Rose

Rosa centifolia

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

Historical botanical drawing: Rose — Rose

Tradition (Hildegard's writings)

In Hildegard's tradition, the rose was associated with the eyes and the temperament.

Ingredients

The leaves of the rose are used, together with the pure rose oil obtained from the plant.

Botanical background

Which rose Hildegard had in mind cannot be settled with certainty. The Latin tradition heads the chapter “De Rosa” and identifies the plant as Rosa centifolia; in Holland, however, that variety is not on record before 1596, which led one rose scholar to suggest it had grown out of Rosa gallica, the rose Walahfrid Strabo already lists in his garden book. Nineteenth-century writers read the rose of the Carolingian “Capitulare de villis” in two opposing ways: one took it for an ornamental and hence for Rosa centifolia, the other for a medicinal plant and hence for the dog rose. The distinction between wild and garden roses appears only with Bartholomew the Englishman. Hildegard calls the rose cold and describes it in the Physica chiefly as an ingredient added to other remedies. Later Hildegard recipes take up that idea, as when a little rose oil is stirred into olive oil.

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. 1-22.
Heepen, Günther H.: Das Heilwissen der Hildegard von Bingen. Gräfe und Unzer Verlag 2015.
Strehlow, Wighard: Die Hildegard-Heilschätze. Schafgarbe, Veilchen, Galgant, Bertram. Knaur Verlag 2018.

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More preparations using Rose

Rose and Liquorice Syrup Rose and Olive Oil

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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