Hildegard Medicine

Hildegard medicine summarizes the teachings on health developed by the universal scholar Hildegard of Bingen in the Middle Ages. The abbess, now considered a saint, pursued a holistic approach focusing especially on physical and mental balance. Hildegard medicine contains important information about balanced nutrition, diseases, their treatment, and the effects of medicinal plants.

Merit

The greatest merit of Hildegard medicine lies in the combination of knowledge about diseases and healing powers with folk medicine. Unlike earlier writings, the abbess used common German terms, making the knowledge of Hildegard medicine more accessible.

Origin

The knowledge we now call Hildegard medicine was written down by the saint in her two main works: Causae et curae (Causes and Treatments) and Liber subtilitatum diversarum naturarum creaturarum (Book of the Subtleties of the Various Natures of Creatures), today known as Physica.

In the 20th century, the Austrian doctor Dr. Gottfried Hertzka worked on the writings left by Hildegard of Bingen from the Middle Ages. As a physician, Hertzka was guided by medieval knowledge and coined the term Hildegard medicine.

Foundations

Hildegard medicine is based on several pillars, including balanced nutrition, herbal medicine, detoxification methods, and gemstone therapy.

Hildegard of Bingen already recognized the great importance of balanced nutrition for health in her time. Hildegard medicine recommends foods such as spelt, sweet chestnut, and fennel, as well as herbs and spices.

Herbal medicine holds an important place in Hildegard medicine. The abbess classified medicinal plants into different groups according to their effect on health—warming, hot, cold, and neutral—which are used to treat diseases. We still benefit today from Hildegard of Bingen’s extensive knowledge of herbal remedies. The saint also dealt with gemstones in her health treatises.

Reflecting her time, Hildegard medicine also includes information on detoxification methods such as bloodletting, cupping, fasting, and sweat baths.

Another cornerstone of Hildegard medicine is the balance between leisure and work, which should alternate.

The abbess also emphasized the influence of sufficient sleep on the health of body, mind, and soul.

Hildegard medicine also includes the spiritual insights of the saint. Hildegard of Bingen already stressed in the Middle Ages the connection between physical and mental health.