Lilium candidum, sacred to the Virgin Mary and to the saints, is often seen in medieval representations of Paradise. It was also a humble medicinal. Hildegard describes lilies as more cold than warm. She recommends pounding a lily bulb with old lard and heating the mixture in a metal vessel. This ointment was to be used to anoint sufferers from “white leprosy,” and would effect a cure. Sufferers from “red leprosy” would benefit from the same treatment.