A.Vogel World: Stories > Molkosan® - Tangy freshness of the Alps

Molkosan^® – Tangy freshness of the Alps

Whey is as rich in tradition as cheese, as fresh as milk and as steadfast as the renowned Swiss General Guisan (who thought very highly of it). Molkosan, the fermented whey concentrate of A.Vogel/Bioforce, is one of the best known slimming and beauty remedies of nature. A classic amongst alpine health and fitness drinks, it is not simply a thirst quencher as are dozens of others, it has many other beneficial qualities. For those in the know, Molkosan contains the complete tangy freshness and health of the Swiss Alps.

Scarcely has another natural product been praised so often, and for such a long time, as whey. Even Hippocrates recommended the milk serum of goats, sheep and cows to his patients approximately 400 years BC. He left boiling milk to curdle with fig juice and vinegar creating the refreshing drink. Since then whey has had a chequered and exciting history (of culture) behind it. Periods when whey health resorts flourished – such as around the 1st and 2nd centuries on Monte de la Torre between Naples and Salerno or in 18th century Gais in the canton of Appenzell (Switzerland) – were followed by those in which the milk serum was almost completely forgotten.

Whey experienced a real renaissance in the 17th century and then even more so from the 18th century (see Box 1) onwards. At that time, various doctors discovered how good it was for one’s health. Among them was the famous Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland, Leader of the Prussian Health Service and favourite doctor of Queen Luise. Hufeland, who distinguished himself as a pioneer of preventative diet medicine and regarded whey as a real health tonic.

“Possibility of Versatile Effect”
After Hufeland the modern era boasted the phytotherapy pioneer Alfred Vogel (1902 – 1996) and the German doctor and dietician, Dr Helmut Anemüller, who both supported the introduction of whey drink cures.

Alfred Vogel devoted a great deal of his time to whey and from 1947 he repeatedly reported its positive effects in his magazine, A.Vogel’s Gesundheits-Nachrichten (Health News). In his standard work, The Nature Doctor, which appeared in 1952, he continually praised “cheesewater” and assured readers that, “Once someone finds out about the possible effect of whey concentrate, he knows it is to be valued.” Indeed, had it not been for Vogel, few of us would know exactly what whey is. The Appenzeller phytotherapist never tired of explaining the making of whey concentrate. Let us cast an eye over the production process with him.

The Valuable Ingredients of Whey
In order to obtain cheese from milk, the cheese maker must ensure that the solid and the liquid components of milk separate. For this to happen, the milk needs to be curdled by means of rennin and lactic acid bacteria making it thick. This solid component consists mainly of milk protein and milk fat: it is made into cheese. The left-over green and yellow liquid is whey. This fluid still contains some of milk’s very valuable ingredients but has very few of the calories. The whey is now fermented with lactic acid with selected bacteria cultures and, in addition, is enriched with dextro-rotatory L(+) lactic acids – a physiologically valuable substance which contributes considerably to Molkosan’s beneficial effect because the body can take it up directly (see Box 2). In the final stage, the whey, fermented with lactic acid, is subsequently released from the remaining protein and concentrated in a vacuum. Fermentation guarantees the stability of whey because fresh whey begins to turn approximately two hours after production.

Distinctively Healthy
Time and again in conversation, the taste of Molkosan is raised. “Sour” some say and shake themselves. On the other hand, others just appreciate its pleasant, fresh, distinctively tangy flavour. There is no question: whey does not taste like a modern styled sweet drink, but as is natural as the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau rolled into one – in brief: whey is pure nature and needs no justification.

“The taste of whey,” recounts an enthusiastic Molkosan drinker, the well known Austrian medical journalist, Professor Hademar Bankofer, in an interview with the magazine, Gesundheits-Nachrichten (issue 4/2001), “is pleasantly sour. It delivers, amongst other things, mineral salts to the body in a light pleasant form which sport orientated people in particular need.”

Good for Digestion, Immune System and Skin
Fat free and protein free Molkosan has an abundance of excellent effects on health. Regular consumption of whey influences the digestive tract and hence the immune system in a very positive way. Healthy intestinal flora is not simply a prerequisite for the functioning of the body’s naturally occurring defences, but is also quite fundamental to our health and wellbeing.

Whey is also a very old beauty remedy, which – according to whether it is used internally or externally – purifies and pampers the skin and heals eczema, as well as skin and foot fungal infections. Besides being natural, nourishing accompaniment to vegetables (garlic, onions, horseradish, salad), Molkosan is also effective against the yeast fungus, Candida albicans. In addition, Molkosan is a wonderful alternative for all those who do not like or cannot tolerate vinegar and is frequently used as seasoning for herbal quark. For cleansing, staying slim and for losing weight, it is advisable to drink in small sips, three times a day, twenty minutes before each meal, a glass of diluted Molkosan, sweetened with a small spoonful of honey. It is light, refreshing and cleansing, and it contains many valuable mineral salts and trace elements. Whey concentrate is free of milk and egg white as well as being gluten free. Anyone who wishes to do something good every day is well advised to take Molkosan.

Suggestion for a cleansing drink: Mix 200ml tomato or vegetable juice and 50ml of stinging nettle with a dessertspoonful of Molkosan. You can make up a whey drink as follows: Mix 1 glass of fruit juice with a dessert spoon full of Molkosan and honey and season with cinnamon, if liked.