The Umcka^® Story

In 1897, Englishman Charles Stevens went to South Africa hoping to cure himself of a respiratory illness.  While there, an African tribal healer gave him a remedy made from Pelargonium sidoides roots (a plant native to the coastal regions of South Africa).  Fully recovered, Stevens brought the remedy back to England where it became popular as Stevens’ Consumption Cure.

In 1920, Dr. Adrien Sechehaye learned of Stevens’ cure.  Over the next nine years he treated more than 800 patients in Switzerland with a homeopathic preparation of P. sidoides roots.  But with the advent of synthetic drugs, the remedy was forgotten by Western medicine until its recent rediscovery by European researchers.

This is where the modern story of Umcka^® begins.  The formula is a clinically proven preparation of P. sidoides roots, and the name is derived from the African word “umKhulkane” (meaning respiratory infection).  Now a leading medicine in Europe, Nature’s Way^® brings the effectiveness of Umcka^® to America.  Much of our supply of P. sidoides is grown on our own farms in South Africa.  From the time of planting to harvesting, it takes 3-5 years for the roots to be ready for medicinal extraction.