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Hildegard von Bingen's Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing
One of two major medical treatises by medieval healer Hildegard von Bingen, presented in its entirety for the first time in English during the 900th anniversary of her birth.
• A seminal text in the development of Western herbal medicine
• Presents nine categories of healing systems--Plants, Elements, Trees, Stones, Fish, Birds, Animals, Reptiles, and Metals--and elaborates on their medicinal use
• Closely related to Eastern medical approaches that are gaining respect today
Saint, mystic, healer, visionary, fighter, Hildegard von Bingen stands as one of the great figures in the history of women in me.
At a time when few women could write and most were denied a formal education, Hildegard von Bingen became a legendary healer, visionary, musician, artist, poet, and saint. Her works include twenty-seven symphonic compositions; Scivias, a compilation of her visions; and her two major medical works, Causae et Curae, a medical compendium, and Physica, published here in English in its entirety for the first time.
Physica has a strong affinity with the Eastern medical approaches gaining great respect today. The modern reader interested in natural healing will recognize the enormous truth in the theories of this 12th-century physician, which remind us that our cures for illness depend on our natural world and our place in it.
• A seminal text in the development of Western herbal medicine
• Presents nine categories of healing systems--Plants, Elements, Trees, Stones, Fish, Birds, Animals, Reptiles, and Metals--and elaborates on their medicinal use
• Closely related to Eastern medical approaches that are gaining respect today
Saint, mystic, healer, visionary, fighter, Hildegard von Bingen stands as one of the great figures in the history of women in me.
At a time when few women could write and most were denied a formal education, Hildegard von Bingen became a legendary healer, visionary, musician, artist, poet, and saint. Her works include twenty-seven symphonic compositions; Scivias, a compilation of her visions; and her two major medical works, Causae et Curae, a medical compendium, and Physica, published here in English in its entirety for the first time.
Physica has a strong affinity with the Eastern medical approaches gaining great respect today. The modern reader interested in natural healing will recognize the enormous truth in the theories of this 12th-century physician, which remind us that our cures for illness depend on our natural world and our place in it.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1155
133 people are currently reading
2019 people want to read
About the author
Hildegard von Bingen
313 books271 followersborn circa 1098
People revered Saint Hildegard von Bingen, German nun, composer, and a visionary, during her own lifetime; she set her poems to music and also wrote works on medicine and natural history.
People also knew this philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, and polymath as Sibyl of the Rhine. Her fellows elected her as a magistra in 1136; she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and Eibingen in 1165. The Ordo Virtutum exemplifies early liturgical drama.
Her theological and botanical texts, letters, liturgical songs, and arguably the oldest morality play, well survive; she meanwhile supervised brilliant miniature Illuminations.
People revered Saint Hildegard von Bingen, German nun, composer, and a visionary, during her own lifetime; she set her poems to music and also wrote works on medicine and natural history.
People also knew this philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, and polymath as Sibyl of the Rhine. Her fellows elected her as a magistra in 1136; she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and Eibingen in 1165. The Ordo Virtutum exemplifies early liturgical drama.
Her theological and botanical texts, letters, liturgical songs, and arguably the oldest morality play, well survive; she meanwhile supervised brilliant miniature Illuminations.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 15, 2022
Let us begin with Hildegard (aka Mother Superior). Another name she is known by is Saint Hildegard. Credited with being the founder of Rupertsberg in 1150/Eibingen in 1165--monasteries. She wrote theological, botanical, and medicinal works, letters, hymns, and antiphons (liturgical use). Additionally, she orchestrated poetry and supervised miniature illuminations in the Rupertsberg manuscript (Scivias). She invented a language known as Lingua Ignota.
"The light which I see thus is not spatial, but it is far, far brighter than a cloud which carries the sun. I can measure neither height, nor length, nor breadth in it; and I call it "the reflection of the living Light." And as the sun, the moon, and the stars appear in water, so writings, sermons, virtues, and certain human actions take form for me and gleam."
