At Christmas, wafts of incense and the glow of candles tantalise the senses and warm the hearts of the faithful. But the white, balsamic scent that emanates from the incense burners is also capable of clouding our view of reality. Udo Pollmer analyses the chemistry of the festivities and shows how the clergy, with the help of willing pharmacists, make fools of their sheep.

by  Udo Pollmer Dec 2023, Update of Bon appetit, Dec 18, 2011 by  Udo Pollmer

Smoking is finally allowed again: At Christmas, the rustic smokers from the Erzgebirge let their fumes drift through the parlours. Smoking bans have so far only applied to  real people but not yet to  the small wooden incense figurines. Catholic churches are also exempt. There, the ancient...

Fruit is the miracle weapon of prevention: colourful, sugary sweet and pure nature. Seedless fruits are the most popular, i.e. those with which the plant can no longer reproduce in the wild. They are just "imitations" of a fruit, so to speak. Udo Pollmer explains how profound the technology is that produces such artificial products.

by Udo Pollmer /  November 4th, 2012, new version January 2024

Seedless fruit fetches higher prices than "normal" fruit. This is why plant breeders are working to expand the supply. In addition, it is not so easy to grow a new plant from fruit without seeds. This secures licence fees for new varieties.

But seedlessness is not a new achievement - at least in the case of grapes. The common grape variety "Thompson Seedless" is...

The fear of over-acidification has developed into a lucrative business. It arises from all the dangers of this world, whether sausages, electrosmog or over-fertilisation. With this cheap diagnosis, the dealers of alkaline powder make a lot of money with it. Fortunately, according to Udo Pollmer, the most important antidote to this nonsense is available at practically zero cost.

by Udo Pollmer /  December 2023

"Over-acidification" is considered a basic health problem of our time: even "the earth craves for deacidification", complains a medically approved health portal.¹ Holy shit!  Fortunately, there is a colourful assortment of alkaline rinsing powders. They "cleanse body and soul" and make the world a healthier place. Those who are annoyed by...

When people still put their faith in the Lord God and his ground staff, the Catholic Church offered a wide range of saints and relics for sale for the sake of recovery. Udo Pollmer uses the example of vitamin C to show that today vitamins are rightly the worthy successors of exquisite relics of Christ.

by Udo Pollmer / October 5th, 2018, supplemented in November 2023

Swallowing vitamins has replaced the arduous pilgrimages to relics once visited by the sick in the hope of healing. Today, vitamin cocktails promise...

A hormone is supposed to save the world. Under the alias "vitamin D", it is touted as a miracle cure for all kinds of health scares. In the last century, the active ingredient had already saved the lives of millions of children and cured them specifically of rickets. In the meantime, the disease, which has largely disappeared, is making a comeback. Udo Pollmer explains the causes.

by Udo Pollmer / May 29th, 2020 / new version of October 2023

Every industry that thrives on murky business needs narratives, which fit the idea that for every complicated problem there is a solution: simple, logical - and, oops, wrong. Vitamin D is such a universal problem solver. Recently, it was supposed to...