Discover the ancient healing secrets of St. Hildegard’s 8 healing trees that modern science is just beginning to understand.
St. Hildegard of Bingen, a medieval healer and visionary, uncovered profound medicinal secrets within seven remarkable healing trees. Her holistic approach to natural healing transcended the traditional medical practices of her time. By exploring these medicinal trees, you’ll gain access to centuries-old healing knowledge that remains remarkably relevant in today’s healthcare landscape. Let’s get to them.

In This Article You Will Find:
St. Hildegard’s 8 Healing Trees with Recipes
1. Healing Trees: Beech
(Fagus silvatica)
The Latin name of the beech tree, fagus, derives from the Greek word phagein, meaning “to eat,” referencing its edible fruit (beech nut). In the Middle Ages, St. Hildegard of Bingen documented the beech tree’s healing properties in her writings, describing beech as a powerful remedy for fever, liver jaundice, and wound healing. Despite its recognized medicinal qualities, the beech tree no longer serves as an official medicinal treatment today.
- Parts Used: bark, buds, leaves, young branches.
- Bark: febrifuge, anti-diarrheal, bitter tonic.
- Wood: Wood tar treats skin diseases; lye made by boiling beech wood ash in water removes warts.
- Buds: recommended for urinary stones.
- Beechnuts: have nutritional value. In rural areas, their kernels are eaten like hazelnuts. In large quantities, they can cause headaches.
St Hildegard’s Medicinal Uses of Beech Tree
- Diarrhea and Dysentery: Make a decoction with one teaspoon of ground beech bark in a cup of boiling water – two cups daily.
- Fever: Make a decoction by combining one teaspoon of ground bark and two tablespoons of fresh bark in a cup of water. Simmer until it reaches boiling point. Strain and drink the entire amount, sip by sip.
- Urinary Stones (Urolithiasis): Steep two teaspoons of beech buds into a cup of boiling water for 15 minutes – two cups daily.
- Stye: Use the same beech buds infusion to pad and apply topically to the affected eyelid.
- Rheumatism: Take 15-minute baths with a decoction of young beech branches and leaves. Pour into bathwater at 37°C.
- Wounds: Apply dried beech leaf powder over the wound, and cover with a sterilized bandage; prepare a paste of beech wood ash, St. John’s wort oil, and marshmallow tea and apply to abscesses and wounds.
2. St. Hildegard’s Healing Trees: English Yew
(Taxus baccata)
The yew is a tree that grows extremely slowly and is primarily planted as an ornamental tree. Its needles are dark green, with seeds enclosed in small, fleshy, red fruits. The bark ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown and peels off the trunk in thin strips. Caution! The yew’s seeds and needles are toxic. However, its wood is highly valued, especially in furniture-making, where it imparts a distinctive and elegant appearance. St. Hildegard used yew to smudge and make inhalation for lung infections.
- Parts Used: Traditionally, young branches or wood.
- Harvesting: Winter.
- Medicinal Uses: Common cold, rhinitis, nasal congestion, pulmonary viral infections.
“The yew is more ‘cold’ than ‘warm’, and is also dry, symbolizing joy. When the wood burns, neither its vapors nor its smoke are harmful. Individuals suffering from a cold should inhale the smoke of burning wood through both nose and mouth, and thus the ‘illness’ will be eliminated from the body without any negative effects.” St. Hildegard
St Hildegard’s Yew Remedy for Cold and Congestion
- Yew Smudging: You will need yew wood chips and burning pieces of charcoal, or a very hot tray. Place 2-4 yew wood chips on the smoldering charcoal or the hot tray, and inhale the smoke through the nose and mouth for about 5 minutes. If necessary, repeat the procedure several times a day.
3. St. Hildegard’s Healing Trees: Elm
(Ulmus spp.)
The elm tree was traditionally valued in folk medicine for its inner bark, which was used to make soothing teas or poultices to treat digestive issues, inflammation, and wounds. Its mucilaginous properties were especially prized for relieving throat irritation and respiratory ailments. St. Hildegard praised elm as a natural remedy for negative thinking, as well as irritability, fury, and greed.
