My only wish is that my old acquaintances may be respected again, at least by one class of people, the poor.” (Kneipp, 1902, p.384) Kneipp confesses that he had deliberated for a long time to introduce herbal remedies fearing that others may perceive them as stemming from his lack of confidence in hydrotherapy.Īs endeared to hydrotherapy as Kneipp was, he also recognized that not everyone would embrace cold water therapies as a therapeutic option. There is not one little herb or powder, which I have not myself tried and found good. In Kneipp’s own words: “For long years I have examined and experimented, dried and cut, boiled and tasted. The name, Kneipp, immediately conjures up an image of the Bavarian priest with his garden watering can administering the water gush, or perhaps water treading, or maybe walking barefoot on the grass early in the morning as part of the famous “Kneipp Cure.” Although we do not immediately associate herbs and herbal formulas with Sebastian Kneipp, when we look at Lust’s early publications, we soon realize that Kneipp’s influence upon Naturopathy is much broader than we may have imagined.

Although the principle author of the majority of the herbal articles found in Benedict Lust’s publications were written by Lust himself, Kneipp was intricately and abundantly interwoven throughout Lust’s publications. Indeed, researching the materials for the 8th book in the Hevert Collection, Herbs in Naturopathic Medicine, brought this fact to my attention strongly. Associating Father Sebastian Kneipp primarily with hydrotherapy, contemporary naturopathic physicians are not always aware that Kneipp played such an immense role in contributing to herbal medicine, one of the most important modalities in Naturopathy’s therapeutic foundation. We tend to think of herbs belonging to an earlier era. Herbal medicine, as we know it, has many origins that have slipped beyond our gaze. For one cup she takes as much of the dried herbs as she can hold with three fingers, pours boiling water into the little pan upon the tea leaves or blossoms, and lets it boil for some minutes, then she pours out the prepared tea.

Nearly all my teas, extracts, oils, and powders are prepared from medical herbs which are to be had for a trifle, and which our dear Lord has planted in our own garden, in the fields, many of them around our houses many on remote, unfrequented spots, so that we can gather them free of cost.Įvery mother knows how to prepare tea. Most of my medicinal herbs are easy to recognize and many people will doubtless have taken the trouble to furnish for themselves a sort of chemist’s shop containing the herbs they have personally collected.

Sussanna Czeranko, ND Nature Cure Clinical Pearls

The Herb Book by John B. Lust