are indigenous basic nutrients. In America it is maize, in Europe cereals and in Australia – worms! In addition, there are the respective indigenous vegetables, herbs and healing as well as living methods. Thus traditional Chinese medicine is especially suited to the Chinese but cannot be transferred to us central Europeans. Classical homeopathy or Bach blossom remedies, by contrast, represent suitable healing methods for our region provided they convey indigenous messages. Unfortunately, however, this is not always the case.
Our trust in the indigenous plant world
In the manufacture of our products we place our complete trust in the power of our indigenous plant world. The raw materials for our products come exclusively from controlled wild collections or from ecological cultivation. Among these are bear's garlic (allium ursinum) which supplies us with sulphur compounds in reduced form or activated fenugreek with its saponines, which improve the supply of oxygen to the body. Traditional barley supplies us above all with vitamin E, the skins of the wild sea buckthorn contain a lot of vitamin B12 and C, red pumpkin (product name: Carotakürbis®) helps us in the intake of anti-oxidative carotinoids. The polyphenol content of Cystus® tea far exceeds other well-known sources of polyphenol such as red wine and green tea. Urbitter® Bio Granulat stimulates the digestion. The vegetable oestrogens in Venusurkicher® Granulate can alleviate typical menopause complaints. Some of our products are specifically used as food supplements if certain vital substances are under-represented by one-sided nutrition or are required in greater quantities due to circumstances of psychic-physical stress. Others are drugs or medicinal products.
We survive without chemistry and genetic engineering!
All our products are free of artificial aromas and conservation agents. The granulates are preserved exclusively by means of careful drying so that the valuable vital substances remain optimally intact. As a capsule alternative which is free of chemistry, gelatine and genetic engineering, we have developed Mastitabs®. These can be consumed just as easily as conventional tablets but are free of conventional tablet auxiliary materials.
Founded on research
As a medium-sized enterprise, Naturprodukte Dr. Pandalis GmbH & Co.KG has invested approx. 6 million euros in research into indigenous plants over the last few years. The following institutes have been or still are entrusted with research projects: The "Institut für Geobotanik" in Hanover, the "Institut für Geschichte der Medizin" at the University of Würzburg as well as the biological or ecotrophological institutes of the universities of Homburg/Saar, Berlin (Charité), Braunschweig, Lübeck, Münster, Osnabrück, Marburg, Göttingen, Tübingen, München and the Fachhochschule Bremerhaven.
Our "Bio quality seal"
Following certification by the testing associations Verarbeitung e.V. in Karlsruhe and Physiologike in Greece, we are now officially permitted to give our products the attribute "Bio“for a period of approximately 5 years. This controlled biological cultivation quality can be recognised by the code numbers DE-007-Öko-Kontrollstelle and EL-BIO-02 (Physiologike). This also makes it clear that we are subject to a constant monitoring and control procedure in connection with the EC Bio Directive. To the best of our knowledge, we are the only manufacturer who offers biological products in chemist’s shops. They can, however, also be obtained through natural products sales outlets. Our bio certificate guarantees the customer additional security which is otherwise not necessarily available at the chemists‘: after all, vegetable-based raw materials from the chemist’s may very well have been "sprayed". By contrast, however, raw materials which are cultivated according to the EC Bio Directive do not come into contact with chemical pesticides, insecticides or chemical fertilisers. All products can even be used in pregnancy without any need for concern whatsoever. Our Bear's Garlic Magnesium Capsules are the only exception – these should not be taken in the last month of pregnancy.
Naturprodukte Dr. Pandalis GmbH & Co. KG was the first pharmaceutical company in Germany to be certified four times in the areas of presentation, manufacture and final control of food supplements, cosmetics and medicinal products. For its drugs and medicinal products it received the highest praise from the responsible regional government in the control at the end of 2003. The company’s quality assurance system fulfils the high requirements according to DIN EN ISO 9001, DIN EN 13485 as well as EU-Bio- Directive no. 2092/91 (Germany and Greece).
