St. Hildegard's Wine

The winter's coming and let's be honest - we do get lazy! When there is no sunshine and the night welcomes us at about 5 pm, we are more inclined to stay at home rather than go for a walk or jogging.

Lack of physical activity leads to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

However, there are many ways in which we can support our body and lead it to health. Natural remedies are a good step forwards.

This parsley wine is a universal cure against cardiovascular diseases. It improves blood circulation, fights viral infections and detoxifies and regenerates the body. It has been proven as an effective remedy for an array of heart deficiencies such as rheumatic heart pain, failings, heart pains caused by stress and depression and in rehabilitation after a heart attack.

The recipe was devised by St. Hildegard of Binchen who was a German writer, philosopher and Benedictine abbess. She writes that "Whoever suffers from pain in the heart, spleen or side, drink this wine often and it will heal him".

She also divided foods into two categories: "foods of sadness" which lead to illnesses and death, and "foods of joy" which reviatlise us and help preserve good health.

This wine is definitely the food of joy - it's got the green power of parsley and the intense heat of the spices. It will warm you up on a cold winter evening and make your blood flow faster through your veins. It will bring you to life!

Ingredients:

• a large handful of parsley
• 4 tablespoons hawthorn fruits
• 2 bottles dry white wine
• 2-3 tablespoons raw honey
• 5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cinnamon stick, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom pods
• 5 cloves

Preparation:

1. Wash the parsley and put in a pot.
2. Add the hawthorn, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Fill with the wine.
3. Put on the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
5. Drain and discard the parsley and the spices.
6. Add the apple cider vinegar and the honey and heat up again. Bring to the boil and then pour straight away into clean bottles.

Drink 2 tablespoons 2-3 times a day or add to any herbal tea of your choice.

Although the wine has medicinal use, it should be consumed responsibly and with health in mind.

The recipe comes from one of Stefania Korzawska's books.

Additional sources I used:
http://www.st-hildegard.com/en/divine-remedies/recipes/156-7-parsley-wine.html (Accessed on 11.11.14)
http://www.hildegarda.pl/zdrowie_en.php (Accessed on 11.11.14)