The Oldenburger physician Wilhelm Heinrich Schüßler (1821-1898) was a child of his time. Trained in the homeopathic way of treatment, he pursued and was fascinated by scientific research at the end of the 19th century. The Berlin physician Rudolf Virchow had just discovered the cell as the smallest unit of the human body, and the Dutch physiologist Jakob Moleschott identified minerals as a vital foundation of the body. Both discoveries were to greatly influence the further work of Schuessler, and were to be the basis for his new therapeutic approach which he published in 1873 in a homeopathic journal: the “Biochemical Way of Healing”

Schuessler developed the idea that diseases are caused by malfunctions within the cells, which in turn are responsible for an imbalance of minerals. The administration of the missing mineral salt should therefore be the cure for all possible diseases. He identified in his research that twelve mineral salts are essential to life because they occur in all cells. Each tissue salt has a specific action in the body, some being nutritive and some facilitating elimination. To determine which salt is missing from the body, Schuessler used the “face analysis”, because he had found in his investigations that the absence of a mineral substance was made noticeable by facial characteristics, such as colour and skin tone.

As a homeopathic trained doctor, using only homeopathic doses came into question, in which the “subtle” mineral salts are intended to go directly into the cells. They put a stimulus there that strengthens the cellular power and improves the capacity to absorb nutrients in the body .  Schuessler Salts, therefore, do not resemble the existing mineral deficiencies in the body itself, but also gives the impetus for better utilization of the supplied minerals. This way, tissue remedies bring back balance into human metabolism and restore the body functions to normal.

Although dosage and preparation of the “Tissue Salts” satisfy homeopathic criteria, even Schuessler himself repeatedly emphasized that it is not about homeopathy, but a separate therapeutic principle in his “Biochemical Healing Method”. He insists that his method is not based upon the homeopathic law of cure (like cures like), but upon physiological-chemical processes that take place within the organism. He believed that the 12 salt remedies were an all-sufficient therapeutic procedure and chemical hygiene as opposed to the several hundred in homeopathy at the time. If anything, Schüssler thought his system superior to homeopathy for being the building blocks of the drugs that were given in homeopathy. His idea was that the 12 minerals make up the entire active components of the Materia Medica, and that the combinations of them are what give the resulting symptoms.

Nevertheless – or perhaps precisely because of the differences – the “Biochemical way of Healing with Schuessler Salts” enjoys more popularity a 100 years after the death of its founder, because it is relatively simple to apply only 12 salts that have very few or no side effects. They are suitable for almost everyone who simply want an alternative cure for their chronic complaints.

Good to know:
Schuessler Salts are usually used as tablets, and are best dissolved slowly in the mouth for half an hour before eating. In terms of a stimulation therapy, rather low doses of tissue salts are enough, for example, 3 to 6 times daily 1 to 2 tablets. Several salts can also be combined. In this case, take one tablet of each salt three times daily.

For each salt, there is a so-called rule potency.  Salts no. 1, 3 and 11 are usually taken as D12, all the other salts as D6.

D1 indicates that there is a dilution of 1:10, D6 is 1: 1,000,000 and 1 D12: 1,000,000,000,000 times diluted.

The biochemical remedies according to Schuessler are homeopathic medicinal products which are placed on the market under a simplified authorization procedure. Unlike the “approval” for medicines, the efficacy and safety in the “registration” of homeopathic remedies does not need to be proven; in return, however, no application areas are allowed to be specified.

The 12 Schuessler Tissue  Remedies.
1. Calcium fluorite D12 (calcium fluoride)
2. Calcium phosphate D6 (calcium phosphate)
3. Iron phosphate D12 (iron phosphate)
4. Potassium chloride D6 (potassium chloride)
5. Potassium phosphate D6 (potassium phosphate)
6. Potassium sulphate D6 (potassium sulphate)
7. Magnesium phosphate D6 (magnesium hydrogen phosphate)
8. Sodium chloride D6 (sodium chloride – table salt)
9. Sodium phosphate D6 (sodium phosphate)
10. sodium sulphate D6 (sodium sulfate)
11. Silicea D12 (silica)
12. Calcium sulphate D6 (calcium sulfate)

Calcium sulphate or “sulphate of lime” was removed from the list by Schuessler in 1895 as a functional agent, because sulphate of lime does not enter into the constant composition of the organism, so it had to disappear from the biochemical picture. In its place came Sodium phosphate, known as Silica into consideration. “

Later, fifteen other substances were introduced by various followers of “Biochemistry according to Schuessler” , which are summarized under the name “supplements” today.

Since the tablets primarily consist of lactose, the tissue salts (beads from cane sugar) are available for patients with lactose intolerance in the form of alcoholic drops or globules. For each tablet, five globules or droplets are taken instead. 50 tablets are equivalent to 1 bread unit.

Tip: The “Hot Seven”

Schuessler Salt No. 7 (Magnesium phosphate) is often prepared as a “Hot Seven”, because the effect is particularly quick and intense. These 10 tablets from Schuessler Salt No. 7 (magnesium phos) are placed in a beaker filled with hot water. The lactose-containing tablets dissolve in a matter of minutes and can then be drunk in small sips. This application is possible, in principle, with the other cell salts and is very popular, especially in autumn and winter.

The homepathic Schuessler Salts (tissue remedies) are beneficial to all ages, including infants, pregnant women and the elderly. They act as an activator of the energy processes in sick cells, stabilizing them and restoring the balance of human metabolism.