Over the next four weeks, we will take a little peek into the worldview of St. Hildegard specifically related to herbalism. We will take a look at four plants that are still widely used in modern life and herbalism, and see how Hildegard’s assessment compares to what we know with the backing of the modern world.
The Materia Medica of Hildegard builds off of the traditions of the day, coming out of the European Medieval system of bodily humors.1 Outlining the known uses of herbs that had been used for centuries prior to Hildegard herself, her own divine inspiration, and her own “clinical trials” with patients coming near and far for her healing wisdom, Hildegard’s plant profiles describes energetics, the usefulness of the plant (or lack thereof), and a recipe or prescription as to how an herb should be taken.
Of course, we now know much more about plants and medicine than Hildegard did in her day, thanks to modern science and medicine. Additionally there are discrepancies due to differences in worldviews, being a Christian Benedictine Abbess; certain plants are disregarded as useless, as they might enliven the libido or cloud the mind, leading to “sinful” behaviors of the day. However, it is still striking the similarities that do exist and how her description of uses will line up with our current understanding of the plants. Combinations of herbs also provide insight into what was readily available in Medieval Europe and what were popular medicines of the time, along with what the common ailments of the time were.
In this section, I outline four plants that are still common in modern herbalism, comparing and contrasting modern knowledge with the snippets left behind in Hildegard’s writings of Physica.2 Given the brief nature of these Materia Medica, a person has to wonder what notes did not make it to the modern era. What knowledge did Hildegard have that was perhaps just a given, not warranting space in a book? Did she perhaps have her own personal collection of notes, outlining patient outcomes and medicinal preparations, beyond that illustrated in Physica and Cause et Cure? In any case, these passages are a testament to the test of time that the healing plants of the earth have withstood, offering medicine over centuries of human and planetary existence.
Interestingly, when reading Hildegard’s medical works, I was struck by how similar her discussion of “humors” sounds to the descriptions of a person’s constitution in systems such as Ayurveda. Throop confirms this observation of similarities to Eastern medicine in her introduction to Physica (5).
called “Subleties of the Diverse Qualities of Created Things” by Hildegard, was named Physica in a 1533 edition, published by Johannes Schott in Strassburg. A later edition was published in 1882 by C. Daremberg and F.A. Reuss, using the text of a 15th century manuscript, now in the National Library in Paris (4, Throop).
Looking forward to reading more! Thanks for all the research you have put into this!
Ooooh yes!! Looking forward to reading more!