St. Hildegard’s Horehound Soup

A Traditional Hildegardian Preparation for Throat and Sinus Season

Horehound, white wine, water, and a little butter or cream. You probably wouldn’t guess that these few simple ingredients make one of the more intriguing preparations St. Hildegard of Bingen left for us.

Horehound Soup, made with white horehound (Marrubium vulgare), is traditionally used in Hildegardian practice during times of discomfort involving the throat, tonsils, larynx, and sinuses. It is also one of my own go-to Hildegardian preparations whenever someone in our family is struggling with excess mucus and congestion in the respiratory tract.

What Does St. Hildegard Say About Horehound?

St. Hildegard gives us a remarkably simple preparation for horehound:

“If someone has trouble with the throat, let them boil horehound in water and then strain it. To the decoction, add twice as much wine. Then boil it again in a vessel, adding some fat, and drink it often for relief.”

This simplicity is characteristic of so many of Hildegard’s preparations: few ingredients, uncomplicated methods, and foods and herbs that for centuries could be found in the home or garden.

Interestingly, Hildegard does not simply recommend drinking horehound tea. She instructs us first to boil the herb in water and strain it, then add twice as much wine, followed by some fat.

This finished preparation is what we know today as Horehound Soup.

Horehound — A Bitter Herb

White horehound (Marrubium vulgare) belongs to the mint family and has a very distinctive, intensely bitter flavor.

Its history of use goes back much further than St. Hildegard. Horehound has a long tradition in European herbalism, particularly in preparations associated with the respiratory and digestive systems. The European Medicines Agency recognizes its traditional use as an expectorant for cough associated with a cold and for the relief of mild symptoms of indigestion.

The name Marrubium has traditionally been associated with the Hebrew marrob, meaning “bitter juice.” Once you taste horehound, it is easy to understand why!

Horehound Soup in Hildegardian Practice

Modern Hildegardian specialists traditionally recommend this preparation particularly during times of discomfort involving the throat, tonsils, larynx, and paranasal sinuses.

For me, however, this isn't simply an interesting recipe found in an old herbal text.

One of our longtime customers, Kathy, has relied on this preparation for years. She shared with me:

“The cure I have used all these years and recommend to so many is her cure for sinus problems...with the horehound, white wine, and cream. Works every time! No antibiotics!!”

Of course, this is Kathy's personal experience and not a promise that everyone will have the same results. But I love hearing stories like hers, especially from people who have been incorporating St. Hildegard's recommendations into their lives for many years.

Horehound Soup is also one of my own go-to Hildegardian preparations whenever someone in our family is struggling with excess mucus and congestion in the respiratory tract.

How to Make St. Hildegard’s Horehound Soup

The recipe is surprisingly simple.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dried white horehound (Marrubium vulgare)
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups white wine
• 1 tablespoon butter or cream

Directions

Place 1 tablespoon of dried horehound into 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.

Strain out the herb, reserving the horehound decoction.

Add 2 cups of white wine to the decoction, following Hildegard's instruction to use twice as much wine.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter or cream.

Return everything to the stove and bring the mixture to a strong boil once again. Remove from the heat.

Suggested Traditional Use

Drink ¼ cup of the warm soup twice a day for a minimum of 7 days.

Store the remaining soup in the refrigerator and gently warm only the amount needed before drinking.

Why Does Hildegard Add Fat?

This is one of the details I find particularly interesting about Hildegard's recipe.

She doesn't tell us simply to boil horehound with wine. She specifically instructs us to add fat to the preparation. In our version, we use either butter or cream.

We shouldn't assume we know exactly why Hildegard considered this combination important. But it is a good reminder that when following her original preparations, the details matter. Rather than reducing the recipe to “horehound tea,” prepare it as she describes it: water, wine, horehound, and fat.

Why Not Grow Your Own Horehound?

If you enjoy growing herbs, perhaps horehound deserves a place in your garden.

There is something particularly satisfying about learning to recognize a plant, watching it grow, harvesting it, and knowing how to turn it into a simple preparation when you need it.

It also brings us a little closer to something that would have been completely natural in Hildegard's world: knowing the plants around us, understanding when to harvest them, and learning how to prepare simple remedies at home.

We don't need to know hundreds of herbs to begin.

We can start with a few.

Perhaps horehound will be one of them. 🌿

Watch How to Make Horehound Soup

If you've never prepared it before, I also made a short video showing the entire process step by step—from boiling the horehound in water, to adding the wine and butter or cream, to the finished soup.

It is one of those Hildegardian recipes that can sound rather unusual when you first read it.

Horehound, wine, and cream...a soup?

But once you see how it is prepared, you'll realize just how simple it really is.

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Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational purposes and describes historical and traditional Hildegardian uses of herbs and preparations. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and should not replace professional medical advice