---Hildegard von Bingen
To some, surroundings are irrelevant yet science finds a correlation.Refer to your local health department: which provides clear findings and measures to insure the safety of county residents. Text was written in the early Middle Ages---one who is unto a candle---may discover lessons applicable to our lives now and apply them for healing. Though one may classify this to be archaic, there is some wisdom in how food affects the body. Basic health begins with nutrition. Conditions/environments where food is prepared, cooked and served are crucial for good health. Takes some time to comprehend this eleventh century text. Read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2014
Looking at this book, it would seem that Hildegard of Bingen (Germany) was the first prominent person to make a serious investigation into the medicinal properties of plants in a fully rigourous and scientific manner. And this was almost nine hundred years ago.
It is such a shame that it has taken so long for Hildegaard's work to gain a more mainstream acceptance. I first enjoyed her music almost twenty years ago, and still do. But as the years pass I am growing more interested in her writings too.
Very highly recommended.
It is such a shame that it has taken so long for Hildegaard's work to gain a more mainstream acceptance. I first enjoyed her music almost twenty years ago, and still do. But as the years pass I am growing more interested in her writings too.
Very highly recommended.
May 11, 2025
I've really enjoyed what I've read of this 😃😁 I've been reading it slowly in part cos it really inspires my brain to thought and image 💚
not completely finished, but read as much as I'm going to for now. I'm confident I'll come back and read it all in time, tho not necessarily in order 😉 great to read some of Hildegard von Bingen's words and ideas 😃😁😊
💚 🌿 📖 🎚 🙏
accessed as a hardback paper book.
this short review comes to you as part of the series: 'tidying up my shelves' 😉
not completely finished, but read as much as I'm going to for now. I'm confident I'll come back and read it all in time, tho not necessarily in order 😉 great to read some of Hildegard von Bingen's words and ideas 😃😁😊
💚 🌿 📖 🎚 🙏
accessed as a hardback paper book.
this short review comes to you as part of the series: 'tidying up my shelves' 😉
September 16, 2015
A field guide of the natural world, written by mah faaaaavorite Catholic mystic! The first volume covers allllllll of the plants in a way that matches other modern botanical texts remarkably well. Other volumes cover fish, animals, metals, and gemstones. I want to do a series of calligraphy pieces from the birds section. Bits of theology throughout.
April 3, 2022
I had previously read Bruce Hozeski’s translation of this work, entitled Hildegard’s Healing Plants, and I’ll explain why Priscilla Throop’s is infinitely better. Hozeski’s is only the first section, which covers plants, of Hildegard von Bingen’s Physica. While “Plants” is definitely the longest section, making for about half the book, Throop’s translation covers the other nine: Elements (rocks and also water from notable European rivers, each with different healing properties), Trees (differentiated with plants due to woody trunks?), Stones (including gemstones), Metals, Fish, Birds, Animals, and Reptiles. If those last four categories seem kind of redundant, it helps to know that this was translated from Latin and she probably didn’t think whales with their “certain relationship to the nature of fish as well as to the nature of beasts such as the lion and the bear” were literally fish. So I wish these titles had been translated as “swimming creatures,” “flying creatures,” etc. with Animals as a catchall. The section on Reptiles is interesting because it has a lot of mythical creatures such as the dragon and the basilisk as well as reptiles and amphibians and invertebrates; it just seems to be all the stuff Hildegard doesn’t like. This is an example of where her moralism comes into play. Most of those were divine punishment for the fall of Eden, and then born out of the rotten cadavers of the Noah’s flood.
So as I said, there’s repentant moralism in this, and someone actually pointed out that one of the remedies in this just sounded like punishment for sexual licentiousness, which is kind of funny because it’s exactly the kind of thing you can imagine a nun writing. But when reading a text that’s almost a thousand years old, it’s easy to focus on what it got wrong — what’s truly amazing is how much she was right about! Hildegard was writing in the 12th century, a time where most of Europe didn’t have much going on for it. The fact that her herbal compendium not only mentions plants from the far East such as ginger but also gets their usage right shows that she was either getting this knowledge directly from Asia or daring to refer back to classical texts. I don’t want to know what the rest of medieval Europe was doing for women’s medicine, but the fact that St. Hildegard dared address it is nothing short of revolutionary.
