Tansy Elixir

Decoctum Tanaceti

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

Historical botanical drawing: Tansy — Tansy

Tradition (Hildegard's writings)

In Hildegard's tradition, tansy elixir was associated with men's health and with the bladder and urinary tract.

Ingredients

Tansy mother tincture and wine.

Preparation

Mix 50 ml of tansy mother tincture with 500 ml of wine, or with duckweed or wormwood elixir instead. To make your own mother tincture, preserve the pressed juice of fresh spring tansy leaves in wine with 68 % food-grade alcohol.

Note

Only the juice pressed in spring is free of thujone. Complaints in the pelvic area should always be examined by a doctor.

Botanical background

The essential oils of tansy are credited with antimicrobial and anthelmintic properties; the plant hormones it contains — beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol — are known in herbal lore.

Sources & references

Strehlow, Wighard: Die Hildegard-Naturapotheke. Heilmittel und Rezepte von A bis Z. Knaur Verlag 2014. S. 222.
Strehlow, Wighard: Der Hildegard-Kompass. Die wichtigsten Heilmittel und Anwendungen. Knaur Verlag 2014. S. 104.
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. 1-47 (Farn).
Heepen, Günther H.: Das Heilwissen der Hildegard von Bingen. Gräfe und Unzer Verlag 2015. S. 98.
Breindl, Ellen: Das große Gesundheitsbuch der Hl. Hildegard von Bingen. Bassermann Verlag 2004. S. 258.

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More preparations using Tansy

Tansy Tansy Flour

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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