Overview
Back Flower remedies or flower essences were developed by Dr. Edward Bach in the 30s. He was a general practitioner, and bacteriologist, and worked with vaccines and homeopathic remedies. He gave up his practice to dedicate himself to the development of a new natural healing path that now bears his name.
There are people who consider flower therapy as belonging to the holistic healing system, being part of herbalism, but the truth is that Dr. Bach’s work is different, because the flower essences are so diluted that they do not act on a biological substrate, but rather on a model of vibration and energy.
Doctor Bach was disillusioned when he saw the adverse effects of medicines and directed his research towards the healing power of plants. He believed that disease was the result of a mental or emotional imbalance and that the unique energetic properties of plants could be used to correct this imbalance and restore “the whole.” Using the homeopathic law of potentiation, he believed that the healing effects of plants could be contained in small quantities.
The remedies work on the premise that they contain certain aspects of the plant’s energy, which modify the patient’s energy field and through this the patients end up being able to integrate their emotions.
How to use floral remedies
Floral remedies and essences are liquid preparations created by boiling certain parts of plants in spring water or by placing the flowers on a surface with spring water and leaving them to infuse in the heat of the sun for a period of time. After this process, this water is preserved in wine distillate. Bach Flower Remedies are mainly made from plants found in Great Britain. The remedies are made for self-help, although there are many doctors who prescribe them. The remedies are sold in a concentrated form and the method used is to place the drops directly on the tongue or by diluting them in liquid.
The essences are administered by placing 2-4 drops on or under the tongue, or adding two drops to a glass of spring water and drinking the water throughout the day. Up to seven remedies can be used together, and they have proven effective in the case of children, where subjectivity can be denied to a certain degree. It has no toxic effects and does not interact with other drugs.
38 Bach remedies and their indications
Dr. Bach identified and developed through observation 38 remedies corresponding to negative moods and different states of mind. He also developed a compound of five plants called an emergency remedy that can be used in emergency situations or for trauma.
The 38 remedies are divided into seven traditional groups, based on the emotional difficulties being treated. These groups are: fear, insecurity, insufficient interest in the present circumstances, loneliness, hypersensitivity, dependence and despair, and excessive concern for the good of those around.
The emergency remedy, which is a combination of five herbs, is not included in these groups and is therefore described separately.
|
Bach remedy |
Indications |
| Agrimonia or Turita mare | For people who hide their problems behind a cheerful face and avoid facing them; they may overuse food, drugs, alcohol or work excessively to avoid life’s problems. When the person hides his problems behind a happy face and drowns the pain and worries in alcohol and drugs, this person can benefit from the agrimonia treatment. This remedy can also help to accept the dark side of people’s life and personality in everyday life. |
| The poplar | For nervousness without reason and general anxiety. Fears and worries for unknown reasons. Waking up at night, nightmares. |
| phage | For people who are critical and intolerant towards others and who need to understand and have compassion, to see that each person works for his own destiny. |
| Dyeing | For those who have a weak will, they are servants. Lovely people who find it hard to say “no” and in doing so become exploited due to their very delicate nature. |
| Cerato | For people who doubt their own judgment, constantly seek the confirmation and advice of those around them. When the person constantly lacks confidence in their own judgment and in the decisions they make, and constantly turns to other people for advice and guidance. |
| Corcod | For the fear of losing control in a certain way, for uncontrolled, irrational thoughts. When the person fears that he will lose control and do something terrible or is tormented by irrational thoughts, corcodus can be beneficial. It can also be useful for people who have already lost control. |
| Edible chestnut buds | For those who repeat the same mistakes in life and fail to learn from their own experiences. When the person fails to learn from the lessons of life and repeats the mistakes without learning the essence of the lesson. |
| chicory | For people who cling to others, they are possessive or overprotective of their loved ones. When the person is possessive of the love of those around them and demands that the affection be mutual, while the person likes control and thus prevents the development of other people. |
