Fruits recommended by Saint Hildegard:

Chestnuts : According to Hildegard, chestnuts are expecialy wonderful. « The fruit of the chestnut is useful against any weakness found in man.  Eat it often, both before and after meals: it is food for the brain, strengthens the nerves and helps get rid of headaches.   Chestnuts are a very warm-natured food and because of this, possess a great many qualities as they symbolize moderation  and are also useful against all types of weakness ».

Quince (to fight rheumatism)


Pears (cooked)


Dates: For healthy people only.  They bring one almost as strong a nourishment as does bread.  But it is very easy for them to make one asthmatic, and can give one a feeling of heaviness if too many are eaten.

Figs: (mainly for those who are ill)



Lemons (one should eat the fruit of this tree as it alleviates fever)


Almonds: May he who has an empty brain, bad facial coloration, or a headache eat the fruit of the almond tree often: it will fill his brain and give him a nice complexion”.  One can eat 5 to 10 almonds per day to strengthen the brain.  “He who has weak lungs and a feeble liver will eat almonds often, whether they be either raw or cooked: they fortify the lungs, do not dry you out but rather, strengthen you”.

FRUITS not recommended by saint Hildegard:

Strawberries: « They provoke bad humours in man: they are not good to eat for the sick nor for the healthy, as they grow too close to the surface of the ground and therefore grow in a putrid environment. »



Plums (unless they are soaked in wine)