Because I’m using an emotional nutrition range in my practice, which are mixtures of flower essences and homeopathics, I have been getting asked questions about them – which is great!
People refer to them as Bach flowers, and this isn’t entirely correct.
Dr Edward Bach worked in England in the years 1930 to 1935 on his flower remedies and when he died in 1936, his system of 38 remedies in total were fully documented. These are the true Bach flower remedies. The most notable combination is Rescue Remedy which is widely used today in both humans and animals.
He began collecting plants and flowers – the most highly-developed part of a plant – in the hope of replacing nosodes with a series of gentler remedies. In his research, he matched a flower essence to a particular emotional state. Here are a few examples:
- Gentian – for discouragement after a setback
- Mimulus – fear of known things
- Vine – dominance and inflexibility
The Bach flower remedies should feature the Bach signature label (made in England) which looks like this:
The remedies are made by infusing the flowers in spring water, either by the sun-steeped method or by boiling. The remedies contain a grape-based brandy as a preservative and there are alcohol free versions which are preserved in glycerin made from sunflowers
Following on from Dr Bach’s work on flower essences, there are other flower essences that have been developed from flowers growing in other parts of the world. For example, there’s a whole range of essences extracted from Australian bush flowers.
So when people ask me about using flower essences, I remind them that there’s a difference between essential oils and flower essences and I also explain that not all flower essences are Bach flowers.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
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