Excerpts from Hildegard von Bingen's "Physica": 12th Century Peaty Health Tips

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Physica is medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen's compendium on health and healing. She basically lists plants, animals, and other objects in nature and how to benefit from medicinally. While her advice lacks explanation, she seems to have had a decent understanding of health, which probably stems from her keen observation of nature and her humility to learn. Now for the "Peaty" quotes:

Trees which do not bear fruit are not beneficial. They are only wood, not trees. Their leaves are useless to eat.

Raw apples are a bit harmful for sick people. But cooked or dried apples are good for both sick and healthy people.

Flesh of ruminant animals is tempered, as if it had been placed in a press: it can easily be eaten and digested. Flesh of non-ruminant animals is heavier and not easily digested.

On the benefits of (fish) gelatin:
One who ails in his liver or is weak in his lungs should cook the small intestines of this fish with hyssop in water. From there, he should make a meat jelly and eat it frequently. The pain in his liver will cease, and his lungs will recover their health.

She observed walnuts (omega-3) to be damaging:
Fever is easily stirred up in a person who has eaten many walnuts, fresh or old. Although healthy people are able to overcome this, sick people are harmed.

As well as salmon:
Its flesh is a bit like the moon and is soft and weak. It is not good for any person to eat, because it stirs up all the bad humors in a person.

She even recognized sugar as medicine:
One who ails in his brain or chest, and is so blocked that he is unable to purge himself or cough the congestion up, should eat or drink this [sugar]. It will purge his brain and unloosen his chest.

Most importantly, she warned that excessive fasting does not only have physical risks but lacks spiritual benefit as well:
Do not lay on more strain than the body can endure. Immoderate straining and abstinence bring nothing useful to the soul.
 

SupremeGibbon

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[First time posting] Reading St. Hildegard's writings was my first step toward improving my health and eventually finding Dr. Peat. I would be excited to see more of her work featured here. Have you read what she says about cinnamon?
 

Old Irenaeus

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Underrated saint . I'm grateful to Pope Benedict XVI for naming her a Doctor of the Church.
 

freyasam

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The Word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all creativity. This Word manifests itself in every creature.

Fascinating, thank you. I often listen to the music she composed performed by modern musicians.
 

Lampshard

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She mentions

>With the taste for evil the blood of Adam’s children was changed into the poison of semen from which humans’ offspring are propagated.

Which is interesting in context of Peat's philosophizing of "consciousness" being the true "goal" of life, and not mere procreation
 

GTW

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Seems to be some confirmation bias in the selective reading of 12th century writing.
"...many walnuts" is not saying walnuts are totally bad.
"...eat or drink this [sugar]" in what form? In the 12th century what specifically do you equate with sugar. Honey? A source of sugar but not equivalent to refined sugar.
"Do not lay on more strain than the body can endure" is not deep science, rather a tautology true by the definitions of the words "more than the body can endure."
 

Grapelander

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Book: Illuminations

hild.JPG
 

Old Irenaeus

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Seems to be some confirmation bias in the selective reading of 12th century writing.
"...many walnuts" is not saying walnuts are totally bad.
"...eat or drink this [sugar]" in what form? In the 12th century what specifically do you equate with sugar. Honey? A source of sugar but not equivalent to refined sugar.
"Do not lay on more strain than the body can endure" is not deep science, rather a tautology true by the definitions of the words "more than the body can endure."
Yes. Which translation is being used? A think this calls for a close reading of Hildegard's Latin. I will take a look when I have time.
 
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sibyloftherhine
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[First time posting] Reading St. Hildegard's writings was my first step toward improving my health and eventually finding Dr. Peat. I would be excited to see more of her work featured here. Have you read what she says about cinnamon?
Glad to know St. Hildegard helped you! If you'd like to know what she says about cinnamon:
Cinnamon is very hot and its power is great. It holds a bit of moisture, but its heat is so strong that it suppresses thst dampness. It diminishes bad humors in one who eats it often, and provides him with good humors.

Underrated saint . I'm grateful to Pope Benedict XVI for naming her a Doctor of the Church.
I definitey am to! She's my favorite doctor of the Church for sure.

Seems to be some confirmation bias in the selective reading of 12th century writing.
"...many walnuts" is not saying walnuts are totally bad.
"...eat or drink this [sugar]" in what form? In the 12th century what specifically do you equate with sugar. Honey? A source of sugar but not equivalent to refined sugar.
"Do not lay on more strain than the body can endure" is not deep science, rather a tautology true by the definitions of the words "more than the body can endure."
Confirmation bias? I simply took direct quotes from her work. Additionally, take into consideration that this was the 12th century, and biochemistry did not exist. Her only way of gaining knowledge on health was through observation and experimentation. Do you think a single walnut would be able to produce negative symptoms?

