Remedies from flowers are subtle elixirs that have the reputation of being able to balance the mental and emotional state as well as the physical.

Some claim to ease feelings of Anxiety, Guilt or Anger, and they aim to help people feel calm in times of stress, and strong in the face of adversity, feeling or emotion.

History

Doctor Edward Bach created this system of healing in the 1930s. Like Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, Bach was a medical doctor, a specialist in bacteriology, who had become disillusioned with what medical science had to offer. He became increasingly interested in the homeopathic principle of like curing like, and especially in the idea of treating people holistically. Bach felt that disease had its origins in our emotional or mental state, and that only the end results showed in our physical. Bodies. He said that it was “our fears or cares, our anxieties and such like that opens the path to the invasion of illness”. He experimented with the extracts of flowers. His instincts led him to observe that the healing qualities of flowers were exhibited in their colours, shapes, textures and growth patterns. For example the Oak often used as a symbol of strength and constancy. This tree suggested to Bach a strong reliable type who could be dependable and uncomplaining. His instincts became so refined that he could place a flower in his hand or on his tongue and experience its healing effects on both the mind and the body. He found that many people fell into distinctive personality types and that a flower essence could be found to match particular traits of character. He devised a system of seven major emotional groups under which people could be classified: Fearful, Uncertain, Indifferent, Lonely, Easily influenced, Despairing, and Over Concerned for the Welfare of Others, and he characterised thirty eight negative states of mind within these groups. Bach used his knowledge of homeopathic medicine to formulate a plant or flower extract to use in treating these emotional states.

Preparation

The way in which the flower essences are prepared does have some similarities to the preparation of Homeopathic remedies in that they are considered to be acting on a dynamic or energetic plane, but they are not wholly similar in that they are not succussed (a process used in homeopathy that shakes the remedy to further enhance its dynamic properties). Dr Bach discovered that the early morning dew on the plants, which had been exposed to sunlight, had absorbed the essence of that flower far better than one that was growing in the shade. Therefore one method of making a flower remedy is to float the flower heads on clear spring water into which their medicinal properties are transferred during exposure to sunlight. The potentised water is then fixed in mixed proportions with brandy, which acts as a preservative, and decanted into glass bottles.

The flower concentrates will keep for an indefinite period of time, they can be taken by anybody of any age, and there are no contra-indications or side effects. The Bach remedies can be taken one at a time or can be given in a combination of up to five flower essence together. The best known combination of Bach flower essences is in the mixture known as rescue remedy. Dr Bach combined five of the flower remedies to formulate this preparation which is to be used in times of shock or distress. He is reputed to have saved a fisherman's life with it in 1930. Its purpose is to treat the post emotional effect that shock can have on the system. The Rescue remedy is comprised of Star of Bethlehem, Rock Rose, Impatiens, Cherry Plum and Clematis

The flower essences are usually taken by putting a few drops of the remedy or remedies of choice into a glass of mineral water and sipping it slowly throughout the day. This can be continued for a few days or even a few weeks until a positive change is experienced. Alternatively the drops of the chosen remedy can be dropped directly onto the tongue, and taken as often as needed. The remedy should be held in the mouth for a moment or so before swallowing to ensure that the full effect is gained.

Since the development of the Bach Flower Remedies, a good number of other pioneering souls have used the same concept to develop other flower essences, using flowers and plants from all over the world. These include the Australian Bush Flower Essences, Alaskan Essences, Findhorn Essences, Californian Flower Essences.