Only an apple for lunch?
We got off the train at the Alpine Station after a long journey from South Africa. Our suitcases felt much heavier than when we left home, our arms tired from the weight! Our mood was buoyant in anticipation of the few days ahead. We had been invited to attend the Centenary Celebration of Dr Vogel with 65 other people from all over the world. The venue was chosen carefully to allow us to enjoy the majestic Engadine Mountains, a favourite spot of Dr Vogel. Here in these mountains he loved to walk, while discovering plants which to this day are used in his famous herbal formulas, manufactured by the Swiss Pharmaceutical company, Bioforce. After a short walk, dragging our luggage behind us, we booked into our hotel, grateful to find lovely rooms with hot showers!
During our stay at the Celerina Palace Hotel, we met so many people who were all as enthusiastic as we were about the life and experiences of Dr Vogel. It felt as if we were constantly in an atmosphere of remembrance of the life lived by this great pioneer of natural medicines. His vision and his passion could be felt when people related anecdotes of when they met him and how he had influenced their life. As the South African guests, we felt privileged to be there. The affirmation of the benefits of his well-known remedies such as Echinaforce, Urticalcin, and Boldocynara abounded in the stories people were telling one another. Personally, I have experienced the healing qualities of his remedies. I have also been part of the development of the awareness, as Dr Vogel would put it, that nature is good. Many of the people I have had an opportunity to help with health problems have used Dr Vogel’s Bioforce Remedies with good results. The simplicity of his approach is valid to this day. He always insisted that people should follow a good diet of natural foods. Fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, raw seeds, raw nuts, a little animal protein, preferably white fish, fermented dairy products, dried fruits as snacks. He believed in the power of water. Drink it, swim in it, and use it as icepacks or hot water bottles or hot baths. Together with this, regular exercise helps to maintain good circulation, and a tranquil mind. He always encouraged people to live a life of humility and kindness. His generosity was well known to those he encountered. His gift to be able to identify and manufacture herbal remedies which has stood the test of time, and which now, interestingly, is being clinically proven, is our blessing. His ability to look beyond the ordinary, and have an imagination, is wonderfully illustrated by this following story.