As for your issues with sugar, it's at the very least not honey, since she talks about honey in a separate section.
93B27C85-37F3-4459-B16B-A6398EFDEB4E.jpeg
 

Makrosky

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Glad to know St. Hildegard helped you! If you'd like to know what she says about cinnamon:



I definitey am to! She's my favorite doctor of the Church for sure.


Confirmation bias? I simply took direct quotes from her work. Additionally, take into consideration that this was the 12th century, and biochemistry did not exist. Her only way of gaining knowledge on health was through observation and experimentation. Do you think a single walnut would be able to produce negative symptoms?

As for your issues with sugar, it's at the very least not honey, since she talks about honey in a separate section.
View attachment 32527
The interesting question is where does she got sugar in the 12th century? I think the only source with substantial amounts known in Europe by that time was beetroot? And not even sure since it was not cultivated extensively until XV. Same as for cinnamon. It must have been very scarce foods brought from very far away.
 
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sibyloftherhine
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The interesting question is where does she got sugar in the 12th century? I think the only source with substantial amounts known in Europe by that time was beetroot? And not even sure since it was not cultivated extensively until XV. Same as for cinnamon. It must have been very scarce foods brought from very far away.
From Wikipedia:
During the medieval era, Arab entrepreneurs adopted sugar production techniques from India and expanded the industry. Medieval Arabs in some cases set up large plantations equipped with on-site sugar mills or refineries. The cane sugar plant, which is native to a tropical climate, requires both a lot of water and a lot of heat to thrive. The cultivation of the plant spread throughout the medieval Arab world using artificial irrigation. Sugar cane was first grown extensively in medieval Southern Europe during the period of Arab rule in Sicily beginning around the 9th century.
Crusaders brought sugar home with them to Europe after their campaigns in the Holy Land, where they encountered caravans carrying "sweet salt". Early in the 12th century, Venice acquired some villages near Tyre and set up estates to produce sugar for export to Europe, where it supplemented honey as the only other available sweetener. Crusade chronicler William of Tyre, writing in the late 12th century, described sugar as "a most precious product, very necessary for the use and health of mankind".

Beet sugar is apparently a 1700s German invention.
 

Uselis

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She mentions

>With the taste for evil the blood of Adam’s children was changed into the poison of semen from which humans’ offspring are propagated.

Which is interesting in context of Peat's philosophizing of "consciousness" being the true "goal" of life, and not mere procreation
Hey, any chance you remember exact article or podcast where he talked about it?

It is such a fascinating topic for me because I feel that what all those spiritual players are mumbling is very similar to a place "successful Peating" (for lack of a better term) brings you too. Except they make all this thing extra complicated while Ray is pretty straightforward and basic in comparison.
 

Lampshard

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Hey, any chance you remember exact article or podcast where he talked about it?

It is such a fascinating topic for me because I feel that what all those spiritual players are mumbling is very similar to a place "successful Peating" (for lack of a better term) brings you too. Except they make all this thing extra complicated while Ray is pretty straightforward and basic in comparison.
I think his articles on Darwinism/genetic theory mention it briefly, but he more so goes over it in some of the early D. Roddy episodes, don't remember anything too specific though, sorry
 

Kykeon

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she also wrote about how dried mole blood is a good for "fallsucht" (epileptic seizures). Does a beaver tail not contain salicylic acid, maybe there is a beneficial compound in mole blood.
-millet and lentils are basically useless and harmful for human nutrition
-onion etc. is bad for human health and toxic
-blueberries cause goiter (strawberry are not ok aswell, seems in line with peats recommendation of staying away from fruits where the seeds are integrated in the fruit)

"When a person has a fever, he should take a mouse
and string it carefully so that it cannot escape.
cannot escape. And before it dies, he shall tie
the back of this mouse between the shoulder blades of this person, when the fever is just
so that it dies there between his shoulder blades, and that person will be cured, and the fever
will be healed, and the fever will no longer affect him.
him no more."
Some stuff is just crazy.
 
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Physica is medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen's compendium on health and healing. She basically lists plants, animals, and other objects in nature and how to benefit from medicinally. While her advice lacks explanation, she seems to have had a decent understanding of health, which probably stems from her keen observation of nature and her humility to learn. Now for the "Peaty" quotes:







On the benefits of (fish) gelatin:


She observed walnuts (omega-3) to be damaging:


As well as salmon:


She even recognized sugar as medicine:


Most importantly, she warned that excessive fasting does not only have physical risks but lacks spiritual benefit as well:

This is a very interesting thread....

"For Hildegard and her contemporaries, everything was a matter of “balancing humors.” She believed a human being, like earth, requires quantities of “lubricants.” This balance was based on the right proportions of hot, cold, dry, and wet foods as much as on good thoughts and deeds. Hence, the saint recommended drinking water (or wine) at mealtime and serving dishes with dressings, meat, or vegetable sauces to prevent food from “drying” the stomach and perturbing digestion. For example, wine vinegar possesses the properties for maintaining the pH in the stomach and intestines, and also prevents the development of blood clots in the arteries."

 

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