A long tradition of balance
It has been over 100 years since Swedish nutrition researcher Ragnar Berg recognised the important role the acid-base balance plays in people’s health and well-being.
He was one of the first to systematically analyse the mineral content of food and beverages. As head of the hospital laboratory in the Johannstadt area of Dresden, he investigated how patients absorbed and excreted minerals. Determining the mineral content of different foods allowed Berg to draw conclusions about what causes metabolic disorders and malnutrition. He then developed treatment options for maintaining a better acid-base balance. Berg realised that for people to remain healthy, their diet must contain more alkaline mineral compounds in order to break down acids.
In 1920, he published a book entitled “Food and Beverages”, which remained a standard scientific reference work for many years. Berg’s groundbreaking research led to the use of alkaline mineral compounds as complementary treatments for a wide variety of conditions. Since then, stabilising the acid-base balance has been a fundamental part of naturopathy.
Ragnar Berg applied his physiological knowledge to develop the mineral and trace element compound BASICA®, while Dr Volkmar Klopfer – founder of the Dr Klopfer Chemical Factory in Dresden (now Protina Pharm. of Ismaning, Germany) contributed his experience in processing organic minerals and trace elements.
An advertisement from 1926 described BASICA® as a “mineral compound based on the Ragnar Berg method”, one that contained minerals found in vegetables and fruits and “because of its composition helped to alkalise and mineralise bodily fluids”. The first mentions of BASICA® in the medical literature appeared in 1929. In a special issue of the weekly medical journal “The Medical World”, for instance, BASICA® was recommended as a means of alkalising urine. In 1930, BASICA® appeared on the market, advertised as containing alkaline mineral compounds in the form of citrates . Even then, Berg’s invention was being hailed as an important milestone.
Since then, Protina Pharm. GmbH, the mineral compound specialist based in Ismaning, Germany, has been applying the latest discoveries in nutritional science to ensure its products meet the needs of its users. Today BASICA® is available in a wide range of formats, allowing everyone to find the products that is right for them. Through innovation and research, as well as its immense popularity among customers, BASICA® remains Germany’s market leader in alkaline supplements available at pharmacies.
Acid-base guide
You can find more information and helpful tips relating to the acid-base balance in our acid-base guide, available as a download.
