Moxibustion – the setting of burning cones
“Moxibustion is good and beneficial at all times because, if done carefully, it reduces the fluid and slimy juices under the skin and gives health to the body. It is suitable for young people as well as old people; for young people, because when their flesh and blood increase in youth, the harmful humors also increase in them; But for old people, because when they lose their flesh and blood in old age, slimy juices remain between their skin and their flesh...
Setting burning cones is particularly suitable for treating muscle tension, rheumatism and headaches because the blood vessels open due to the heating, thus ensuring better blood circulation.
Human internal organs
“The soul is fiery, airy and moist, and it possesses the whole heart of man. The liver warms the heart, the lungs cover it, and the stomach is an internal space in the human body for the absorption of food. The heart is the seat of knowledge, the liver the seat of feeling, the lungs are like a vein of reason, and the mouth is the mouthpiece for what man utters and the receiver of what refreshes the body; he produces the voice, but does not receive the voice. But the ear receives the voice, but does not produce the voice...
Hildegard's statement shows that a holistic situation always prevails in humans. According to Hildegard, the organs are also responsible for the mental life and the spiritual within us.
The complexion of a sick person
“If a person lies sick in bed and is red in the face, he has sick, poisonous blood due to sick intestines. And that's why his face is red... Such a person is not sad, but rather cheerful, and his illness is bearable. If someone is pale and thin during their illness, the black bile combines with paralysis, so that they become cold. Because of this cold, his face is pale and his flesh does not thrive or grow on him. Such a person is sad during his illness and is prone to anger.”
The color of the patient's face shows those around him whether he is dealing with a pleasant or irritable patient.
The connection between extreme summer heat and different foods
“If a person eats very cold foods in the summer when they are very warm inside, they easily trigger gout. But if he eats very warm food, when he is very warm inside in the summer, he develops phlegm within himself. Therefore, people should eat moderately hot and cold foods in summer, and these will provide them with good blood and healthy meat. If a person eats a lot in the summer, when he is very warm inside, his blood becomes excessively warm as a result of eating so much, his fluids deteriorate, and the flesh of his body swells and becomes unnaturally bloated because the air is then too warm . If he then only eats moderately, it won't harm him, but he will stay healthy.
In summer, only eat a moderate amount of lukewarm to warm food so that the body stays strong.
The sneeze
"If the blood of a person in his veins is not lively and rapid, but lies there as if it were sleeping, and if the juices in him do not flow quickly but only sluggishly, Naturally, the soul notices this and, by sneezing, shakes the whole body and allows the blood and juices of the person to wake up and return to their proper state. If the water were not kept moving by storms and floods, it would become putrid; And so a person would rot inside if he didn't sneeze or blow his nose.
Hildegard wants to explain the meaning of sneezing: by sneezing, the sluggishly flowing juices (e.g. in the case of swollen sinuses due to a cold) are “awakened” again.
Why humans don't swim
“Because man's body is heavy and because he works with his hands, walks with his feet, has an upright posture and does not have much of the essence of air and water , he cannot naturally swim in water unless he learns to do so on his own. But the animals have the strength in their legs, walk leaning forward and are moved by their legs as if by the wind. Therefore, some of them can swim naturally, because just as they walk leaning forward on land, they also swim leaning forward in water. Humans don't do that because they walk completely upright and bend forward and stretch out when swimming.
Here we can read that humans cannot swim naturally. This is often misrepresented today when it comes to “baby swimming”. It should not be confused with the fact that the toddler feels comfortable in warm water (bath water), but only with the holding, safe hand of the father or mother.
The conception of a human being
“...afterwards the breath of life comes and touches this structure, without the mother knowing, like a violent warm wind and flows into it...but it is still in This figure suffers from such great weakness that it cannot move, but only lies there, sleeping and breathing very little...Now the child moves, and the mother feels it, and from then on it always remains in motion.
The harmony between body and soul
“As long as body and soul have to live together, they carry out a tremendous conflict with each other, since the soul suffers wherever the flesh delights in sin... The soul loves her body and considers it a beautiful garment and a pleasing ornament...Man turned "towards the north", the region far from God...since then the relationship between soul and body has been strained, and it is often difficult to bring the two into harmony bring...
From these texts you can see how important it is for Hildegard to take a closer look at her own dark sides (sorrow, worry, suffering) and to gain a good attitude towards it in order to bring body and soul into harmony and harmony, for what purpose In their view, this also includes the relationship between man and God.
Weak people and children who lack appetite
“And whoever is so sick that he cannot eat bread, let him take barley and oats in equal weight and add some fennel and boil (it) in water at the same time and drink it like a broth.”
Recipe: 1 tbsp. Barley, 1 tbsp. Boil oats, 2 teaspoons of fennel with 1 liter of water for about 25 minutes, strain and if necessary refine with a little cinnamon.
Stimulate your metabolism instead of taking laxatives
“... (laxative) drinks that cleanse the stomach are of no use to people... And when the bad humors get out of hand in people, they sometimes form in them a foggy smoke...this spreads out in his intestines, sets the remaining pathogens in motion and does not allow the ingested food to enter the stomach through the correct, natural entrance or exit through the correct, natural exit...
Taking laxatives is quick and easier for the time being, but the cause of the poor to insufficient digestion was not taken into account. So it's better to use foods and spices that promote digestion and get to the root of the problem.