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Care and Cultivation Today Arnica plays a well accepted role in many therapies, but this very popularity has its downside. The stock of wild Arnica montana has been drastically reduced over the years by intensive farming and excessive wild collection and as a result, the plant must be protected. For A.Vogel, the raw material for its Arnica products was only viable if it were possible for it to be cultivated completely sustainably, without chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides. Experts shook their heads in disbelief as the rare mountain plant, Arnica montana had so far resisted all attempts at cultivation. Professor Ulrich Bomme from the Bavarian Regional Institute of Agriculture in Freising (Germany) took up the challenge in 1983. “We had to start with nothing,” he recalls. “All previous attempts to cultivate the much sought-after healing plant had failed miserably.” Fifteen years later, his work bore the most wonderful fruit. In 1998 it became possible for the first time to cultivate a large crop of mountain Arnica. During these years, A.Vogel worked closely with an organic farmer who, for his part, followed Professor Bomme’s direction. Through his enthusiasm and his own development work, the farmer succeeded in achieving the same quality in his cultivated crop for A.Vogel as could be found in wild Arnica. And so it is today. In the summer when the flowers are in full bloom, the yellow flower heads are carefully handpicked and rapidly despatched to the Roggwil factory. Arnica flowers, which have been overheated or discoloured during transportation, are not accepted. In addition laboratory personnel take samples from the valuable harvest and examine the raw material using tried and tested protocols. These ensure its true identity, condition and purity from contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, alflatoxin as well as freedom from any microbiological contamination. When the Arnica flowers have undergone this detailed examination, production can begin. 1082 |
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