Physica (Book of Simple Medicine)
In nine books Hildegard describes plants, the elements, trees, stones, fish, birds, land animals, reptiles and metals, noting for each its warm or cold, moist or dry quality and its use or danger for human health. More than two hundred plants open the work, many under their German names, with remedies, foods and warnings.
Understanding the text
Written around 1150–1158, the Physica formed together with Causae et curae a single book on the subtleties of the natures of created things, later divided in the course of transmission. The surviving manuscripts are all later than her lifetime and differ in content and order; the first printed edition appeared at Strasbourg in 1533, and many of the plants remain hard to identify.
Key points
- 01
Qualities
Every creature is described by its balance of warm, cold, moist and dry, the framework through which it can heal or harm the human body.
- 02
Vernacular knowledge
German names of plants, fish and animals appear beside the Latin, recording monastic and local knowledge of gardens, forests and rivers along the Rhine.
- 03
Made to serve
The preface recalls that all the elements served the first human being, so every plant, stone and animal is described for the good or harm it brings to people.
Explore the ideas in depth
Nature and healing
Explore how the Physica classifies plants, stones and animals by their qualities and links knowledge of nature to the care of body and soul.
Situating the text
Written around 1150–1158, the Physica formed together with Causae et curae a single book on the subtleties of the natures of created things, later divided in the course of transmission. The surviving manuscripts are all later than her lifetime and differ in content and order; the first printed edition appeared at Strasbourg in 1533, and many of the plants remain hard to identify. In nine books Hildegard describes plants, the elements, trees, stones, fish, birds, land animals, reptiles and metals, noting for each its warm or cold, moist or dry quality and its use or danger for human health. More than two hundred plants open the work, many under their German names, with remedies, foods and warnings.
Following the arguments
Qualities : Every creature is described by its balance of warm, cold, moist and dry, the framework through which it can heal or harm the human body. Vernacular knowledge : German names of plants, fish and animals appear beside the Latin, recording monastic and local knowledge of gardens, forests and rivers along the Rhine. Made to serve : The preface recalls that all the elements served the first human being, so every plant, stone and animal is described for the good or harm it brings to people.
Continuing the reading
Start with the preface and a dozen chapters of Book I on plants, then compare a chapter on stones from Book IV, reading the remedies as historical testimony rather than medical advice. Written around 1150–1158, the Physica formed together with Causae et curae a single book on the subtleties of the natures of created things, later divided in the course of transmission. The surviving manuscripts are all later than her lifetime and differ in content and order; the first printed edition appeared at Strasbourg in 1533, and many of the plants remain hard to identify.
Questions to carry into your reading
- What does describing a plant as warm or cold, moist or dry allow Hildegard to explain about health and illness?
- Where does the Physica record practical, local knowledge, and where does it read nature morally or symbolically?
For Hildegard, knowing nature means knowing how it bears on human beings, but her remedies are historical testimony, not medical guidance.
How to read it
Start with the preface and a dozen chapters of Book I on plants, then compare a chapter on stones from Book IV, reading the remedies as historical testimony rather than medical advice.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method →