Columbine

Aquilegia vulgaris

Historical tradition – not medical advice, and no health or healing claims. more

Historical botanical drawing: Columbine — Columbine

Tradition (Hildegard's writings)

In Hildegard's tradition, columbine was associated with the throat and the lymphatic system.

Ingredients

Fresh flowers, leaves and seed capsules; the tincture uses the whole fresh plant.

Note

In the specialist literature the seeds in particular are suspected of being mildly poisonous.

Botanical background

Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) belongs to the buttercup family and is therefore a relative of monkshood, larkspur, globeflower and the anemones. Its usually deep blue flowers combine outer perianth leaves with the so-called honey leaves, whose long spur curves inwards. Fresh flowers, leaves and seed capsules are the parts used. Hildegard gives the plant its own chapter in the Physica and calls it cold; the literature notes that hers is the first medical work to name columbine directly. Through the rest of the Middle Ages it saw little use in plant lore, though it remained an important symbolic plant in art.

Sources & references

Hildegard von Bingen: Heilsame Schöpfung. Die natürliche Wirkkraft der Dinge (Physica). Hrsg. von der Abtei St. Hildegard, Eibingen. Beuroner Kunstverlag 2012 (4. Auflage 2024). Cap. 1-132.
Strehlow, Wighard: Die Hildegard-Naturapotheke. Heilmittel und Rezepte von A bis Z. Knaur Verlag 2014.
Strehlow, Wighard: Der Hildegard-Kompass. Die wichtigsten Heilmittel und Anwendungen. Knaur Verlag 2014.
Heepen, Günther H.: Das Heilwissen der Hildegard von Bingen. Gräfe und Unzer Verlag 2015.

The text of this entry is an independent summary in our own words, based on the works listed – not a verbatim reproduction. The page and chapter references document where the content comes from. A superscript number on a section heading points to the work that section follows. All rights to the original works remain with their authors and publishers.

More preparations using Columbine

Columbine Honey Columbine Leaf Tincture Columbine Wine

Historical tradition. The above describes how this preparation was recorded and used in the tradition of Hildegard of Bingen. This is cultural-historical information, not medical advice and not a health or healing claim, and it is no substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. If you have health complaints, please consult your doctor or pharmacy.

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