While I admire beautiful gardens, I’ve never cultivated one myself. In many ways, gardening feels beyond my capabilities, so my own attempts have been minimal: purchasing a few flowers for patio containers each summer, enjoying seasonal produce from the farmer's market, and incorporating indoor plants for a touch of freshness and greenery.
Even still, I am amazed by those who possess the skill to bring beauty into existence through gardening. This admiration is why I was so eager to read St. Hildegard’s Garden: Recipes and Remedies for Healing Body and Soul by Paul Ferris, a book I anticipate referencing often, not only for its gardening tips and theological insights but also for its practical approach to health and wellness.
Gardener Extraordinaire
St. Hildegard’s Garden introduced me to Saint Hildegard of Bingen, a Doctor of the Church whose knowledge of natural health and nutrition started in the garden of God’s creation. Throughout her life, Hildegard amassed extensive familiarity with the natural world, using it to serve others. Her insights ranged from improving digestion and sleep to enhancing mood, memory, and pain relief.
Now as more families explore natural or functional medicine, Saint Hildegard’s expertise can come to our assistance, as this book is an ideal resource for caring for our God-given bodies and those of our loved ones.
In this informative and beautifully illustrated book, Ferris includes several plants that would have been seen in Hildegard’s actual garden. Some are unfamiliar and even unavailable; however, others are staples in most kitchens today—apples, almonds, dill, and oats, to name a few.
Each plant listing includes a description of the plant in Hildegard’s own words. For example, Hildegard notes that “nutmeg has great warmth and balance qualities” (p. 92). While under violet, Hildegard writes, “If the mind is burdened and anxious, and melancholy is so severe it affects the lungs, cook violets in good wine, strain through a cloth, and add galangal and licorice. Drink this potion to dispel melancholy, restore joy, and clear the lungs” (p. 138).
In addition to Hildegard’s own notes, the book includes a more thorough explanation of each plant's benefits and how to grow them. The adjacent pages include gorgeous, vintage illustrations of each plant.
St. Hildegard’s Garden also includes helpful information on growing, multiplying, and harvesting a garden. In addition, there are a plethora of health remedies and kitchen recipes, including medicinal wines and teas, ointments and creams, and porridges and soups.
Connecting Spirituality and Health
As we discover in St. Hildegard’s Garden, Hildegard wasn’t interested in nature for the sake of nature itself. Rather, she explored the natural world as it pointed to its Creator.
Like other mystics, Hildegard perceived harmony in God’s creation: “She captured the elusive life-giving quality that permeates all of God’s creation and has its source in Him” (p. x). Hildegard emphasized the interconnectedness of “the sacred and the mundane, the natural and the celestial” (p. 10).
This perspective led Hildegard to phytotherapy, or the use of plants for medicinal purposes. Her healing successes for both physical and spiritual well-being stemmed from her research, experimentation, and prayerful observation of nature. Her remedies offered comfort to many suffering from various conditions—both physical and mental. She understood that while creation reveals God, its full understanding requires faith, as nature alone can lead to misinterpretation: “She considers the healing power of a plant a reality to be discovered, used, and revered—but not worshipped” (p. viii).
Part of this philosophy included the belief that disrespecting nature and our bodies often leads to illness: “Hildegard emphasizes the inscrutable will of God and the necessity of living a healthy and pious life” (p. 13). She even believed that a balanced diet prevented disease.
Building upon her insights into the healing power of God’s creation, St. Hildegard’s Garden offers a practical application of her timeless principles. Readers will discover
- “Hildegard’s elixir” for common ailments
- Ways to incorporate beneficial herbs into everyday meals
- Remedies for issues ranging from forgetfulness and muscle tension to digestive and hormonal illnesses
- Recipes for breakfast dishes, soups, medicinal wines, teas, and topical ointments
- The "herb of the angels" for anxiety and fatigue
More Than a Gardener
St. Hildegard’s Garden hints at the reality that there is even more to know about the woman whose faith, wisdom, and knowledge raised her to Sainthood and the distinction of Doctor of the Church.
Hildegard of Bingen was born in present-day Rhineland in 1098. She was the tenth child of a family of minor nobility. From a very young age, Hildegard was destined for religious life. By eight, she was learning to read, write, and sing psalms, and at eighteen, she became a Benedictine nun.
Dedicating her energetic spirit to religious life despite poor health, Hildegard eventually became abbess. Growth in vocations under her guidance resulted in the founding of the Rupertsberg monastery near Bingen around 1150, where she relocated with twenty sisters. Later, in 1165, she established and served as abbess of a second monastery across the Rhine.
Following her confessor's direction, Hildegard spent a decade composing Scivias (Know the Ways), documenting her vivid and intense visions from age three. Upon reading it, Pope Eugene III urged her to continue writing, and Hildegard authored several books. She also corresponded with hundreds of individuals seeking her counsel and engaged with prominent figures of her time, such as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Additionally, she composed more than seventy liturgical chants and hymns.
According to Pope Benedict XVI, “the profound spirituality of her writings had a significant influence both on the faithful and on important figures of her time and brought about an incisive renewal of theology, liturgy, natural sciences and music” (source).
In the summer of 1179, Hildegard became ill. She died, surrounded by her sisters at the monastery of Rupertsberg, Bingen, on September 17, at the age of eighty-one.
Reaching Doctor Status
In the Catholic Church’s two-thousand-year history, there are only thirty-seven Saints who have been declared a Doctor of the Church. And only four of them are women.
According to Canon Law, there are three conditions for becoming a Doctor:
- The Saint’s teachings must be orthodox, novel, and universal.
- The holiness of the Saint must be demonstrated.
- The Doctor must be declared by a pope or an ecumenical council.
In May 2012, Hildegard was canonized, and in October of the same year, she was named a Doctor of the Church. Her feast day is September 17.
According to Pope Benedict XVI, “This great woman truly stands out crystal clear against the horizon of history for her holiness of life and the originality of her teaching. And, as with every authentic human and theological experience, her authority reaches far beyond the confines of a single epoch or society; despite the distance of time and culture, her thought has proven to be of lasting relevance” (source).
Saint Hildegard of Bingen, patroness of musicians, writers, and ecology, pray for us!
Sarah Damm is the blog manager and a writer for Blessed Is She. She also is a frequent contributor to other faith-based platforms. Residing in Minnesota with her husband and six children, Sarah was a stay-at-home mom for 21 years, until she returned to the workforce in 2023. Sarah enjoys attending her kids' volleyball, football, basketball, or baseball games (depending on the season). She loves her faith, coffee, walks with her husband, and good books. Read Sarah's posts here. You can find out more about her here.
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