| Clematis | For people who are dreamy, with their heads in the clouds, absent and who lack concentration. When the person spends the most time in fantasies and dreams, without being properly rooted in everyday reality and they think more about future successes and another reality than spending time fulfilling these dreams, then clematis is suitable for they. |
| Cranberry | For people who despise themselves and who are ashamed of their appearance or who they are. When the person suffers because he feels unclean, stained or poisonous, and despises certain aspects of his appearance or personality, and has a tendency towards obsessive behavior. |
| elm | For people who are generally responsible, but are overwhelmed by too many activities. When a person is overloaded with work or has to face enormous tasks, and suffers from low self-confidence or is afraid of failure, in conditions where, in general, that person is responsible and successful. |
| Gentian | For those who doubt themselves and are easily discouraged. When things go wrong and the person feels disappointed because of this and when the small incidents of life seem like insurmountable obstacles. |
| Wild barley | For feelings of hopelessness and despair. When the person thinks that nothing can go well and no encouragement is useful, and when they have a feeling of insecurity and hopelessness. |
| Black grass | For overly talkative people who can focus too much on their own problems or experiences, due to loneliness. When the person needs someone to be around them all the time and to listen to their problems, illnesses or worries. |
| Ilice | For suspicious, envious, hating and jealous people. When a person feels hatred, envy, jealousy, suspicion and has strong negative feelings towards others, they can benefit from this herb to encourage openness and a sense of generosity. |
| Honeysuckle | For people who live more in the past than in the present. When the person lives in the past or suffers from homesickness or nostalgia, honeysuckle can be beneficial and help the person live in the present and accept that the past will never return. |
| Hornbeam | For procrastination and fatigue, just thinking about the work a person has to do. If the person feels exhausted before starting work and thinks he would feel better if he quit, but once he started the worry disappears. |
| The growth of the house | For impatience and irritability, it often helps those who think quickly and who find it difficult to work together with others. When the person is very impatient, frustrated and irritable, the remedy from houseplant flowers can help them to be less hasty and more relaxed and patient with those around them. |
| Larita | For lack of self-confidence, feelings of inferiority to others and fear of failure. When the person lacks confidence and feels that he is not as good as others and for this reason it is better not to do anything but to fail, then larita can help him to move forward, to take the necessary risks and start to live without considering that he has failed. |
| Crete | For known fears; also for shy or shy people. People who have fears that I can name – such as fear of dogs, poverty, the dark, public speaking and also phobias such as snakes, birds, and spiders (along with the stone rose); in these situations, the person can benefit from watercress, which can also help very shy, shy or nervous people in general. |
| Wild mustard | For deep melancholy that occurs for unknown reasons. When the black clouds of melancholy and depression seem to gather, when things are generally good and positive and despair seems to make its way around the person for no apparent reason. |
| Oaktree | For people who are generally strong and fight even when they are tired and should rest. People who want to surpass themselves, even under great stress and who exceed the point of exhaustion, and stubbornly refuse to rest, oak can be beneficial to keep in shape and not give in under pressure; it can also help them achieve wisdom and balance. |
| Olive tree | For people exhausted by long periods of stress or illness and who are no longer able to continue their daily tasks. When the person is exhausted by mental or physical effort, or even by an illness, the olive can help them regain their sense of strength, pleasure and confidence to continue. |
| pin | For those who blame themselves even for the mistakes of others. This is a remedy for people who blame themselves for everything: even though they have done everything they could, they still believe they could have done more, thus developing feelings of guilt, self-reproach and the inability to accept themselves, which can lead to to despair. |
| Red Chestnut | For those who fear for the good of those around them, especially for their loved ones. When the natural care for the close ones – children, wife, husband, mother, father is taken out of context and becomes fear, and the person begins to overcompensate this by undermining the self-confidence of the person for whom he feels concern, the red chestnut is suitable to help to transform anxious thoughts into a tower of power. |
| The stone rose | For extreme feelings of fear and terror. When the person’s fear turns into terror and the mental state of panic makes thoughts and decisions impossible, the stone rose can be beneficial. |
