Hart's-tongue fern

Asplenium scolopendrium

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

Historical botanical drawing: Hart's — Hart's

Tradition (Hildegard's writings)

In Hildegard's tradition, hart's-tongue fern was associated with the liver and the airways.

Ingredients

The fronds, fresh or dried.

Note

Hart's-tongue fern is protected in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and must not be taken from the wild there. Material for preparations should therefore come from cultivation or the specialist trade.

Botanical background

The hart's-tongue fern belongs to the spleenwort family (Aspleniaceae), which also includes the wall-rue. It is a perennial, grows to some fifteen to fifty centimetres, and bears tongue-shaped fronds twenty to fifty centimetres long with a heart-shaped base, arranged in a rosette; on their undersides sit the long, strap-like red-brown spore cases — it is their stripe-like form that the German family name, Streifenfarne, refers to. It is found across much of Europe in damp, lime-rich places: in rock crevices, ravine woodland, on limestone scree and old walls. The fronds are used fresh or dried; the literature names tannins and mucilage, free amino acids, polysaccharides and bioflavonoids. In the Physica hart's-tongue stands among the plants of the first book, where Hildegard describes it as warm and links it with the liver, the lungs and the bowels.

Sources & references

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.
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. 1-30.
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 Hart's

Hart's-Tongue Elixir Hart's-Tongue Fern Powder

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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