- Part used: Wood.
- Harvesting: Winter, during the waning moon.
- Medicinal Uses: Irritability, anger, envy, deceit, aggressiveness, petty-mindedness, greed, and the compulsion to mock.
St Hildegard’s Elm Remedy for Negative Thinking
- Elm Bath. Cut a piece of elm wood into chips, about three handfuls, and boil them for 10 minutes in 5 liters of water. Let the mixture sit for two hours, strain it, reheat it, and pour it into the bathwater. Take two baths per week. This is St. Hildegard’s remedy for negative thinking patterns.
4. St. Hildegard’s Healing Trees: Dog Rose
(Rosa canina)
The dog rose is a shrub that can grow up to 4 meters tall and blooms from June to August. It requires a sunny or partially shaded location and moist, nutrient-rich soil. In autumn, after the flowers have faded, the shrub is adorned with oval, red-purple berries, that are loaded with the most bioavailable source of natural Vitamin C.
- Parts used: Flowers and leaves of the dog rose.
- Harvesting: Spring (in May).
- Medicinal Uses: Bronchitis, lung pain, purulent expectorations; the plant is effective for all lung ailments.
“The flowers of the dog rose are very warming and symbolize affection. For those suffering from lung weaknesses, it is recommended to crush the flowers and leaves and boil them together with raw honey. Remove the foam, strain the tea through a fine sieve to make it as clear as possible. Drink frequently, as it cleanses the lungs of ‘rottenness’ and heals them.” – Hildegard von Bingen
St. Hildegard’s Dog Rose Elixir Recipe
Ingredients
- 100 g dog rose flowers and leaves (or 200 g rose hips and leaves)
- 100 g raw honey
- 1 liter water
Preparation
- Boil the dog rose flowers and leaves in the water together with honey for about 15 minutes, occasionally removing the foam that forms on the surface.
- Strain through cheesecloth and pour the hot tea into sterilized bottles (500 ml each).
- Store in the refrigerator. Drink 2-3 cups several times a day.
The dog rose elixir can be prepared in either spring or autumn. In spring, use the flowers, leaves, and even twigs, and in autumn, use the rose hips and leaves. Before preparing the elixir, make sure the rose hips and leaves are well crushed. This medieval elixir is recommended for all lung ailments and to boost immunity.
5. St. Hildegard’s Healing Trees: European Hornbeam
(Carpinus betulus)
The hornbeam can reach a height of up to 25 meters and live for up to 300 years. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow, but their color becomes brown in winter and they do not fall. It blooms between April and May and is one of Hildegard’s favorite healing trees.
- Parts used: Hornbeam branches with leaves.
- Harvesting period: April to September.
- Medicinal Uses: Prevention of miscarriage and maintenance of pregnancy.
“The hornbeam is more ‘cool’ than ‘warm’ and indicates by its nature a sort of prosperity. Break the branches with leaves while they are still green and boil them in cow’s or sheep’s milk, but not in goat’s milk. After removing the branches and leaves, prepare the milk with flour, semolina, or eggs, in such a way that it can be consumed. It should be eaten frequently by women who tend to miscarry.” – Hildegard van Bingen
St. Hildegard’s Hornbeam Remedy to Prevent Miscarriage
For this remedy, you will need hornbeam branches (about 15 cm long) and 100-200 ml of cow’s or sheep’s milk. Boil the milk, and when it comes to a boil, add the chopped branches and let them simmer for 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat, let the mixture cool, and then strain it. With the obtained milk, mixed with flour, a sweet porridge or sweet semolina can be prepared.
In the first 3-4 months of pregnancy, it is recommended to have this hornbeam remedy at least four times a week. Starting from the fourth month until delivery, Hildegard recommends this cure at least twice a week. For women who have previously lost a pregnancy, is important to strictly follow this remedy to avoid a new miscarriage, according to Hildegard.
