Gold

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

Tradition (Hildegard's writings)

In Hildegard's tradition, gold was associated with mood and disposition.

Ingredients

Refined gold, described in the sources as 'burnt' gold.

Background

Gold is not a plant but a precious metal, and it accordingly holds a place of its own in Hildegard's tradition. In the Physica it turns up where Hildegard writes about myrrh: whoever carries myrrh, she says, should carry burnt gold with it, since gold makes a person's mind glad. It appears a second time in the book on stones, there as the setting into which a sapphire is placed; the text asks for pure, burnt gold with nothing else mixed in. On the appearance, origin or working of the metal the surviving passages say nothing. The evidence here is markedly thinner than it is for the herbs.

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).

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More preparations using Gold

Gold Course with Gold Biscuits Gold 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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