Flower Essences

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to replace any medical treatment. It is offered here as a service. Use this information at your own risk. No guarantee is made towards validity. This is my personal belief on how Flower Essences works for me. (Lorraine V.)

Introduction to Flower Essences

by Andrea Putting N.D

Flower Essences

“The simple and natural method of healing through the personality, by means if wild flowers discovered by Dr Edward Bach. ”  P.M.Chancellor

Flower Essences are a lovely gentle therapy that heals at a deeply spiritual level. Working on your emotions and mental state, it can bring healing to all levels, just as Homoeopathy does. Flower Essences are very similar in theory to Homoeopathy and actually stemmed from Dr Bach’s study of Homoeopathy.

The main difference between the 2 therapies is in their preparation. Where Homoeopathy is prepared by crushing a substance, diluted and succussing, flower essences are made with a more gentle approach. The flower is picked at sunrise and placed in a glass bowl of pure water and left in the sun for the day. The essence of the flower is diffused into the water. Another method used, for more woody substances is boiling. The water becomes the remedy, the “stock”. The stock is then diluted down the same as with Homoeopathic remedies.

Healing in a simple yet powerful way, flower essences are neither harmful or habit forming. It was Bach’s ambition to create a healing system that was simple and easy to use. Although there are thousands of illnesses and probably as many different ways for each of them to be manifested, according to Bach, the reasons for illness stems back to just a few basic causes.

• Fear
• Uncertainty
• Insufficient interest in present circumstances
• Loneliness
• Oversensitivity of influence and ideas
• Despondency and despair
• Over care for the welfare of others.

Disease is caused by obstruction the free flow of the vital force throughout the four levels of being: Spiritual, Emotional, Mental/Intellectual and Physical. If this obstruction is allowed to continue, then disease can progress into all levels. So to truly restore harmony, treatment will need to occur on each level. The cause of the illness must be treated, not just symptoms.

Flower essences heal in many ways. They help to give clarity to one’s life, as well as courage, strength and commitment to follow and pursue one’s goals and dreams. They help develop a higher level of intuition, self esteem, spirituality, creativity and fun. The more you use flower essences, the more you are likely to experience greater awareness and happiness in your life.

The effect of essences has been described as similar to that of meditation, in that they enable the person to access the wisdom of the Higher Self. They help release negative beliefs that are held in the subconscious mind and allows the positive virtues, such as love, joy, faith, courage etc to coming into your being. When this happens the negative beliefs and thoughts are dissolved, balance is restored and true healing occurs.

There are many types of flower essences today. The first of course were the Bach Flower Essences, made with a range of English flowers. There are 38 Bach Flower essences. Obviously as there are thousands of different flowers and each having it’s own unique signature, more and more flower essences have been developed.

In Australia we have a vast range of native flowering plants. Currently there is 65 Australian Bush Flower Essences available. There are also hundreds of other essences from around the world that have been researched and developed. So wherever you live in the world, there is a range that is specific to your environment.

A brief overview of what emotions the Bach Flower Essences can help you with.

Agrimony - mental torture behind a cheerful face
Aspen - fear of unknown things
Beech - intolerance
Centaury - the inability to say 'no'
Cerato - lack of trust in one's own decisions
Cherry Plum - fear of the mind giving way
Chestnut Bud - failure to learn from mistakes
Chicory - selfish, possessive love
Clematis - dreaming of the future without working in the present
Crab Apple - the cleansing remedy, also for self-hatred
Elm - overwhelmed by responsibility
Gentian - discouragement after a setback
Gorse - hopelessness and despair
Heather - self-centredness and self-concern
Holly - hatred, envy and jealousy
Honeysuckle - living in the past
Hornbeam - procrastination, tiredness at the thought of doing something
Impatiens - impatience
Larch - lack of confidence
Mimulus - fear of known things
Mustard - deep gloom for no reason
Oak - the plodder who keeps going past the point of exhaustion
Olive - exhaustion following mental or physical effort
Pine - guilt
Red Chestnut - over-concern for the welfare of loved ones
Rock Rose - terror and fright
Rock Water - self-denial, rigidity and self-repression
Scleranthus - inability to choose between alternatives
Star of Bethlehem - shock
Sweet Chestnut - Extreme mental anguish, when everything has been tried and there is no light left
Vervain - over-enthusiasm
Vine - dominance and inflexibility
Walnut - protection from change and unwanted influences
Water Violet - pride and aloofness
White Chestnut - unwanted thoughts and mental arguments
Wild Oat - uncertainty over one's direction in life
Wild Rose - drifting, resignation, apathy
Willow - self-pity and resentment

About the Author

Andrea Putting N.D., Naturopath, Writer and creator/owner of several health sites including, http://www.naturopathsresourcefile.info. Explore the world of Natural Medicine, take your health into your own hands. Know how to be healthy and stay healthy. Covered in detail are nutrients, herbs, flower essences, homoeopathy and aromatherapy.

By Lorraine...

I've enjoyed using flower essences for several years - in the form of bach flower remedies. For myself, it has helped remove the trama of wounds as well as help ease emotional disturbances. Here are some of the remedies I've used and how they helped me.

• Rescue remedy: really helps remove trauma. (Not meant to take the place of medical treatment.) This is the one which gets used the most.
• Aspen: to help decrease vague anxiety/fears
• Elm: to help with feelings of inadequacy
• Impatiens: to help with patience
• Larch: for self confidence
• Olive: for mental & physical exhaustion
• Rock Water: to help one be less strict with themselves
• Star of Bethlehem: to ease grief, trauma, and loss.
• Sweet Chestnut: to help ease overwhelming grief and anguish.
• Oak: to help those who never give up
• Pine: to help decrease self criticism
• Walnut: to help with transitions

I use these remedies homeopathically. That is, I take a few drops in a glass of water and sip every few minutes as condition eases. I am NOT a practitioner of Flower Essences. However, I feel that using it in my life has made my environment much nicer.
Lorraine V.

You can find Bach Flower Essences at Vitamin Warehouse. They have a great selection and some pretty good prices.

Here is my list of useful Flower Essences books. They are listed in my favorite order. (In association with Amazon.com for quick, reliable service - and discount prices!)

• The Bach Flower Remedies: Including Heal Thyself, the Twelve Healers, the Bach Remedies Repertory by Edward Heal Thyself Bach (Editor), Edward Twelve Bach, F. J. Wheeler
  A great introduction to the use of Bach flower remedies.

• Bach Flower Massage by Daniele, Md. Lo Rito, Daniele Lo Rito, Danielle Lo Rito, Tami Calliope (Translator)
  Simple instructions and diagrams for treating all types of emotional states by massaging the body with Bach Flower essences.

Here are some other flower essences sites on the web:

• Elemental Energies carries 2 lines of flower and vibrational essences: Elemental Essences for empowerment of body, mind and soul, and Kootenay Flower Essences Combinations help deal with daily stressors.

• Australian Bush Flower Essences

• Flower Essences at PetSynergy.com

• Flower Essences: Gifts From the Flowers

• Anaflora flower essences and flower essence formulas made just for animals

• Star Flower Essences and Star Gemstone Essences