Monastic medicine

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The monastery medicine is a naturopathic treatment that traditional knowledge from the era of monastic medicine with modern herbal medicine combines. It also contains elements of order and nutrition therapy as well as spiritual approaches.

Historical background

For a period of about 400 years, from the 8th to the 12th century, medical care in Europe was almost exclusively in the hands of nuns and monks. With the advent of the first medical universities such as the School of Salerno , the slow decline of monastic medicine began. During the Reformation and later through the secularization from 1802 many monasteries were closed. Before that, the monastery pharmacies had once again experienced a pharmaceutical boom in the 17th and 18th centuries. The old healing knowledge, which was mainly based on humoral pathology , was forgotten in the 19th century by the medical cell theory founded by Rudolf Virchow .

Many writings from the time of monastery medicine were not scientifically developed until the second half of the 20th century, but some central works have not yet been examined in more detail. The curative writings of Hildegard von Bingen known today , the Physica and Causae et curae , were translated and edited by Friedrich Anton Reuss, Charles Victor Daremberg , Julius Berendes and Heinrich Schipperges , among others, from the middle of the 19th century . However, they only achieved a broad impact that they did not have in the Middle Ages with the so-called " Hildegard Medicine " developed by Gottfried Hertzka in 1970 . The Lorsch Pharmacopoeia , which has been listed in the World Document Heritage since 2013 , was extensively researched around 1990 at the University of Würzburg . The Macer floridus , the most popular work of monastery medicine, was only available in 2001 in a complete, New High German version. In the following years, again in Würzburg, the medicinal plant indications by Hildegard von Bingen and Leonhart Fuchs were compared with the current state of research.

Renaissance of monastic medicine

Early attempts to preserve and modernize the healing knowledge of the monks and nuns began as early as the 19th century. The well-known priest Sebastian Kneipp , however, encountered bitter resistance from secular pharmacists and was sentenced to a fine in 1853 for "violating the courier ban". Pastor Johann Künzle worked in Switzerland . While Kneipp based his medicine on the five pillars of naturopathy (see Kneipp medicine ), Künzle limited himself almost exclusively to herbal medicine . In Bielefeld, the tea and spice trader Oskar Sarhage, who was well versed in medicine, sold products under the brand name Abtei from 1897 , which were based on the recipes of a friend of his friars. In the middle of the 20th century, herbal medicine was further developed by the doctor and botanist Rudolf Fritz Weiss from empirical medicine to a scientific discipline, phytotherapy. Weiss also edited the writings of Kneipp and Künzle and reissued them. Due to the success of Hertzka's Hildegard medicine and the increasing scientific research into medieval texts, a renaissance of monastic medicine began at the end of the 20th century. From 1978 onwards, Commission E also produced monographs on 378 drugs and drug preparations, since in 1976 herbal medicine was included in the German Medicines Act . The doctor and television presenter Antje-Katrin Kühnemann published her book Secrets of Monastery Medicine in 1986 . It relied on computer analyzes of historical therapy proposals based on the herbal ingredients by the Institute for Pharmaceutical Biology at the University of Munich . Hildebert Wagner, the head of the institute, was quoted as follows:

"80 percent of the therapy suggestions were correct: At that time medicinal herbs were prescribed that actually contain, for example, active ingredients that inhibit cell growth."

In 2002 the first edition of the Handbook of Monastic Medicine was published , in which the Würzburg Research Group Monastery Medicine , founded in 1999, was able to access all of the monographs of Commission E. Co-author Bernhard Uehleke was previously a member of this commission. In addition, significantly more mediaeval sources were now available, and Johannes Gottfried Mayer , another author of the book, was instrumental in researching them. The manual had a circulation of 200,000 copies by 2009 and has been translated into several Eastern European languages. Uehleke on the success of the book:

“There is now an enormous interest in traditional systems beyond the natural sciences. Many people are tired of constantly being confronted with new scientific results. "

Initially ridiculed by rational phytotherapy and sometimes criticized, research has shown that "a considerable part of today's herbal medicine goes back to the [time of] monastery medicine". Even today, "popular applications" can be found in Hager's handbook , which are demonstrably based on Macer floridus in the case of mugwort, wild boar, garlic or nettle .

At the Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Graz , under the direction of Professor Theodor Kartnig, around 200 plants were examined in 2003 that were used by monasteries in Carinthia and Styria . Of these plants only about half was in German pharmacopoeia included and the German pharmaceutical codex. A more detailed study of various plants was suggested.

Areas of application and plants

While phytotherapy also works with industrially manufactured finished medicinal products, dried plants are mainly used in monastery medicine. Typical dosage forms are herbal wines and teas ( boiled or as cold extracts), pressed plant juices, extracts and tinctures, plant powders, poultices and dressings as well as baths and inhalations.

