Spirit of pioneering to improve patients' lives

From its early beginnings, Heel has been driven by a spirit of curiosity and pioneering innovation. Established in Berlin in 1936, its founder Dr. Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg was a creative and inquisitive thinker. A physician and homeopath, he not only developed new medicines using purely natural substances. He also pioneered a therapeutic approach based on using those natural medicines to help the body activate its autoregulating mechanisms.

But Reckeweg wasn’t satisfied with just seeing that his medicines and therapies worked – he wanted to know more about them. Scientific research became an integral part of what Heel is about. Supported by our conviction that science-based natural medicine is where the future lies, we want to help spur advances in this field and grow the global knowledge base.

  • 1936

    Heel was founded in Berlin in 1936. Its founder, Dr. Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg, was a physician and homeopath. He developed medicines with natural substances and pioneered a therapeutic approach to help the body activate its autoregulating mechanisms.

  • 1937

    In the early years, the first multicomponent medicines have been developed, such as Angin-Heel® or Gripp-Heel®. Since then, these medicines help patients to get well again. One of them is Traumeel®, today a worldwide popular medicine.

  • 1946

    After World War II, both the Reckeweg family and Heel found a new home in Triberg in the Black Forest. Dr. Reckeweg re-established his medical practice and revived the company Heel.

  • 1948

    Dr. Reckeweg developed the concept of Homotoxicology. This therapeutic concept is based on the body’s own ability to regulate itself. With today’s cutting-edge scientific methods, many of the concept aspects have been validated.

  • 1954

    The company Heel was relocated to Baden-Baden, being more convenient for production facilities. At this time, 15 employees manufactured Heel medicines.

  • 1963

    Continuous growth made it necessary to relocate within Baden-Baden. The new headquarters and production facilities in Baden-Baden were inaugurated in 1963.

  • 1967

    First step towards internationalization in European countries, followed by countries in the Americas, Africa, Australia and Asia. Today, Heel medicines are available in 50 countries worldwide.

  • 1968

    Heel executes clinical studies on its medicines and intensifies the scientific discussion. 1968, the German medical journal “Deutsches Medizinjournal” published an article on the use of Traumeel® in an orthopedic clinic.

  • 1969

    The medicine Zeel® is developed and launched in the market. With Zeel® for the treatment of arthrosis, Heel enlarged its portfolio to treat musculoskeletal diseases.

  • 1986

    The results of a scientific in-vitro study on the effects of Gripp-Heel® and Engystol® were published in the German drug research magazine “Arzneimittelforschung”.

  • 1986

    Heel celebrates its 50th anniversary. With 260 employees, the company continues to invest into modern technologies and scientific activities.

Thanks to this research-driven focus and innovations in the development of products and therapeutic solutions, Heel has continued to grow and thrive. Since then, Heel has been on a steady path of growth and internationalization. From our headquarters in Baden-Baden (Germany), we cooperate with subsidiaries and distribution partners around the world.

Our founder was convinced that natural medicines have a vital role to play in healthcare. His vision paved the way for a modern medicine – an integrative, patient-centered approach to healthcare. Since then, we have been striving for this goal with passion and expertise.


  • 1988

    The first double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with Traumeel® yields impressive results: Compared wit placebo, Traumeel® leads to a significant improvement in joint mobility and pain after acute ankle sprain.

  • 1998

    The American Medical Associated Journal ”Archives of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery” published the results of a comparative study of the multicomponent medicine Vertigoheel® with betahistine. The study proves that Vertigoheel® is as effective as the standard therapy.

  • 2002

    Heel workforce passes the 1000 mark: In 2002, Heel hired the 1000th employee. A sign of the company’s constant growth and Heel’s appeal as an employer.

  • 2005

    The first Heel-Lauf takes place in Baden-Baden. Heel intends to get people excited about sports and motivate them to keep fit and healthy. In the meantime, every year thousands of people are participating in the Heel-Lauf event in all Heel countries. 

  • 2006

    Traumeel® is available in 50 countries worldwide. Traumeel® has become a popular product in sports medicine and is widely used among top athletes and Olympic teams.

  • 2008

    Heel's growth continues and in 2008 Heel built a1,800 m² extension of the existing production facilities in Baden-Baden, Germany. Heel therewith created its own production facility for plant-based mother tinctures and substantially expanded its overall manufacturing facility. These additional facilities secure the high-quality production of Heel medicines in Baden-Baden, Germany.

  • 2011

    Heel is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Since its beginning, Heel is convinced that the future belongs to medicines supporting the body’s ability to get well: “Healthcare designed by nature”.

  • 2012

    Neurexan® turns out to be the favorite and most sold medicine in the stress and sleep segment in Germany.

  • 2012

    In a randomized, controlled, multicenter study, Traumeel® (ointment and gel) proved to be as effective as diclofenac gel for treating pain and restoring function in acute ancle sprain. The study was published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

  • 2015

    Publication of a multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial on the efficacy and safety of co-administered Traumeel® / Zeel® intra-articular injections vs. placebo. Traumeel® and Zeel® have a statistically significant effect on osteoarthritis of the knee. 

  • 2020

    A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over clinical trial explored effects of Neurexan® on brain activity. It demonstrated that Neurexan® reduced stress-induced brain activation in regions being important in processing social stress.