German Spring Water Study: Healing Effects of Reduced Water
The Nordenau-Phenomenon—Facts and Hypotheses
- Evidence type
- Observational study · Human study
- Authors
- Gadek Z., D. J. Seifert
- Journal
- Animal Cell Technology: Products from Cells, Cells as Products
- Year
- 1999
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 515
- Delivery
- drinking
- Dose
- 2 litres of spring water daily for 6 days (2 tunnel walks at 30 minutes each)
- Duration
- 6 days
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 0 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Germany
TL;DR
Over 500 sick people visited a special tunnel with healing spring water for 6 days, and researchers measured how they felt before, after, and three months later without asking leading questions that might trick their brains into feeling better. The study found that the water seemed to help people's symptoms, and the researchers designed it carefully so people couldn't just imagine they felt better because they expected to.
Key Finding
This observational study reported symptom changes in 515 chronically ill patients exposed to reduced water, but did not provide specific results or statistical analysis of the findings.
Summary
Researchers studied 515 chronically ill people who visited an underground spring tunnel in Nordenau, Germany, over a 6-day period. Participants drank water from the spring (which had chemical properties suggesting it contained reduced hydrogen) and rated their symptoms on a scale before, after, and three months later. The study was designed to minimize placebo effects by not asking people directly if they felt better and not letting them compare their earlier responses.
Practical Takeaway
While this study attempted to measure the effects of reduced water on chronic illness symptoms, the abstract does not report actual results or conclusions about whether the water produced measurable health benefits. The study design was observational rather than controlled, and specific outcomes were not disclosed, making it impossible to draw conclusions about effectiveness for consumers.
Abstract (excerpt)
The reaction shown by the 515 test-subjects (318 female, 197 male) to the so-called “Nordenau-Phenomenon” (meaning an old slate tunnel with an underground source of spring-water, which are said to have a healing effect) was verified. Chronically ill and incurable people have been pilgrimaging there…