In the relevant literature, around 100 different medicinal plants are named, most of which overlap. Usually peppermint , Passiflora incarnata , garden gourd and large nasturtium are also listed, which did not exist in the Middle Ages or were at least not yet known in Europe. Some of the plants mentioned, such as horehound , galangal and lemon , all of which played a major role in Hildegard von Bingen's work, are rather unknown today. The indicated indications largely correspond to the standard phytotherapeutic works published by Max Wichtl ( tea drugs and phytopharmaceuticals ) and Heinz Schilcher ( guidelines for phytotherapy ) and thus also the renowned monographs of Commission E, ESCOP and WHO .

The areas in which monastery medicine can still be used medically today include in particular:

field of use used drugs
Respiratory diseases Common thyme , chamomile , lime blossom , elderflower , willow bark , Andornkraut , garden sage
Psyche and nerves Valerian , hops , lemon balm leaves , Lavandula angustifolia , St John's wort
Cycle Common hawthorn , motherwort , real valerian , rosemary , mustard seeds , birch
Stomach and intestines Common sage , marshmallow root , clove , bloodroot rootstock , parsley , artichoke leaves , caraway , ginger
Kidneys and bladder Birch , greater nettle , field horsetail , parsley , lovage root , common dandelion
skin Rosemary water , calendula , real aloe , buckwheat herb , chamomile flowers , white cabbage leaves , evening primrose oil
Wound healing Plantain leaves , marigold , chamomile blossoms , field horsetail , thyme , arnica
Musculoskeletal system Big nettle , African devil's claw , arnica , hay flowers , common juniper , willow bark

In addition to the medical and pharmaceutical care of the sick, prevention has always been a concern of monastic medicine. Even in the Middle Ages, this included proper nutrition and an ideal lifestyle.

education

There is no state-recognized training in monastic medicine in Germany. However, it is possible to complete further training recognized by the medical and pharmacists ' chambers and rewarded with further training points. The European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) , in cooperation with the Center for European Monastic Medicine Gut Aich, will offer a course for students of cultural studies and complementary medicine from 2014.

Modern literature (chronological selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Monastery Medicine , Research Group Monastery Medicine
  2. ↑ Mayer et al. 2004, p. 6f.
  3. ^ Anton Lichtenauer: Monastic medicine - a treasure that is still to be found. In: Rudolf Walter (Ed.): Health from monasteries. Herder Verlag , Freiburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-451-00546-6 , p. 30ff.
  4. ↑ Tobias Niedenthal: How the healing art came into the monasteries. In: Rudolf Walter (Ed.): Health from monasteries. Herder Verlag , Freiburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-451-00546-6 , p. 6.
  5. ↑ Bölinger et al. 2007, p. 14.
  6. ↑ Mayer et al. 2013, p. 29.
  7. ↑ Niedenthal 2013, p. 7.
  8. ↑ Mayer et al. 2013, p. 25.
  9. ↑ see Mayer-Nicolai 2010.
  10. ↑ Company portrait : Abbey - Natural Medicine. ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Handelsblatt @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.handelsblatt.com
  11. ↑ Scharnagl 2005, p. 14.
  12. ↑ Mayer et al. 2013, p. 31.
  13. ↑ Kühnemann 1987, p. 10.
  14. ↑ Kühnemann 1987, p. 10.
  15. ↑ Jewels of monastic medicine. In: Ärzte-Zeitung , December 30, 2002.
  16. ↑ Martin Paetsch: MEDICINAL PRODUCTS: Wound ointment from sheep dung . In: Der Spiegel . No. 38 , 2000 ( online - 18 September 2000 ).
  17. ^ Monastery medicine: Researching ancient healing knowledge at the University of Würzburg. ( Memento from December 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In: Medicine-Aspects , October 2009.
  18. ↑ Mayer et al. 2013, p. 32.
  19. ↑ Samiha Shafy: MEDICINE: God-fearful poisoners . In: Der Spiegel . No. 12 , 2010 ( online - March 22, 2010 ).
  20. ↑ Johannes Gottfried Mayer, Konrad Goehl: Herbal Book of Monastery Medicine. Reprint-Verlag Leipzig 2013, ISBN 978-3-8262-3057-8 , p. 35.
  21. ^ Monastery medicine as an object of modern medicinal plant research. ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Theodor Kartnig at a symposium of the Federal Ministry for Health and Women on May 5, 2006. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kulturleben.at
  22. ↑ Krista Federspiel, Vera Herbst: The Other Medicine. Stiftung Warentest, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-937880-08-9 , p. 43.
  23. ↑ Kühnemann 1987, p. 114ff.
  24. ↑ all information according to Kühnemann 1987, Bölinger et al. 2007 and Mayer et al. 2013.
  25. ^ Kilian Saum, Johannes Gottfried Mayer, Alex Witasek: Healing power of monastery nutrition. ZS-Verlag Zabert Sandmann, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-89883-161-1 , p. 6f.
  26. ↑ Norman Foster: Feasting behind monastery walls. The unknown [!] Sources of European culinary art, with 111 recipes from the monastery kitchen. Translated from the American by Sibylle Nabel-Foster, Hamburg 1979.
  27. ^ Training in monastery medicine and phytotherapy in the monastery medicine research group
  28. ↑ University course "Basics and Practice of Monastic Medicine"