Luvos
Encyclopedia
Heilerde-Gesellschaft Luvos Just GmbH & Co. KG is a German
manufacturer of medicinal clay
(Heilerde, "healing earth")-based products for both internal and external application. Four different fineness grades of loess
in both capsule and powder form are available from the company, as well as cosmetics products. The Luvos purified loess consists mainly of montmorillonite
.
Luvos was established by alternative medicine practitioner Adolf Just in Blankenburg in 1918.
Previously, Just had founded the Jungborn in 1895, a center for alternative healing, where he had extolled and popularized the healing properties of certain clays. The Jungborn was situated between Eckertal
and Stapelburg
in the Harz
, an area which later became part of East Germany. Therefore the Luvos company was relocated to Friedrichsdorf in the Taunus
.
In Germany, Luvos products are the only medicinal clay products recognized as pharmaceuticals, with the indications being diarrhea
, heartburn
, and acid-related stomach pain.
During production, Luvos Heilerde is first dried, then sterilized at 130°C, and subsequently milled to achieve different fineness grades.
The three coarsest grades of Luvos—"1" (fine), "2" (coarse; external use), and "ultra-fine" (for children and those having weakened constitutions)—have been in production since the time of Just. In August 2010, an even finer grade, "micro-fine", was introduced, which is supposed to bind excess cholesterol
and bile acid
s.
In 2004, 90% of company revenue came from Germany, the rest was made with exports, primarily to Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, and America.
The company is still family-owned today and run by Just's great-granddaughter Ariane Kaestner.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
manufacturer of medicinal clay
Medicinal clay
The use of medicinal clay in folk medicine goes back to prehistoric times. The indigenous peoples around the world still use clay widely, which is related to geophagy. The first recorded use of medicinal clay goes back to ancient Mesopotamia...
(Heilerde, "healing earth")-based products for both internal and external application. Four different fineness grades of loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
in both capsule and powder form are available from the company, as well as cosmetics products. The Luvos purified loess consists mainly of montmorillonite
Montmorillonite
Montmorillonite is a very soft phyllosilicate group of minerals that typically form in microscopic crystals, forming a clay. It is named after Montmorillon in France. Montmorillonite, a member of the smectite family, is a 2:1 clay, meaning that it has 2 tetrahedral sheets sandwiching a central...
.
Luvos was established by alternative medicine practitioner Adolf Just in Blankenburg in 1918.
Previously, Just had founded the Jungborn in 1895, a center for alternative healing, where he had extolled and popularized the healing properties of certain clays. The Jungborn was situated between Eckertal
Eckertal
Eckertal is a village of about 160 inhabitants in the borough of Bad Harzburg in central Germany, just north of the Harz mountains. Its nearest neighbour is the village of Stapelburg in the state of Saxony-Anhalt....
and Stapelburg
Stapelburg
Stapelburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Nordharz....
in the Harz
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
, an area which later became part of East Germany. Therefore the Luvos company was relocated to Friedrichsdorf in the Taunus
Taunus
The Taunus is a low mountain range in Hesse, Germany that composes part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is bounded by the river valleys of Rhine, Main and Lahn. On the opposite side of the Rhine, the mountains are continued by the Hunsrück...
.
In Germany, Luvos products are the only medicinal clay products recognized as pharmaceuticals, with the indications being diarrhea
Diarrhea
Diarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...
, heartburn
Heartburn
Heartburn, also known as pyrosis or acid indigestion is a burning sensation in the chest, just behind the breastbone or in the epigastrium...
, and acid-related stomach pain.
During production, Luvos Heilerde is first dried, then sterilized at 130°C, and subsequently milled to achieve different fineness grades.
The three coarsest grades of Luvos—"1" (fine), "2" (coarse; external use), and "ultra-fine" (for children and those having weakened constitutions)—have been in production since the time of Just. In August 2010, an even finer grade, "micro-fine", was introduced, which is supposed to bind excess cholesterol
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...
and bile acid
Bile acid
Bile acids are steroid acids found predominantly in the bile of mammals. Bile salts are bile acids compounded with a cation, usually sodium. In humans, the salts of taurocholic acid and glycocholic acid represent approximately eighty percent of all bile salts. The two major bile acids are cholic...
s.
In 2004, 90% of company revenue came from Germany, the rest was made with exports, primarily to Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, and America.
The company is still family-owned today and run by Just's great-granddaughter Ariane Kaestner.
Books by Adolf Just
- Return to Nature: Paradise Regained (1896), ISBN 0-7873-0485-9 — PDF