Sunday, August 15, 2010

Healing From God's Herb Garden: Nuns Work With Pharmaceutical Experts

From FrankfurterRundschau via the Eponymous Flower:

 For many centuries Monastic medicine was the only hope for the sick -- today modern researchers are tapping the old knowledge.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOStiKvgt2H434Bd0_GaAAPSrzFdkTgRNoTc2KtyGQ8ZJcvG_s_tI8HIGKKfdK2JNQa_Q3qnV7t6wA_fSZPdbWZb77ys4S534CKnsrBCR3dgqc16C07hoH555DZG_tF7pQXWxrUPlZ2LM/s1600/yale.jpg.jpg

Plants from the herb book of Leonhart Fuchs from the year 1545. The representation is of high quality botanically speaking.

The powerful towers of the Church of St. Michael reach into the sky. They overlook the cloister garden of the Oberzeller Franciscans. Sister Leandra Ulsamer grows lavender, sage and hyssop. The herbs grow faster in the hot summer weeks than at other times so that the Franciscans have all their hands full to bring in the rich harvest.

"Primroses and lemon balm are ripe in the early part of the year for our herb trees", reported Sister Leandra. "We have harvested enormous quantities of St. John's Wort, mullen, peppermint and sage."

The Sisters started this garden 21 years ago with a small corner. They the sisters will plant the herbs for their evening tea. Today their herb garden in Oberzell by Wurzburg with around 100 different types of herb is one of the largest in Germany. "And every year we add four, five plants onto it," said Sister Leandra. Right now she has introduced the new fine leafed olive herb that helps with indigestion...

1 comment:

Cammie Novara said...

"The herbs grow faster in the hot summer weeks than at other times so that the Franciscans have all their hands full to bring in the rich harvest." Truer words you won't find on the internet. There's a really animated debate that I thought would be of interest on evolution vs. intelligent design going on at http://www.intelligentdesignfacts.com