Growing herbs and researching their uses was a traditional activity in the mediaeval monastic way of life. Sometimes this was essential to the very survival of a monastery since, for religious reasons, monasteries normally chose to be isolated from a social context.

Every monastery had a hortus sanitatis: a garden where medicinal herbs were cultivated under the direction of a monachus infirmarius, a monk with specific medical functions who had the task of treating the sick - both monks or pilgrims - based on information that he had received from books or from his own experience.

Each monastery used to cultivate all the species that could grow under the local environmental conditions; the other herbs required for the preparation of medicines were bought on the open market.

In this way, the monasteries became centres of organised healthcare, and were also concerned with researching new therapeutic solutions, primarily the preparation of new drugs.

The experiments carried out in these centres also made it possible to select herbs with different properties that were first dried, then put to macerate in alcohol, sometimes also distilled, and then, after filtration, were used as energizers and digestive drinks.

Since their foundation, the Camaldolese Monks have traditionally been very concerned with care of the sick and preparing remedies; they still produce infusions, liqueurs, creams and other herbal products according to their ancient recipes with that same care today.

Many products arising from this ancient tradition are today available in the Old Pharmacy of Fonte Avellana.