History & Philosophy
History and Philosophy
WALA has been developing natural products since as far back as 1935. In the earliest days of its history, the company was a pioneering force in a society that had all but lost touch with natural products. Today, more than 70 years later, it is increasingly evident that the natural approach may be the only one that can lead us to the future. For WALA, this was always the natural choice.
The Rhythmical Process
What is life? Rhythm is the carrier of life…
In 1924 the Viennese chemist, Dr. Rudolf Hauschka (1891-1969) travelled to the Netherlands and attended the anthroposophic summer conference in Arnheim. Here, he met Dr. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). Hauschka had several conversations with the founder of anthroposophy and asked him what, in his opinion, life was. Steiner answered: “Study rhythms; rhythm is the carrier of life.” For many years, Hauschka dwelled on this answer and eventually applied it in his medicine research in 1929. At the time, he was working at the Clinical and Therapeutic Institute in Arlesheim, Switzerland. He had been invited here by anthroposophic physician with a view to developing a natural technique for manufacturing medicine without the need for alcohol as a preservative. Click here to watch the Rhythm Carries Life video.
Rudolf Hauschka With Steiner’s answer in mind, Rudolf Hauschka integrated natural polar changes such as light/dark, warm/cold, movement/calm in an extraction process for medicinal herbs - rhythmic changes that enhanced natural preservation, thereby helping to counter the decomposition process. The idea was a winner; his aqueous extracts – initially using rose petals – kept for many years without the need to add preservatives, as was previously the case.
Together with a team of anthroposophic doctors, Rudolf Hauschka developed a series of medicines based on these aqueous medicinal herb extracts. The doctors using the treatment were so enthusiastic about its effectiveness that Hauschka opened a laboratory in Ludwigsburg in 1935 so that he could manufacture sufficient quantities of the new medicines. He named the new company after the qualities that play a key role in the rhythmic manufacturing process: Warmth and Ashes and Light and Ashes.
Even today, employees at the WALA plant laboratory still produce medicinal herb extracts – mother tinctures – using the methods developed by Rudolf Hauschka. The technique has since been included in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia for German-speaking countries. The mother tinctures are used by WALA employees to produce the homeopathically potentised ingredients for WALA medicines. Similarly rhythmic processes play a role in the manufacture of essences and oil extracts that are used in WALA medicines and Dr.Hauschka Skin Care products.
Glossary
Mother tinctures
Aqueous medicinal herb extracts. The basis of homeopathically potentiated ingredients for WALA medicines.
Essences
Aqueous-alcoholic medicinal herb extracts for WALA medicines, WalaVita products and Dr.Hauschka Skin Care products that are applied externally.
Oil extracts
Extracts from dried medicinal herbs with plant oils for WALA medicines and Dr.Hauschka Skin Care products.
The WALA Foundation
The WALA company, which develops and manufactures WALA anthroposophical homoeopathic medicines, Dr.Hauschka natural skin care products and health products was founded by Dr. Rudolf Hauschka in 1935. Hauschka's vision was of a company where people are at the heart of all corporate activities and profit is seen only as a means to an end. This vision raised a number of questions about the best way to continue operating his company.
In answer to these questions; in 1986 WALA was transformed from a general commercial partnership to a foundation.
The WALA private company Foundation (a rare business model), was established as trustee of the WALA company as a whole, while the latter was simultaneously transformed into a German limited liability company (GmbH). The primary task of the foundation, as guardian of the WALA idea, is to promote the development of WALA Heilmittel GmbH. It is thus the 100% shareholder of the company. The approach of WALA Heilmittel GmbH to capital is marked by the conviction that no social or economic measure in itself has any significance. The company exists to fulfil the object of the foundation and cannot be bought, sold or inherited like goods. The profit is only the means to an end, not an end in itself. The end is primarily the corporate development and the development of the employees to free individuals.
A Foundation does not have shareholders, therefore profit is not the primary aim.
The Company’s History at a glance:
- Founded in Ludwigsburg in 1935 by Dr. Rudolf Hauschka (1891-1969).
- Sole company location today: Bad Boll / Eckwälden near Stuttgart.
- Owned by the WALA Foundation since 1986.
- Approximately 600 employees.
- Develops and manufactures three brands of holistic products.
- Exports to more than 40 countries on all continents.
- WALA medicines since 1935 and today produce more than 900 different remedies conforming to the anthroposophic understanding of man and nature.
- Dr.Hauschka Skin Care since 1967: certified natural skin care with more than 120 different products for face, body, hair and sun care as well as a range of make-up and annual trend colours.
- Biodynamic WALA medicinal herb garden complying with Demeter standards.
- Supports biodynamic farming projects throughout the world.
- Developed an original rhythmic manufacturing process to obtain aqueous plant extracts that remain stable without the use of alcohol as a preservative.
- Important manufacturing steps are still performed manually, with care and great attention to detail, e.g. the potentising process.
- High priority given to environmental protection, such as EMAS (eco-management and audit scheme) certification, environmental management system, hydroelectric power.
- Social commitment, for example to families’ and women’s needs, profit-linked bonus schemes.
Animal Testing
Dr.Hauschka skin care products and cosmetics are manufactured by WALA Heilmittel GmbH. Since 1935 this company has been working with natural substances and thus has longstanding experience in this area as well as with practical nature conservation through the use of biodynamic cultivation methods. Since the inception of Dr.Hauschka Skin Care in 1967 we have always attached particular importance to the responsible development and manufacture of our products in a way that harms nature as little as possible. And this is still the case today.
Of course this also means that, since 1967, no Dr.Hauschka Skin Care product has been tested on animals – either by us or by anyone else on our behalf.
When we use a new raw material in any of our products for the first time we require our suppliers to certify that these raw materials have not been tested on animals at any time after 1 January 1998 either by the suppliers themselves, by any company associated with them or on their behalf.
During their development the Dr.Hauschka Skin Care products are extensively tested on volunteers selected from amongst the company's employees. In addition, before a new skin care product goes on the market we have dermatological tests performed on human volunteers by independent institutes. These tests confirm the good skin compatibility of our products.
Our raw materials have to conform to high standards of quality and purity which, together with strict quality controls, ensures a very high level of safety and quality of our preparations.
Of course, we will not test any of our Dr.Hauschka Skin Care products on animals in the future either, nor will we commission the performance of any such tests on our behalf.
In the context of our biodynamic cultivation of medicinal herbs and the certified organic farming practised on our Demeter farm we are committed to an ethical, sustainable and responsible approach to animals and to the entire ecosystem in which we live.
