Anthroposophic Medicine

Johannes Weinzirl, Matthias Girke, Georg Soldner

Last update: 26.09.2018

Anthroposophic Medicine is an integrative medicine. It is founded on evidence-based medicine and adds an anthroposophic understanding of the human being and the world. It was initiated in 1920 by the physician Ita Wegman MD and the founder of anthroposophy Rudolf Steiner PhD, and has since then been continually developed and elaborated. Anthroposophic physicians and therapists work to support the whole human being, which includes physical, vital-functional, mental-emotional and spiritual aspects. Anthroposophic Medicine is patient-centered and realistic, enriching diverse applied medical disciplines such as oncology, cardiology, pediatrics, neurology and psychiatry. It is currently practiced in 22 hospitals and a large number of outpatient practices and therapeutic centers worldwide.

There are many ways to begin learning about Anthroposophic Medicine. This is because it is committed to being scientifically and clinically verifiable, on the one hand, and on the other hand it aims to integrate a rich understanding of the inner soul and spirit of the human being. We can therefore consider Anthroposophic Medicine from four points of view within these wide-ranging lenses:

  • Anthroposophic Medicine in the context of evidence-based medicine and its contribution to the health-care system
  • Anthroposophic Medicine as a complementary or integrative therapeutic method
  • Anthroposophic Medicine as an art of healing, with the human being at its center
  • Anthroposophic Medicine as spiritual medicine 

Research news

Phase IV trial: Kalium phosphoricum comp. versus placebo in irritability and nervousness 
In a new clinical study, Kalium phosphoricum comp. (KPC) versus placebo was tested in 77 patients per group. In a post-hoc analysis of intra-individual differences after 6 weeks treatment, a significant advantage of KPC vs. placebo was shown for characteristic symptoms of nervous exhaustion and nervousness (p = 0.020, p = 0.045 respectively). In both groups six adverse events (AE) were assessed as causally related to treatment (severity mild or moderate). No AE resulted in discontinuation in treatment. KPC could therefore be a beneficial treatment option for symptomatic relief of neurasthenia. The study has been published open access in Current Medical Research and Opinion: 
https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2023.2291169.


Further information on Anthroposophic Medicine