Physica is organized by… ingredient? I wish it was organized differently because if you are looking for a remedy (I read every page of this to get in character for a D&D campaign where I’m a nun) you have to consult every entry. Throop has provided an index in the back, which makes sorting through easier. But at times it’s just a bit confusing whether this work was intended as a natural history or as a guide to medicine, when in reality it’s both. I’m curious to read her Causae et Curae, which is supposed to be organized by ailment, but I am not aware of any English translations of it as of yet.
So as I said, there’s repentant moralism in this, and someone actually pointed out that one of the remedies in this just sounded like punishment for sexual licentiousness, which is kind of funny because it’s exactly the kind of thing you can imagine a nun writing. But when reading a text that’s almost a thousand years old, it’s easy to focus on what it got wrong — what’s truly amazing is how much she was right about! Hildegard was writing in the 12th century, a time where most of Europe didn’t have much going on for it. The fact that her herbal compendium not only mentions plants from the far East such as ginger but also gets their usage right shows that she was either getting this knowledge directly from Asia or daring to refer back to classical texts. I don’t want to know what the rest of medieval Europe was doing for women’s medicine, but the fact that St. Hildegard dared address it is nothing short of revolutionary.
Physica is organized by… ingredient? I wish it was organized differently because if you are looking for a remedy (I read every page of this to get in character for a D&D campaign where I’m a nun) you have to consult every entry. Throop has provided an index in the back, which makes sorting through easier. But at times it’s just a bit confusing whether this work was intended as a natural history or as a guide to medicine, when in reality it’s both. I’m curious to read her Causae et Curae, which is supposed to be organized by ailment, but I am not aware of any English translations of it as of yet.
December 28, 2014
Wonderful book containing some of Hildegard's writings on health and nutrition.
Very inspirational!
If you love Hildegard, please visit
http://www.hildegardchristianmystic.com
Thank you.
God bless,
Very inspirational!
If you love Hildegard, please visit
http://www.hildegardchristianmystic.com
Thank you.
God bless,
January 2, 2022
St. Hildegard was an absolutely brilliant woman. Physica was a book that was ahead of its time and was revolutionary to medicine, and respectfully, this book is my ‘The Far Side’.
I open this book to a random page, I read a silly little paragraph about how elk liver cures tuberculosis or something, I have a little giggle, I continue on with my day a happier person.
I cannot explain to you why this book gives me so much joy but it does. :)
I open this book to a random page, I read a silly little paragraph about how elk liver cures tuberculosis or something, I have a little giggle, I continue on with my day a happier person.
I cannot explain to you why this book gives me so much joy but it does. :)
December 28, 2014
Love this book. Helped me on my path to true health and communion with God.
If you like hildegard, check out this awesome website:
http://www.hildegardchristianmystic.com
Peace & love,
If you like hildegard, check out this awesome website:
http://www.hildegardchristianmystic.com
Peace & love,
Read
April 24, 2021💚💚💚💚💚
January 8, 2017
A Wonder, A Marvel
Hildegard's lists of the properties of plants, elements, trees, stones, fish, birds, animals, reptiles, and metals are covered in several hundred entries. She begins by stating the nature of each thing. She tells whether it is edible. Then she delivers recipes for medicinal uses.
Here is a 12th century voice that truly surprised me, from the things which are/aren't edible (most fruits and plants are not) to uses for precious stones (usually a sick person places them in his or her mouth). She covers the medicinal properties of unicorns in as much detail as the plants she would have encountered in her native Germany.
The breadth of diseases and conditions is interesting: lots of remedies for vision problems, for instance. Cures for insanity, for love potions, for gout, and for demonic possession are all available.
I had lots of fun reading this. It is a useful reference and it provides a way to understand a healer who predated scientific observation.
Hildegard's lists of the properties of plants, elements, trees, stones, fish, birds, animals, reptiles, and metals are covered in several hundred entries. She begins by stating the nature of each thing. She tells whether it is edible. Then she delivers recipes for medicinal uses.
Here is a 12th century voice that truly surprised me, from the things which are/aren't edible (most fruits and plants are not) to uses for precious stones (usually a sick person places them in his or her mouth). She covers the medicinal properties of unicorns in as much detail as the plants she would have encountered in her native Germany.
