Hildegard of Bingen By Abrah Arneson Hildegard of Bingnen was a poet, a composer, visionary, abbess, herbalist, counsellor and beer maker. Born in 1098, the tenth child of a German free noble family, Hildegard had her first vision at the age of three. She quickly learned most children do not have visions and kept them to herself. At the age of eight, her parents tithed her to the Benedictine church. This gave Hildegard the opportunity to learn to read and write and further explore her spirituality. In her life of 81 years, Hildegard wrote on cosmology, natural history, theology, medical theory and a record of her visions. In one vision, God commanded Hildegard to heal the sick with plants, minerals, gemstones and animals. This led Hildegard to form her own system of herbal medicine and understanding of the body. The popular medical systems of the day, which were based on herbs, combined several plants to form one herbal medicine. Hildegard's medicine was however that simples. Offering plant at a time for a specific ailment is called the art of simpling. Some credit Hildegard for being the founder of today's wise woman tradition of herbal medicine. Frequently in the wise woman tradition herbs are offered one at a time until health is regained. Some of Hildegard's favoured herbs were basil, apples, fennel, myrrh, nettle and thyme. All of these plants play a major role in the herbalist apothecary today. Although Hildegard did not offer herbs in the same manner of many of her contemporary herbalists, she did follow the system of diagnosis at the time. In this system, illness is seen as imbalance of the four temperaments, hot, dry, cold and moist. The four temperaments are still used by many of today's herbalists. For example, inflammation is considered a hot condition. Hildegard's used gemstones in her herbal practice much the same way modern day herbalist use flower or gemstone essences. The gemstone is placed in a crystal bowl filled with water under the moon, or
perhaps in the sun for twelve hours. This imbues the water with energetic healing properties of the gemstone or plant. The water is then used as medicine. For example, Hildegard used water of topaz to wash red, tired eyes. It is important to remember; as a healer, Hildegard was first a mystic. The divinely beautiful music she composed, clearly defines her as a deeply spiritual seeker. She believed all the medicine she used, whether it be plants, gemstones or minerals, was full of the spirit of the God. In this way, the medicine helped the sick rebuild their connection to God. She also felt that to worship only the spirit while not caring or appreciating the body could cause illness. Hildegard wrote, "the soul assists the flesh and the flesh, the soul." As mystical as Hildegard's theory of healing was; her approach was entirely practical. She was a big advocate of brushing teeth with aloe and myrrh. Myrrh is strongly anti-bacterial. Aloe, in turn, is healing to any inflammation or irritation of the gums. She advised people to eat only fresh food and to chew it slowly. She encouraged plenty of rest.
Abrah Arneson is a Clinical Herbal Therapist (CHT). She practices at The Green Clinic: Herbal and Traditional Healing where she offers private consultations and workshops on the use of herbal medicine. For more information, she can be contacted at 403-352-2820 or www.abraherbalist.ca Please see ad on page 6
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