In our time, many Catholics are cautious about herbal medicine, fearing it may be something New Age or pagan. Or perhaps we think of it as “grandmother’s home remedies”—something people practiced when they couldn’t afford modern health care. And yet, by every measure, Americans are sicker with chronic diseases than our ancestors, generally in poorer health, and in recent years our life spans have begun to decline. We are moving in the wrong direction in terms of diet and lifestyle, and the myriad prescriptions and “well checks” seem to be doing us more harm than good. There has to be a better way…and there is!
While serious illnesses should certainly be attended to by a doctor, we can take care of ourselves and our families using the “old-fashioned” home remedies that have been tried and found true by hundreds of generations before us. Further, herbal medicine has a particularly Catholic history as well.
The early Church placed a priority on caring for the sick, and the medicine of the era was almost entirely comprised of medicinal plants. In fact, modern, chemical-based pharmaceuticals only replaced plant-based medicine in the last century. So, for the vast majority of human history, people used the plants God gave them for healing.
Jewish tradition states that the Archangel Raphael taught the descendants of Moses about medicinal herbs and their use. In the book of Tobit, we see him filling this role of healing and tradition in being the angel who “stirred” the healing waters in the pool of Siloam in the Gospels.
Regardless, Catholics in the first few centuries had access to vast resources of medicinal knowledge through Middle Eastern, Greek, and Roman traditions. The Benedictine Order especially embraced the role of care for the sick, and under the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, priests, monks, and nuns were charged with establishing gardens for medicinal herbs and hospitals throughout Christendom. By the Middle Ages, every medical school and hospital was a Catholic institution.
Catholics preserved traditional knowledge of herbal medicine and innovated in the field. The first herbal book written in the Christian era was by Abbot Walafrid Strabbo, tutor to Charlemagne’s grandchildren and one of the most important Christian authors of his time. Some 300 years later, St. Hildegard von Bingen would combine herbal medicine with Catholic spirituality to create a truly unique and powerful system of healing both body and soul.
Throughout the centuries, Catholics were at the forefront of medicine, disrupted only by the so-called Protestant “Reformation” and political movements that destroyed and secularized Catholic institutions. And, even when nations were passing laws codifying that only licensed doctors could practice medicine and only licensed pharmacists could dispense medicine, Catholic priests and monks came to our rescue again. Fathers Kneipp and Kunzel, Brother Aloysius, and a devout lay-woman, Maria Treben, ensured that this knowledge would not be lost, even in the face of Nazi and communist government regulation!
So, yes, Catholics may use herbal and home remedies without fear. Not only did God declare everything He made as “good,” but He gave us the ability to learn about and use these herbs. The Book of Sirach states plainly that the knowledge of the physician (an herbalist in that era) was God-given and to be respected. And not only that, but we have a rich Catholic tradition of herbal medicine.
So, the next time you or a family member come down with a cold or sore throat, maybe you don’t have to wait hours in a crowded waiting room to spend 5 minutes with a doctor, or buy medication from a drug store that could damage your liver. You can open our book, drink a simple cup of herbal tea, say a prayer, and, in the words of St. Hildegard, “If God wills it, the patient will be healed.”
Author’s Note: In our book, Herbs that Heal: Catholic Home Remedies to Forage and Grow, we present the Catholic tradition of herbal medicine in a practical way. We call it “kitchen medicine.” We list common ailments that can be addressed at home (and often should be), give you a few easily sourced herbs that can help, and give instructions on how to use them. Many of these herbs you may have in your kitchen cabinet or growing in your backyard right now! Whether you are a complete beginner, or an experienced herbalist, we believe you will find this book very useful. It is also a good read—we mix in history, stories of saints, gardening advice and a good bit of humor!
Photo by Lisa Hobbs on Unsplash