The breadth of diseases and conditions is interesting: lots of remedies for vision problems, for instance. Cures for insanity, for love potions, for gout, and for demonic possession are all available.
I had lots of fun reading this. It is a useful reference and it provides a way to understand a healer who predated scientific observation.
December 18, 2021
I adore Hildegard Von Bingen. Keep in mind this was written in Latin (or maybe German) in the 11th or 12th Century by a disabled nun. She was a true inspiration and still is. There are many of her cures, even some that may seem crazy, that have proven scientifically sound and this woman was writing based on her knowledge of plants, a very small library and her intuition and mystical visions which were accompanied by migraines. She was also an artist, composed music, taught other women how to read ( with special permission from the church because it was illegal?)
This book is basically a reference book for her remedies, some of which wouldn't be ideal for modern day use but many that could and still are being used by health professionals across the globe.
This book is basically a reference book for her remedies, some of which wouldn't be ideal for modern day use but many that could and still are being used by health professionals across the globe.
April 5, 2013
She is one of my favorite saints
May 4, 2020
I gave this three stars because the text isn't exactly useful. But it's AMAZING as a desk reference for anyone wanting to know the origins of western apothecary classifications, including the metaphysical properties of gemstones.
And what a find for creative writing. The catalog of medical practices and materials in Physica wasn't dubbed a source of witchcraft or pagan practices--it was sanctioned by the Church! And if you're into modern herbal remedies, some of it still comes through in what we do today! The short stories just begin to write themselves, don't they?
And what a find for creative writing. The catalog of medical practices and materials in Physica wasn't dubbed a source of witchcraft or pagan practices--it was sanctioned by the Church! And if you're into modern herbal remedies, some of it still comes through in what we do today! The short stories just begin to write themselves, don't they?
February 10, 2020
Wow! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to wonder at how medieval people thought of the natural world. Hildegard Von Bingen thinks willows are vain, leeks are of the devil, and whales are fish. Well, cut her some slack. Whales are confusing, okay?
You'll marvel at how often she says something along the lines of "This will definately cure the person, unless they die from their illness or God doesn't want them cured."
A bit of a slow pace.
Oregano will give you the plague.
Hilarious!
You'll marvel at how often she says something along the lines of "This will definately cure the person, unless they die from their illness or God doesn't want them cured."
A bit of a slow pace.
Oregano will give you the plague.
Hilarious!
April 12, 2023
This was written in a time when many diseases/conditions did not have the names they do now, nor the standard treatments/cures.
The ideas can be seen in the writing, like how to make a woman more fertile.
Plants are the biggest section of the book, taking up half of it with other sections for stones (gems), fish and birds.
The ideas can be seen in the writing, like how to make a woman more fertile.
Plants are the biggest section of the book, taking up half of it with other sections for stones (gems), fish and birds.
March 16, 2019
i was excited to find a book like this but once i started reading it i found the information so far from the reality of what i know about herbalism, trees, plants, the natural world, that i had to get it out of my library.
March 11, 2020
I found this book fascinating. I loved reading about how St. Hildegard used the elements around her to heal. She saw all things as gifts from God to be respected and utilized for the greater good.
What a fascinating woman.
What a fascinating woman.
January 26, 2022
I so enjoyed this book, considering it being a translation from almost a millenium ago. Thank you for writing so concisely and putting it into such a frame that makes sense. I feel a little of it is lost in translation, but still enjoyed the book. Thank goodness for Hildegarde!
February 13, 2023
Excellent primary source from the o.g. medicine woman herself. She's got 100 ways to balance your humors and shrink your tumors.
P.S. Finally-- some good remedies for scrofula without that pesky need to visit a King!
P.S. Finally-- some good remedies for scrofula without that pesky need to visit a King!
August 1, 2018
Inescapable illustrations, information, illuminations. As a child given by her family as a tithe to the Church she lives into an undeniable life of huge proportions.
January 8, 2025
A wonderful read
February 8, 2025
an incredible book written 900 years ago with much arcana of nature unveiled and explained.
all the things Hildegard explains, including her remedies, always worked for me
all the things Hildegard explains, including her remedies, always worked for me
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews