Dorothea von Solms-Lich

Sample recipe

Dorothea's recipe books and other copied works were well-regarded due to both her medical knowledge and appealing penmanship. Her penmanship was considered to have exceptional form; making books during this time period was a long process, requiring patience, money, and practice.

Example recipe: Plague treatment recipes [Summer 1572]

2 handfuls chopped licorice

2 handfuls senna leaves

1 handful hart's tongue

1 handful spike lavender

2 good handfuls bog bean flowers, very good for this illness

2 handfuls pulverized juniper berries

1 handful scurvy weed

1 handful yellow lily root, chopped finely

1 handful gray cress

1 handful mint

1 handful sage leaves and one-half mab honey

1 handful hyssop

Relationships

Dorothea's relationship with Anne of Denmark, Electress of Saxony was a noteworthy partnership. The two elite women are commonly known for their extensive experimentation with medical remedies Letters reveal this close relationship, and highlight that the two women in addition to creating medical recipes together, practiced other skills and visited often Anna of Saxony was the wife of a politician, and this relationship helped Dorothea financial situation immensely. Dorothea acted as a mentor and assistant to Anna, in turn Anna helped Dorothea's recipes live on by passing them on to her children and sharing them long after Dorothea's death. Both noblewomen possessed their own personal distillation houses and gardens in which they grew the necessary herbs to create their medical remedies.

Dorothea's medical facility was very impressive at the time, and deserving of a detailed description in a book by Cyriacus Spangenber Spangenber talked highly of Dorothea's garden, library, and heavily stocked apothecary. Many of Dorothea's recipes were referenced in medical recipe books and she extended her medical expertise to German princes and other male medical professionals. Additionally, Anna of Saxony notes that Dorothea passed her medical knowledge on to a small group of female medical healers that included Dorothea of Schönberg, Anna of Hohenlohe, Agnes of Solms, and Magdlena of Mansfeld This group of women commonly visited Mansfeld Castle and referred to Dorothea as the "mother of Mansfeld" Medicine was often viewed as a feminine practice, therefore creating medical recipes was an acceptable activity for these noblewomen.

Another noteworthy relationship Dorothea had was with Martin Luther. Martin Luther had the best care available to him, yet he sought out the medical advice of Dorothea. By the time of her death, her medical practices were widely known throughout Germany.