Saint Hildegard of Bingen was a German Benedictine Abbess, who lived in Medieval times from 1098 to 1179. She was already an accomplished student at age 18 when she entered the Benedictine Order and was heralded through her life as a writer, composer, visionary, pharmacist and philosopher.

I came to know of Saint Hildegarde one holiday in the Languedoc region of France, when we visited the medieval walled town of Aigues Morte. In this cutest of villages, set amidst drained marshland on the Rhône Delta, there nestled a very quaint tea shop tucked away in a cobbled laneway, that just begged me to pay a visit.

Hildegarde, the owner, named her little tea shop, Salon de Thè de Hildegarde (please excuse any French errors here) in memory of Saint Hildegarde.

Hildegarde the owner, was faithful to the Medieval tisanes made from herbs and spices that were available in the Medieval times. So, it was with excitement that I sipped a number of the tisanes on offer while tucking into some delicious Medieval sweets.

Here are a couple of my favourite from Hildegarde’s tea shop. Why not pick the herbs from your garden, raid the pantry spice shelf and make yourself a herbal cuppa too?

For each of these herbal tisanes, allow them to steep in the pot about 5 minutes to develop the flavour fully.

Sorcerer’s Remedy

Green Fennel Leaf, rosemary, mint, licorice root, thyme, sage, basil, cinnamon stick (1 per pot)

Hildegarde’s Secret

Galangal root, oregano, cloves, Ethiopian pepper, cinnamon stick, rose petals