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Saint Hildegard’s Plants and Foods Are Good For You
An interview with Herbalist Petra Sramko of Saint Hildegard Plants.
I asked Petra what first drew her to Saint Hildegard of Bingen.
She said she remembers being in her parent’s weekend stone cottage. It’s situated in the countryside of Slovakia, where her great-grandparents were born. She described the moment, “I was sitting in the kitchen, reading books about healing plants. One was from a German herbalist who mentioned Hildegard. Petra’s first thought was, “How could someone from the 11th century know this? That a heart elixir made of parsley and red wine could treat the illness of the heart?” That idea struck and stuck with her even though she later set the book aside.
But then about 17 years ago Petra’s mind went back to that elixir. She remembered, “I was basically looking for that remedy and I found it again. And that’s the reason I started to study Hildegard’s recipes.”
Petra’s academic studies began in Germany with a very intense four-day training. By that time, she had already studied Hildegard through several books. Her studies continued in Austria for one year of intense training. The curriculum included Hildegard’s healing plants, healing stones, spirituality, and more.
