The goal of naturopathy is to mobilize and strengthen a person’s own self-healing powers. It assumes that only these self-healing powers are capable of bringing about sustainable healing and restoring a healthy balance in a person. Classical naturopathic methods use natural means such as heat (e.g., fango), cold (e.g., cooling with ice pack), water (e.g., alternating showers, Kneipp treatments), air (conscious breathing, breathing therapy), light (exposure to daylight, moderate sunbathing), rest, sufficient movement (daily walks, sports, yoga, rehabilitation sports), food (nutritional therapy, diets), and medicinal plants (phytotherapy, spagyrics, tea infusions, tinctures). In addition, structuring the external and internal life order plays an important role in promoting the health of body, mind, and soul (order therapy). Further methods of naturopathy include detoxification and deacidification (regulation of acid-base balance) of the body through blood, lymph, intestinal, liver, and kidney cleansing. Certain naturopathic preparations are often used for this purpose.

Natural remedies (phytopharmaceuticals) are based on the ancient knowledge of herbal medicine as it was already used long ago by indigenous peoples and also by the ancient Egyptians. It was only with the synthetic development of individual active ingredients at the beginning of the 19th century that they lost their significance in many places. However, a counter-trend has been noticeable in recent years. Herbal remedies work more slowly and usually intervene more gently in a regulating and supportive way in the organism. Therefore, they generally have fewer side effects and show a more sustainable effect. They can be a meaningful alternative to synthetic medicines, especially in the therapy of milder complaints but also chronic diseases. Modern phytotherapeutics are based on the recipes of ancient herbal medicine and are subject to strict regulations in production regarding quality, effectiveness, and tolerability. They are scientifically tested and evaluated.

Naturopathic methods are partly based on centuries-old human experience. Their effectiveness has often not been scientifically researched to date.