6. St. Hildegard’s Healing Trees: Common Box
(Buxus sempervirens)
The boxwood is an evergreen tree that can reach a height of up to 6 meters. Its greenish and rather modest flowers, which appear in May-June, are highly attractive to bees. It grows preferably in sunny locations, on soils rich in humus and nutrients.
- Parts used: Leaves and bark.
- Harvesting: As needed.
- Medicinal Uses: Skin eruptions of all types.
“The boxwood is a ‘warm’ tree… and symbolizes generosity. For those with skin issues (rashes, scales, lesions, scabies), crush the boxwood bark and leaves, mix the sap with a little licorice powder, and heat in wine. Drink the wine warm several times a day. It alleviates pain and helps eliminate the ‘poison’ from the diseased skin, preventing it from entering the body.” – Hildegard van Bingen
St. Hildegard’s Boxweed Remedy for Skin Eruptions
Boxwood Wine Recipe
- 5 drops of juice from boxwood leaves, obtained through a centrifuge
- A pinch of licorice powder
- 1/4 liter of wine
Mix the boxwood juice and licorice powder with the wine, heat the mixture on the stove (around 40°C/104°F), and drink one sip daily (3-5 times).
Boxwood Salve Recipe
- 1 teaspoon of boxwood juice
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Mix the boxwood juice with the olive oil and apply gently with a clean feather, 1-2 times a day, around the rash. First, drink a sip of wine.
7. St. Hildegard’s Healing Trees: Walnut Tree
(Juglans regia)
St. Hildegard von Bingen knew almost 1000 years ago about the walnut leaf’s properties of killing intestinal parasites and cleansing the digestive tract. Indeed, the walnut is not just one of the most resilient trees but has various medicinal uses, including for treating digestive issues, inflammation, and skin conditions.
- Part used: Fresh walnut leaves.
- Harvesting: Early summer.
- Medicinal Uses: Intestinal worms, roundworms, pinworms.
St. Hildegard’s Walnut Leaf Remedy for Intestinal Parasites
Ingredients
- 50 ml of walnut leaf juice
- 25 ml of mullein juice
- 25 ml of nettle juice
- 3500 g honey
- 3-4 tablespoons of vinegar
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a suitable pot and heat until it reaches a boil. Remove the foam that forms on the surface with a spoon or feather. This way, there is no need to strain the preparation. The result is a very tasty herbal honey, well-liked even by children. Pour into jars with lids and use for intestinal worms.
- For young children: Before meals: one pinch. After meals: one teaspoon of remedy.
- For children over 10 years: Before meals: Half a teaspoon of walnut remedy. After meals: one teaspoon of honey.
- For adults: Before meals: One tablespoon of the remedy. After meals: 2-3 full teaspoons of the mixture.
8. St. Hildegard’s Healing Trees: Linden Tree
(Tilia sp.)
Last but not least, one of Hildegard’s most beloved healing trees is linden. This tree is widely used in herbal medicine for its calming and anti-inflammatory properties. Linden flowers are often used to make teas that help with sleep disorders, anxiety, and colds, and to soothe respiratory and digestive issues. Hildegard recommended linden bark for kidney stones, urinary tract infections, gallbladder issues, and rheumatic flare-ups.
- Parts used: leaves, flowers, bark.
- Harvesting: Early summer.
- Medicinal Uses: insomnia, anxiety, kidney stones, gallbladder dysfunctions.
St. Hildegard’s Linden Bark Remedy for Urinary Problems
Boil 40 grams of linden bark in a liter of water until it reduces to a quarter of the initial amount. Drink 750 ml of the decoction throughout the day. Take a 10-day break, then repeat with the same amount of tea. Three courses of this treatment per year can help prevent relapses. This recipe is effective for kidney stones, urinary tract infections, gallbladder issues, and rheumatic flare-ups.
Read Also: St. Hildegard’s Top 9 Healing Herbs and How to Use Them
St. Hildegard’s healing trees represent a timeless approach to natural health that transcends centuries of medical understanding. By uncovering the secrets of these healing trees, we honor a legacy of holistic wellness that remains as relevant now as it was in medieval times. Stay healthy, naturally!
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