America, South Dakota Various journeys all over the USA from the early 1950s onwards. Met with the Red Indian chief Ben Black Elk, who introduced Alfred Vogel to the purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). He gives an account of this meeting in the May 1964 issue of the magazine „Gesundheits-Nachrichten“: „Trip with wife and daughter in new Oldsmobile to the Black Mountains and meeting with an old Sioux Indian chief whose grandfather fought against Buffalo Bill (Cody). (...) In the summer and autumn, my family and I journeyed deep into Indian territory, covering over 5,000 km.“
Europe Alfred Vogel made his first trip to Italy in 1919 when he was just 17 years old. He travelled tirelessly all over the world throughout his whole life studying medicinal plants and different lifestyles, giving talks and making contacts with other advocates of naturopathy and herbal medicine.
Japan, Hong Kong, Korea June to October 1961: trip to Japan, Hong Kong and Korea. From there to India. "The first time I visited Japan, I could feel the burgeoning of the country's suppressed vitality, both economically and above all industrially." ("Gesundheits-Nachrichten" 9.1974).
Image: Two Korean women, cover photo of "Gesundheits-Nachrichten" 2.1964. Photo: Ruth Vogel.
Kalahari Desert 1965–1969: Various trips to the Kalahari desert. Research into the effects of devil’s claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) on rheumatic complaints.
Australia & New Zealand 1969: Research trip to Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania. Talks in all the major cities and, on radio and television.