Anthroposophical Medicine and Tobacco

Taken from


Tobacco in Anthroposophical Medicine

"Simonis emphasizes that the alkaloid nicotine destroys the qualities of smell and taste in the human being, thus restricting sensory perceptions. It causes an acceleration of heart rate (sympathetic tonus) without a parallel increase in respiratory frequency. Thus it literally tears the human being apart inside. In a weakened rhythmic system the lungs and heart become dissociated, and thus too the nerve-sense system and the metabolic-limb system. The smoker lives in a state of constant oxygen debt, which leads on the soul level to persistent anxiety. (Angst and anxiety are etymologically derived from a root meaning "narrow" > narrowing of the blood vessels). Rudolf Steiner (5) attributes nicotine addiction to a lack of interest in the life of the spirit. Only the sense organs are stimulated, not the blood system. Practical applications of tobacco by Rudolf Steiner in anthroposophical medicine are reported by Hilma Walter in her three books (6 – 8). These show how highly he valued it for practical treatment purposes, as almost 10% of the cases described in them receive therapy with tobacco (in most cases combined with other remedies). It was administered variously as an enema or a compress and in various homeopathic potencies. The reasons for the different forms of administration, however, are not (yet) completely clear to me personally. "

• Case 75: 10-year-old girl, congenital stiffening of the joints, baths with Nicotiana etc.
• Case 31: Abnormal 14-year old asthmatic boy, injections of Nicotiana etc.
• Case 135: 2-year-old child, bowlegs, Nicotiana D15 every 3 days internally and Hypophysis D6 1x/week

Steiner said tobacco corrects the deformation of the astral body.



My daughter's disassociation from me was helped along by her addiction to tobacco. Her mother had been smoking cigarettes since she was a student at Highland Hall. She used to brag that Harrison Ford (a parent trying to quit smoking) bummed cigarettes from her (a student) while on a river-rafting trip.

When my daughter started smoking at 13, her mother had NO objections. She was permitted to smoke at her mother's home. I wouldn't allow my daughter to smoke in my home... and when I found out she was smoking, I insisted she quit. My daughter was even cited by police for being a minor in possession of cigarettes. Her mother's permissive view on cigarettes started driving a wedge between my daughter and me. She preferred to live with her mother where she was allowed to smoke freely. This, of course, led to more and more dangerous behavior. More on that soon...