Nelsons (homeopathy)

Nelsons is a natural health company based in the United Kingdom, with subsidiaries in Germany and the United States. It is a market leader for homeopathic remedies. [citation|url=http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/markintel/KEY_NOTE_MARKET_REPORT_PLUS-5346791|title=Company Profile|date=October 11, 1999|publisher=TF Market Research] The head office and manufacturing facilities are located in Wimbledon, London, with retail pharmacies in Central London and Dublin, Ireland. Spatone is manufactured at the Trefriw Wells Spa in Snowdonia, Wales.

History

In 1860 Ernst Louis Armbrecht, a student of Samuel Hahnemann who founded Homeopathy, moved to London where he opened a homeopathic pharmacy in Ryder Street so as to put into practice the principles learned from his teacher. Ernst married Charlotte Nelson in 1866 and soon after began trading as Armbrecht, Nelson & Co., later to be abbreviated to A. Nelson & Co.Fact|date=May 2008

In 1890, Nelsons Homeopathic Pharmacy moved to Duke Street and is still trading there today. For most of Nelsons history all manufacturing was done in the basement of the Duke St site, but in the 1970s it was moved to Brixton and later Wimbledon. In the 1990s a second pharmacy was opened in Dublin.

The company was owned by the same family for more than 100 years, but the remaining descendants of the founding family were killed in the Staines air crash in 1972. [Obit ref for death of Nelsons directors http://www.pjonline.com/editorial/20070929/society/obits.html] The remaining management team approached Dick Wilson, who had a long-standing passion and commitment to complementary medicine, to take over the company.Dick Wilson Obit (Telegraph) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1523830/Dick-Wilson.html]

Under Dick's management Nelsons began production of their first range of over the counter homeopathic medicines in 1981.

The Dr Edward Bach Centre

In the 1930s Dr Edward Bach, a doctor with a keen interest in homeopathy, approached the Nelsons Homeopathic Pharmacy to help him make and sell the mother tinctures for his increasingly popular Bach flower remedies. This arrangement continued until the 1980s, when increasing worldwide sales and new regulatory requirements made it impractical for the Bach Centre to continue producing the remedies in-house and they invited Nelsons to take over full distribution. This was initially through a dedicated bottling plant in Abingdon and later moved to Wimbledon.The Bach Centre page about Nelsons http://www.bachcentre.com/other/nelsons.htm]

The relationship between Nelsons and The Dr Edward Bach Centre, based at Dr Bach's former home, Mount Vernon in Oxfordshire, continues to this day.Nelsons acquired the Bach Centre business for 4.3 million pounds in 1993, and its "principal present activities are making the tinctures for the Remedies, selling the Remedies in or from Mount Vernon, writing and distributing written and cassette material about the Remedies, organising and running educational programmes, providing free public advice and information on the Remedies, and maintaining Mount Vernon including artefacts which belonged to Dr Bach and historical records."cite court
litigants=HEALING HERBS LIMITED vs. BACH FLOWER REMEDIES LIMITED
vol=1997
reporter=H
opinion=1231
pinpoint=31
court=High Court of England, Chancery Division - Patents Court
date=1997
url=http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/judgmentsfiles/j351/healingherbs.htm
quote=]

Recent history

Today Nelsons is Europe's oldest and the UK's largest manufacturer of homeopathic preparations.

Nelsons has expanded their range beyond the original Homeopathic family of products and into other areas of complementary and Natural medicine. The most obvious example of this is the Bach flower remedies and in particular Rescue Remedy, which is sold all over the world. More recently the company has acquired other natural health businesses such as the Treffiw Wells Spa [Purchase of Treffiw Wells Spa (Spatone) http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/A_Nelson_Co_Ltd_acquires_Trefriw_Wells_Spa_Spatone_Iron_from_Trefriw_Wells_Spa-1379931040] in Wales, which produces a mineral water naturally high in Iron called Spatone that is used as a dietary supplement,Randomised trial of Spatone http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2257.2003.00501.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=clh.1] and Nice 'n Clear, a natural head lice lotion. Nelsons also produce some traditional herbal remedies such as Arnica creams.

With the exception of the Spatone well, all Nelsons products are manufactured in Wimbledon in south west London and from there exported to countries around the world. The company has opened subsidiary offices in Boston in the USA and Hamburg in Germany. The company is run today by Dick's eldest son, Robert, and his brother Patrick.

Controversy

In 2006, Nelsons was one of several companies to be exposed by BBC Newsnight as encouraging patients to take a homeopathic anti-malarial tablet, without also advising them to visit their general practitioner for a vaccination. Scientists said that companies doing this could be putting lives at risk. "There is no scientific proof that homeopathic remedies are effective in either preventing or treating malaria." Nelsons said they reiterated to their staff that this should be done.Alok Jhah. [http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20060715T190000-0500_109206_OBS_HOMEOPATHS__ENDANGERING_LIVES__WITH_MALARIA_CURES_.asp Homeopaths 'endangering lives' with malaria cures] . "The Jamaica Observer". July 16, 2006]

Products

Rescue Remedy Rescue Remedy is a combination of five Bach flower essences and is sold around the world in a variety of formats, including liquid, cream, pastilles and a night formulation.

Bach Original Flower RemediesThe Bach Original Flower Remedies is the set of 38 flower essences as created by Dr Bach. [Bach Centre Website http://www.bachcentre.com/]

Nelsons ArnicareThe Arnicare range of products are topical creams based on the Arnica herb, which is traditionally used in the treatment of bruises. [Traditional use of Arnica plant http://www.cheekaugmentation.com/arnica_montana.htm]

Nelsons H+CareH+Care is a range of herbal remedies for Haemorrhoids

Nelsons HomeopathyA range of traditional homeopathic preparations in a variety of forms including tablets and topical creams.

Nelsons TeethaA homeopathic preparation claimed to sooth and calm the symptoms of teething.

SpatoneSpatone is a mineral water which is naturally rich in Iron and is used as an easily digestible Iron supplement.

Nice 'n ClearNice 'n' Clear is a natural head lice solution. [Article on creation of Nice 'n Clear http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2003/07/28/cbstar28.xml]

References

External links

* [http://www.nelsons.net Nelsons Homepage]