HERBS Medicinal herbs Earth Religion Education Spirituality

Healing plants in religions

Interfaith project with traveling exhibition, publication, and conceptual ideas

The HERBS BOOKLET available for download

For several years now, gardens of religions have been created in many German cities on the basis of municipal interfaith engagement (e.g., Karlsruhe, Cologne, Wuppertal, etc.). They aim to encourage interfaith encounters and at the same time educate people about environmental ethics, but they also want to be places of relaxation and spirituality. Medicinal herbs are usually given little consideration in this context. The present project aims to focus on the connection between plants and healing powers as a kind of anthropological beginning of 'homo religiosus', who seeks salvation and healing. Many sacred texts in religions speak of medicinal plants and combine creation theologies and/or nature spiritualities to help people in illness and distress or to alleviate their suffering.

However, the topic of herb gardens is also highly relevant in light of the rapidly advancing climate crisis, which is accompanied by the decline of insects and birds and thus an immense loss of biodiversity. In this respect, the present project idea not only aims to appeal to people's enthusiasm for herbal medicine, flowering gardens, historical-religious texts, and interreligious exploration, but also to inform and motivate them to cultivate and care for herbs in their own home gardens or balcony plantings. With little effort, we can enjoy the beauty and health-promoting effects of medicinal herbs while also contributing to the promotion of biodiversity.

The interfaith environmental project 'HERBS' (Medicinal Herbs – Earth – Religion – Education – Spirituality) was carried out from 2023 to 2025 with funding from the Dr. Buhmann Foundation as part of the projects of Religions for Peace Germany. An interfaith group worked together from the perspectives of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism to identify areas where connections can be valuable for interfaith education work.

HERBS was conceived as an exhibition featuring five large-format 

Posters designed as roll-ups.

The exhibition can be borrowed for a donation at . We can send you the roll-ups, the exhibition guide, and seed packets with the Religions for Peace logo. We also include an illustrated handout with practical ideas for educational work with the exhibition.

HERBS is therefore intended as a transfer project: from science to society and from botany to plant and environmental ethics. For this reason, the project idea should be implemented and continued in a practical manner by initiating offers for educators, teachers, and other educational actors for interdisciplinary teaching in religion/biology/history, but also by carrying out school projects with excursions. Through open workshops and seminars on the connection between interreligious traditions and cultures with a focus on herbal medicine, the history and tradition of monastery and herb gardens, the production of simple herbal remedies, as well as ointments, creams, soaps, and other foods (baking herbal breads, making herbal butter, etc.), the present exhibition can be expanded in an appealing and context-related manner. There are many starting points here that will meet with broad interest and inspiration.

The published brochure on the project, with contributions from all project participants on two medicinal herbs and their religious backgrounds, can be downloaded here as a free PDF. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to borrow our exhibition or invite the project participants as speakers and/or are looking for concept ideas for your request or event.

We would like to expand the project to include other religions and beliefs in the future and look forward to your participation and contact.