Introduction
The 38 Bach Flower Remedies are designed to gently ease emotional distress accumulated in the mind and body, which in turn effects the physical being. Each remedy relates to a different emotional state, which Bach believed correlated to the 38 emotions of the human spectrum.
Remedies are available in most health food stores and alternative dispensaries. A prescription is not needed. Dr. Bach intended for the remedies to be simple enough in diagnosis that anyone can prescribe them.
Who Was Dr. Edward Bach?
Dr. Edward Bach M.B., B.S., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., D.PH., was a physician and a homeopath. He spent majority of his life trying to find the purest method of healing. He was a strong believer in the mind playing a vital role in maintaining health and recovering from an illness. He recognized that negative moods affect a person's vitality thus diminishing a resistance to the disease. To regain the balance needed to battle the physical illness the negative state of mind must be replaced with its opposite virtue.
Dr. Bach was trained in the field of medicine and then became an advocate of homeopathy. He wanted to develop a healing method that laymen could use. He believed that medicine should come from plants that come directly from light, rather than medicines mined out of the darkness of chemical byproducts.
What is Bach´s System of Healing?
He developed a natural system based on 38 flower remedies, made from plants, bushes, or trees. Each of the 38 remedies correspond to a specific emotional and mental state. 37 of the 38 are based on single wild flowers or tree blossoms. The exception is Rock Water, which is made from the water of a natural spring.
The philosophy is that all people are unique and distinct and thus when treating an illness the personality and mood of the individual must be the center of focus and not disease or symptoms of the disease. Therefore two individuals can have the same illness and symptoms but depending on how each reacts to the disease will depend on which flower remedy should be taken. He believed that physical health depended on the way of thinking, feeling, and emotions, and thus remedies should be prescribed in accordance to emotional outlook, mood, or temperment. The effect of taking the remedies is not to suppress negative emotions but to transform them into positive ones. This stimulates one's own potential for self-healing by freeing the physical system of stress and tackling the condition head on.
The remedies focus on the emotional instabilities and give strength to support the patients fight against the disease by first battling the depression, anxiety, or trauma which can further impede on the physical being. They can also be taken preventatively at time of anxiety and stress, thus protecting the physical being from illness.
Bach believed that tension, stress, worry, or any emotionally based cause has a detrimental effect on the physical being. The longer the intervals of emotional upset the greater the strain on the physical being which can eventually lead to a breakdown.
Why Flowers?
Life derives its energy from the sun's energy. Plants gain direct or primary energy from the sun and thus it is the most concentrated form energy possible on this planet. Although all parts of the plant can be used in medicine, it is the flower, the sexual part of the flower, that is the shortest lived and most sensitive to light that has the greatest concentration of the essential energy.
Why Essences?
Liquids are the most sensitive carriers of vibrations. A dry flower would lose most of its vibrational energy. Since humans are primarily composed of water, the essences are best absorbed in their liquid form. As well the body does not have to breakdown the liquid, and is quickly and easily absorbed.
Precautions and Warnings
These remedies are harmless and it is not possible to overdose. If too much is taken, there will be no harm on the physical or emotional level. If an incorrect remedy is taken, there will be no effect on the mind or body. All the remedies are made from non-poisonous plants, however they are made with alcohol so those sensitive to the effects of alcohol should be cautious. The remedies are completely safe, have no side effects, and are non-addictive. The flowers are gentle, can be taken by people of all ages, by plants and even animals. The flower remedies can be taken in conjunction with other medical treatments be they conventional or alternative.
Pregnant women should not use flower essences due to the alcohol content.
The remedies are not to replace medical treatment. If symptoms persist or if the illness worsens then it is imperative to consult a medical practitioner immediately.
Although no direct side effects will occur as a result of Bach Flower Remedies, they may bring to surface suppressed emotions. Flower essences have the ability to release toxins held within the physical being resulting in rashes, blemishes, or nausea. If these symptoms persist discontinue use and consult a medical practitioner.
Treating Yourself, or Another
It is important to ask why certain individuals are sensitive to the situation and are suffering a reaction. It is vital that the individual as a whole is taken into account including lifestyle, personality, and emotional instabilities.
Ask yourself or your friend why the negative emotional state exists. Can the origin of feeling be isolated to a single cause? How does the person react to a physical disability? The ideology behind Bach Flower Remedies is to target the emotional aspect of illness and from this the physical will be cured. The exact symptoms to the emotional state must be targeted and this is the aspect that must be healed.
Treatment should be based on personality types, and in accordance to the individual outlook, mood, or temperment when facing a difficulty. Dr. Edward Bach believed that physical ill health was do to our mind state being confused, and thus it is the mind that must be treated before well being will return.
If an incorrect remedy is taken it will have no effect on the physical or emotional well being, the body will simply disregard the essence. Only remedies that can bring out a positive change will the body accept and use. Thus it is not harmful if one prescribes themselves an incorrect remedy. Change happens slowly, and once the individual notices that the negative state has subsided then use can be discontinued.
There are two distinctions in the remedies:
Type Remedies
The remedies describe the personality of the individual. Each person will respond to a situation in a variety of ways, but those with similar personalities should respond in a similar fashion.
Mood Remedies
The remedies describe the mind state, or the mood that is usually common to all regardless of personality types.
