An interview with Herbalist Petra Sramko of Saint Hildegard Plants.
I asked Petra what first drew her to Saint Hildegard of Bingen.
She said remembers being in her parent’s weekend stone cottage. It’s situated the rural countryside of Slovenia, 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.
She declares, that “I must honestly say that I love Hildegard. From an herbalist’s point-of-view she is the one that specifies the plant as itself, as it is.” Hildegard specifies the energy of the plant, then she describes it and its impact on human health. And she follows that up with recipes. Petra says, “If someone is sick and you know their symptoms, you can then pair them with the right remedy from Hildegard. They take the remedy and gain their health back.” Petra admits, “I’ve tested it many times. There’s only one reason why they wouldn’t get healthy again. That’s only the case when God doesn’t want them to get healthy.” That’s something that St. Hildegard emphasized and is in her books.
Hildegard is very specific on how she writes about the healing plants. Petra loves this aspect, “It’s straight to the point and the remedies work wonders.” She admits that some patients resort to pills to get better, and they might in fact regain their health. But that you can achieve a more long-term effect with herbal remedies. Hildegard seeks to address all parts of the person: their personality, spirit, way of life, and way of living. She adds, “It’s basically a slow way of treating someone to regain health. And that for me is a journey through which a person can grow.”
Hildegard’s popularity is more widespread in Germany than elsewhere. It’s possible to get a certificate in natural remedies and provide her treatments there. Petra hasn’t found that option available in other parts of Europe yet. This medieval German saint still holds influence within her home country very well.
Petra applauds the certification, “Germany is very special in this sense. I would say it’s aimed to anybody who would like to treat the patient with nontraditional medicine. It could be any type of treatment that can help bring the patient’s health back.” She says, “It’s using nature to our advantage. Nature is there for us so we should also be there for nature. Kind of respect it. Love it the way it deserves. Not to destroy everything around us.”
As with Hildegard, Petra says each body has a capacity to be healthy and to stay healthy. If we get sick, it might not just be physical, but also spiritual, or in the way we are living or leading our lives. Our bodies warn us that we are doing something wrong, but it also has the capacity to heal itself.
Unfortunately, some of Hildegard’s writings are only available in German. Petra admits that reading Hildegard is difficult, via translations, also because it’s in a language from the medieval times.
And that’s why Petra says she created her healing foods course,
“Because I thought, let’s get the people interested in the healthy foods that Hildegard’s describing. Let’s create simple foods that people can cook, enjoy, and improve their health. You need to eat every day to have energy for life. So why not support your health with wise choices, by knowing about the healing qualities of the food and what’s good for you.”
It can be difficult to find some of Hildegard’s recipe ingredients, either if out of season or not locally grown. But that’s the joy in it, says Petra, “That’s life with Hildegard. You sometimes have to kind of experiment and find your ways around it.”
Petra concludes, “Health is about what you eat, how you eat it, your environment, the people around you, and your way of life. So this is Hildegard!”
Note: Using natural remedies while taking medications requires close doctor supervision and approval.
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