Flower essences have been around since the end of the nineteenth century and can help heal a number of emotional situations, such as fear, shock, jealousy, and even hatred. Perhaps the most influential person in the field of flower therapy was English physician Dr. Edward Bach, who came up with one of the first healing systems that utilized flower therapy. Thus, Bach Remedies was born - an alternative to traditional medicine that was simple, safe, and natural. If you find yourself drawn to flowers and want to increase happiness, acceptance, and self-esteem, these flower essences are worth looking into. Here are the flowers Bach used to heal his patients, what they can help with, and how to use them.
How to use flower essences + their history
Flower essences are extremely simple to use. They can be ingested via dotting a drop or two on the tongue, or adding two drops to a cup of water. To preserve them, you can add brandy, apple cider vinegar, or vegetable glycerin, but this is a completely optional step. Flower essences are completely safe to ingest because all the flowers used are non-toxic to humans. After all, flower essences are essentially made by using nothing but fresh petals, spring water, and sunlight. Fresh petals are put into spring water and left to soak in sunlight for at least three hours. This infuses the spring water with that flower's particular healing energy.
Bach put so much faith into these remedies that in 1930 he gave up his practice at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital (which was doing well, mind you) to work on these remedies. The reason he decided to stop his original practice was because he became sick in 1917 and found that traditional medicines were proving useless and ineffective. Thus, he moved to the countryside to devote his life to researching the healing properties of plants. He claimed to posses an 'intuition' for judging the properties of each flower, and thus his system was created. It's important to note there is no set time limit for treatment: Users can utilize flower essences for days, weeks, months, or in some cases, years. It depends on how much healing each individual person needs or desires.
Where to get flower essences
While you can certainly make your own flower essences, you can also purchase pre-made versions online. Many local Co-Ops have a large selection as well. Since Bach, more flower essences have been developed and are available for sale. Since this article mainly focuses on the Bach remedies, you can get the original Bach Flower Remedies here. Each individual flower essence costs approximately $18.95 and comes in a 20 ml dropper bottle.
Flower essences for happiness
These flower essences are good for easing despair, sadness, grief, and anger. If you feel down and out (for any reason, big or small), it might be wise to invest in these essences in particular.
Willow
Crab apple
Sweet chestnut
Wild rose
Olive
Elm
Larch
Mustard
Oak
Honeysuckle
White chestnut
Star of Bethlehem
Pine
Clematis
Flower essences for fears
Everyone has fears - why not ease them with flower essences? These are designed to give you the strength and courage you need to overcome your fears.
Red chestnut
Rock rose
Mimulus
Aspen
Cherry plum
Chestnut bud
Flower essences for self-assurance
Just made a blunder at work? Think you'll say something wrong on a first date? These flower essences will help give you that extra confidence boost you need to get you through the day.
Wild oat
Hornbeam
Holly
Walnut
Centaury
Agrimony
Gorse
Gentian
Cerato
Scleranthus
Flower essences for acceptance
It's not easy accepting things out of your control, but these essences will help you let go of unhealthy attachment. When you accept your situation as is, you can make better, more informed decisions as a whole.
Chicory
Water violet
Heather
Vine
Rock water
Beech
Impatiens
Disclaimer: There is no financial affiliation with the brand/products mentioned in this article.