| Spring water | For people who have high personal standards and who can be somewhat rigid in behavior ( diet, exercises, ethics, etc.). When someone seeks perfection in himself and takes this to the extreme, thus setting high goals and being harsh with himself if he fails to follow his own rules, then spring water can be beneficial. It will not cause a decrease of high ideals, but it can help to eliminate the excess so that the person is more lenient with himself. |
| Wild corn | For insecurity and indecision in front of two options; also for fluctuating mood. If a person constantly cannot decide and cannot bear the responsibility of the decision, then this remedy can be helpful. |
| Star of Bethlehem | For the effects of serious news, pain or loss. When a person has gone through a shock, whether it is bad news or an unwanted event, this remedy can be used and can also help in the case of the death or departure of a loved one. |
| Sweet chestnut | For anxiety and anguish; for the broken heart and despair. When the person experiences the dark side of the soul, where the unbearable emptiness is found and cannot find a way out of problems, and has reached the maximum limit of endurance, then this remedy can help regain strength. |
| Verbena | For very enthusiastic and idealistic people. If the person is driven by fanaticism in the cause he serves, verbena can help him relax a little, thus giving the body and mind a break. |
| Vita of life | For people who have a lot of will and are assertive, who can dominate or be aggressive towards those around them. When a person is always capable and always right and imposes his own will on others with a tyrannical attitude, then vita-de-vie can be beneficial to help the person become more delicate in guiding others, without resorting to force. |
| walnut | For protection from the influences of others or the environment, for adaptation to change. When the unsolicited opinions of others or external influence begin to have an impact on the person’s destiny, the walnut can be helpful. It is a good remedy if it is used in transitional periods such as going to school, during puberty, after marriage, or retirement, when it can help to better adapt to the new situation. |
| The swamp violin | For people who feel better alone and who end up keeping to one side, isolated or alone. When self-reliance becomes excessive and the person distances himself from those around him, and becomes distant and proud, it can make him cease contact with the outside world and in this way become lonely. |
| The white chestnut | For persistent thoughts that do not disappear and mental arguments that disturb peace of mind or sleep. When the person is invaded by persistent unwanted thoughts and inner worries that lead nowhere, and they are not able to focus on the situation at hand, then the white chestnut can be valuable in solving problems calmly and rationally. |
| Wild rose | For feelings of apathy, resignation and boredom. If a person does not even struggle with daily worries and accepts what life offers him without trying to improve his situation, then the Wild Rose can be beneficial. It can help the person get rid of apathy and gain a sense of purpose in life, with happiness and joy as a bonus. |
| Willow | For feelings of bitterness, self-pity and resentment. When a person constantly complains about his life, even when it is good and resents those who are more fortunate and has bitter resentment and a general lack of satisfaction in life, willow can help. It can help the person get rid of resentment, and self-pity and encourage him to regain his optimism and faith. |
| The emergency remedy | Emergency formula, for everyday stressful situations. It can be used in crisis situations, for a limited period, in the most critical moments. That’s why the emergency remedy only offers a temporary solution to problems. |
The seven emotional categories
Doctor Bach believes that negative emotions are the main cause of diseases and classified emotions into seven large categories. These seven categories were then divided into 38 negative emotions. Each negative emotion is associated with a certain plant.
1. Fear
Terror and nightmares ;
Known fears and shyness;
Uncontrolled mania and impulsivity ;
Vague fear;
Excessive fear for the good of family and friends.
2. Insecurity
Lack of confidence in making decisions;
Indecision and mood changes;
Past hesitations and disappointments;
Despair and lack of hope;
Fatigue ;
Lack of satisfaction and motivation.
3. Lack of interest in the present circumstances
Lack of concentration;
Nostalgia and homesickness;
Apathy and resignation;
Lack of vitality and exhaustion;
Worrying;
Melancholy ;
Failure to learn from mistakes.
4. Loneliness
Indifference and reserves;
impatience;
Self-obsession, excessive self-concern, and excessive desire for company.
5. Excessive sensitivity
Hidden problems;
Anxiety to please;
Transition periods;
Negative feelings such as hatred and envy.
6. Despair
Lack of self-confidence ;
Guilt and self-reproach;
Overwhelming sense of responsibility;
Unbearable fear;
Shock and pain ;
Resentment and bitterness;
Loss of fighting power;
Feelings of shame and impurity.
7. Excessive concern for the good of those around
Possessiveness, selfishness, self-pity, and overprotection towards others;
Criticism and intolerance ;
Self-denial and narrow-mindedness;
The dictatorial and merciless presence.