How are Bach Flower Remedies Made?
The remedies are made naturally by either a sun method or a boiling method. There is no technical equipment necessary to produce these therapies.
The remedies are still produced at the Bach Center, in Mount Vernon, England, under the same instructions that Dr. Bach himself used.
The Sun Method
Bach placed a flowering head in a small glass bowl and filled it with water. The bowl was left to absorb the sun's rays for 3 hours during which time the water developed the healing properties of the flower. The flower was then discarded, and the water now carries the medicinal property of the plant. The water was then preserved in brandy. This is called the mother tincture, and is how 20 of the 38 remedies are prepared to this day.
The Boiling Method
The other 18 remedies, mainly the trees, employ the boiling technique. Twigs filled with the flower are collected and boiled in spring water for half an hour and are then left to cool. The twigs and leaves are then discarded, and as with the sun method, it is the water that carries the medicinal properties. This is also called the mother tincture.
Dilution of the Mother Tincture
The mother tinctures are further diluted in quantities of brandy. This is called the stock solution. Even though it is a diluted form of the mother tincture it is nevertheless as concentrated as the original as it still needs to be further diluted before use.
A maximum of 6 remedies can be placed in a single treatment. Bach attempted to place a greater amount of flowers into a single concoction but found it to be ineffective. He continued to experiment with a varying amount of flower essences and concluded that anymore then 6 remedies would not be beneficial.
Preparing A Treatment
A 30mL bottle with dropper is needed, as well as mineral or spring water.
- Select the required remedies, up to a maximum of six, and place two drops of each into the 30mL bottle.
- Fill the rest of the bottle with spring water.
Your treatment is complete! Take 4 drops, 4 times daily.
NOTE: Genuine Bach Flower Remedies will contain the title "Bach Flower Remedies" on the bottle
In case of emergency or in acute forms of illnesses, the remedies can be taken directly from the stock solution. Place 2 drops in a glass of spring water, and drink.
The Remedy & The Philosophy
There is no physical part of the plant in the actual mother tincture, but the vital life force that was transferred from flower to water now contains the healing properties. This concept may be difficult to grasp as we often need to know the exact amounts contained in medicines, what their constituents are, and the exact effects on the physical being in order to believe medicine will work. An intangible idea such as energy may be a difficult concept to grasp, but it is the life force of the plant, and that energy that is part of everything, including humans, that is important.
The spirit of the plant is transferred to the water. It can not be measured, analyzed, or labeled, as often is the case with chemical drugs. These remedies exist and heal by unblocking channels in our mind, allowing positive thoughts to flow and displacing the negative emotions. This mind cleanse is the ultimate cure to all illnesses which in turn brings harmony and inner strength to our lives.
Remedies for Animals
To prescribe a remedy to an animal, the personality and the mood of the animal must be decided. Is the dog barking because he is afraid (Mimulus, Rock Rose), suspicious (Holly), dominant (Vine). Rescue Remedy can also be given in times of terror or shock, when going to the veterinarian, after an accident, or coming home from a fight.
Dosage
Place two drops in water; four if it using Rescue Remedy.
For larger animals, such as a horse, place 10 drops in a pail of water.
Remedies for Plants
The idea of treating a plant medicinally may seem odd and eccentric, but plants are living things with the vital life force and can also have negative emotional states. The mood of the plant can be interpreted from its physical appearance. Bach remedies are most often used to restore faith in plants after a repotting session.
Willow: Droopy leaves.
Gorse: Given up on life.
Crab Apple: Sign of disease.
Walnut / Star of Bethlehem / Rescue Remedy: Repotted plant
Add 10 drops to the watering can and water all the plants. Remember that Bach Flower Remedies will only help if needed and can not harm those that do not. Another option is to apply to the treatment to the individual plant's water.
Recommended Readings
The books listed below can be purchased at local book shops, or health food stores. You may also contact the Bach Centre to purchase publications, audio cassettes or videotapes by mail. The Centre also mails out newsletters three times a year, offers seminars, and practitioner training courses.
The Dr. Edward Bach Centre
Mount Vernon
Sotwell, Wallingford
Oxen, OX10 OPZ
Web: www.bachcentre.com
Tel.: 01491 834678
Fax: 01491 825022
Book Listings:
Archives of the Bach Center. The Original Writings of Edward Bach.
Bach, Edward. Heal Thyself.
Bach, Edward. The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies.
Ball, Stefan. Bach Flower Remedies for Men.
Chancellor, Philip M. Illustrated Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies.
Evans, Jane. An Introduction to the Benefits of the Bach Flower Remedies.
Harvey, Clare G. and Amanda Cochrane. The Encyclopedia of Flower Remedies.
Howard, Judy. Bach Flower Remedies for Women.
_______. Growing Up with Bach Flower Remedies.
_______. The Bach Flower Remedies Step by Step.
_______. The Story of Mount Vernon.
Hyne-Jones, T.W. Dictionary of the Bach Flower Remedies.
Mansfield, Peter. Alternative Health-Flower Remedies.
Weeks, Nora. The Medical Discoveries of Edward Bach.
Weeks, Nora and Victor Bullen. The Bach Flower Remedies: Illustrations and Preparations.
For More Information
For more information on specific Bach flower remedies, browse the listings in this section!
