Klosterfrau Melissengeist, also referred to as Klostermelissen or Melissengeist, is a German variation of Carmelite Water currently sold by Klosterfrau Healthcare Group as an alternative remedy for the improvement of general health and wellbeing. Melissengeist derives its name from one of its principal ingredients, Melissa officinalis L., commonly known as lemon balm. It also includes the essential oils of thirteen medicinal plants such as gentian, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger, which are all mixed in a 79% ethanol solution. Since its origin in the 1800s in Germany, it has been used as an alternative medicine to treat an array of health issues like colds or gastrointestinal issues.
Origin Klosterfrau Melissengeist was created in the 1800s in Cologne, Germany by the nun Maria Clementine Martin (* 1775, † 1843), who settled in Cologne in 1825. She appeared as a manufacturer of eau de cologne at the address Auf der Litsch No. 1. It eventually became the first traditional medicinal product to be approved in the European Union. Her company Klosterfrau was founded with the entry on the 23 May 1826 in the municipal register (company register) and located near Cologne Cathedral, where she distilled and refined the remedy herself. She branded her product "Real Spanish Carmelite-Melissa Water" with the image of a nun, and many vendors followed suit in hopes of copying her product. In 1831 she deposited her "factory mark" with the Council of Trade Experts of the City of Cologne, which included the Prussian eagle and the coat of arms of the Carmelite order. The "Klosterfrau" trademark, which was only registered after the trademark law came into force, allows the history of its origin to be traced back. In 1835, the government rejected their application to grant a monopoly on lemon balm spirit in Prussia because of the freedom of trade. Likewise, she was unsuccessful in her application to legally recognize her Carmelite spirit as a medicine. In order to become internationally known, she took part in the art and industry exhibition in 1838, which the trade association in Cologne organized on the Heumarkt. In 1842, advertisements appeared in the Kölnische Zeitung about their lemon balm spirit. In 1843, shortly before her death, she wrote her will and made Peter Gustav Schaeben the heir to her fortune. Schaeben (* 1815, † 1885) had worked as an assistant for Martin and became the sole heir of the company, which he expanded considerably and expanded the distribution of the products worldwide. His son Robert Schaeben (* 1863, † 1944) continued to run the company between 1885 and 1933 before it went bankrupt. By the end of her life in 1843, Klosterfrau was steadily growing and had branches in Bonn, Aachen, and Berlin.
Doerenkamp family Wilhelm Doerenkamp (* 1882, † 1972), who had previously worked in the automobile trade, joined the Klosterfrau company as a limited partner in 1929 and acquired the company from bankruptcy as the main creditor. Doerenkamp concentrated on the production of melissa spirit, which could be sold almost without competition. The subsidiary Klosterfrau Berlin GmbH was founded in 1962 to cope with the increasing demand. After Doerenkamp's death, the Wilhelm Doerenkamp Foundation was set up in Chur, Switzerland, on 17 November 1972 in order to secure his life's work and jobs. As a holding company, it forms the supervisory body for the various country and company groups. His daughter Hildegard Doerenkamp was the beneficiary of the foundation until her death in 2011 and since then his granddaughter Martine Eloy (born in 1957).
Corporate structure The company currently employs 530 people at its headquarters in Cologne. Production has mainly taken place in Berlin since 1971 with around 190 employees. The entire company has (as of 2006) 1025 employees and a worldwide turnover of 700 million euros. The Klosterfrau Group was renamed the Klosterfrau Healthcare Group in 2006. Through the acquisition of several companies, the company further developed into a group of companies, a leading provider in the field of self-medication (cf. OTC). The core business consists of the manufacture and distribution of health products and cosmetics (after the takeover of the French cosmetics manufacturer Maria Galland Paris in the 1980s). The Klosterfrau Group also includes the companies Divapharma GmbH and Cassella-med GmbH & Co. KG. In 2006, the Klosterfrau Group acquired the entire brand portfolio of Lichtwer Healthcare GmbH & Co. KG and the associated drug approvals. Products acquired include Hepar SL forte, Jarsin, Kwai, Kaveri, Euminz, Ameu and Bedan. It was agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Another subsidiary is Artesan Pharma GmbH & Co. KG with around 200 employees in two plants at the company's headquarters in Lüchow. Artesan is a contract manufacturer and manufactures medicines in pill and ointment form, homeopathics and dietary supplements; Another focus is galenics. Sales cooperations existed with the Swiss Ricola and Condomi.
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