Flower Remedies
What Are Bach Flower Remedies?
They are a system of 38 gentle yet effective plant essences made by extracting the healing life force of each plant into pure spring water. The plant matter is then discarded, and the water is preserved with grape alcohol, glycerine, or cider vinegar. This blend becomes one of the flower remedies we see in shops.
The remedies do not contain any plant matter, which aligns them more to homeopathic than herbal or orthodox medicines.
Just for clarity, the words 'remedy' and 'essence' are interchangeable. Both words mean the same in flower vibration medicine.
Where Did Flower Remedies Come From?
Flower remedies have been in use since ancient Egyptian times. This particular set of remedies was devised by a Harley Street doctor, Dr Edward Bach, in the 1920’s and 30’s. He used his medical and homeopathic expertise to create the remedies over a number of years.
What Do Flower Remedies Do?
The remedies gently re-tune our emotions that may have gone out of balance for any reason. They work with the whole personality, and frame of mind, rather than specific physical symptoms. They work via your emotional energies, helping you to feel more balanced and encouraging your body to kickstart its own healing abilities.
Every possible emotion is catered for with the remedies. Here are some of the things they can help with:
Stress & Exhaustion
Anxiety & Phobias
Depression & Despair
Low Self-Esteem
Heartbreak
Procrastination
Jealousy & Anger
Grief & Shock
Loneliness
Guilt & Self-Blame
Overwhelm & Hopelessness.
How Do Flower Remedies Work?
The remedies work on a vibrational level, in a slightly similar way to reiki, homeopathy and sound therapy.
Here's the way I like to explain they way the remedies work with us...
Imagine a piano.
All the piano keys are intact, both the black and the white ones.
It can still function as a piano, but it's a bit out of tune and the music it's designed to make doesn't sound as beautiful as it usually does.
The piano tuner is called and they arrive with their tuning forks.
After discovering which notes are out of tune, the piano tuner uses the sound of the tuning forks to help re-tune the piano.
Soon, the notes sound back in balance and the piano can make the beautiful music it was designed to make.
This is also how the remedies work:
We're living each day - playing our usual 'emotion music soundtrack'...
For all kinds of reasons, our soundtrack suddenly sounds a bit out of tune...
(At this point it might be enough to do a quick tune-up and take a mood remedy...)
Although many of us just continue playing our now out of tune 'emotional soundtrack' instead...
Eventually, our 'emotional soundtrack' is so out of tune that we don't even recognise the notes anymore.
This is where the remedies come in as our emotional tuning forks...
Within a few days of taking a remedy blend, our 'emotional music' is sounding more in tune again.
We can carry on living our lives, sometimes with even better 'emotional music clarity' than before!
I often compare the different remedies to different tuning forks that a pianist would use to re-tune his piano. Each remedy has its own vibration, which will 're-tune' the out of balance emotion, bringing it back into balance.
Each remedy is an energetic imprint of that particular plant. There is no plant matter in any of the remedies, just the energy signature of the plant. It's this energetic signature, or 'tuning fork' that works with the body to rebalance any emotional difficulties.
How to prepare the remedies for passing moods:
Choose the remedy or remedies that you feel will help relieve your current emotional state. (it's more effective to only choose 1, 2 or 3 remedies for a 'mood remedy')
Add 2 drops of each remedy (4 drops if you're using Rescue remedy) to your chosen drink and take regular sips until the drink is finished.
To get the full benefit of your Mood Remedy, make sure you finish the drink.
You can keep making and drinking your chosen mood remedy until you feel better.
How to prepare the remedies for longer-term use:
Fill a spotlessly clean 30ml dropper bottle with approximately 30ml of spring or mineral water.
Add 2 drops of each of your chosen remedies (up to a maximum of 7 remedies).
You can add a teaspoon of preservative if you want to (brandy, cider vinegar or glycerin).
Take 4 drops on your tongue, or in a drink, 4 times a day
Continue this dosage until you feel you don't need the remedy anymore.
How Do I Take Flower Remedies?
Bach Flower Remedies are very easy to use. They can be taken in any kind of drink, in food and even applied to the skin. You can take them for passing moods or for long term needs.
Choosing Your Remedies
There are 38 remedies in the Bach Flower system, which often feels overwhelming if you're trying to choose the one/s you need.
Almost everyone who is new to the flower remedies looks at the list and says;
"I need them all, I can't possibly choose!"
I totally understand!
I've written a blog post to suggest some ways to make the decisions easier.
I've also written another post with all the FAQs about the Bach Flower Remedies, in case you've still got unanswered questions.
You might decide to read both blog posts first or you might prefer to have a look at the list of remedies and see what you're drawn to.
Agrimony: Hiding inner torment behind a cheerful mask, using food or substances to suppress your feelings, teeth grinding, sensitive, avoiding silence, fear of your feelings overwhelming you.
Aspen: A sense of foreboding, fear, unnamed fears, sudden anxiety, trembling, super-sensitive, nightmares, too psychically open, environments can bombard you with energies, feeling of doom, Highly Sensitive People.
Beech: Finding others intolerable, deep-seated anger against being bullied/abused, feelings are blocked,
criticising others, intolerance is your shield against being hurt.
Centaury: Cannot say no, giving too much of yourself, being taken advantage of, submissive, exhausted, will not do things for yourself, neglect your own needs.
Cerato: Always asking for reassurance or advice, gathering knowledge but will not share it, do not trust your intuition, questioning everything you think.
*Cherry Plum: Scared of losing control, fear of panicking, fear of losing your mind, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, obsessions, bed wetting, suicidal feelings, tantrums, hysteria, violent outbursts.
Chestnut Bud: Keep making the same mistakes or repeating unhealthy patterns, not learning from experience, cannot focus, stuck in a repeating loop in life.
Chicory: Terrified of losing family’s love, scared of being abandoned, ‘the needy child’ behaviour, was taught that love is only gained by demanding it, felt very unloved as a child, can need to be controlling.
*Clematis: Dreamy, extra-creative, ungrounded, living in the future to avoid the present, feeling dizzy, retreating to an innerfantasy world, forgetfulness, disconnecting from the world increasingly as time goes on.
Crab Apple: Feeling unclean, feeling contaminated, feeling unattractive, perfectionism, drained by demands of healing, obsessive compulsive behaviours, the need to scrub ‘the self’ clean inside and out.
Elm: Taking on too much responsibility, self-esteem and identity rooted solely in ‘taking responsibility,’ sudden loss of ability to cope, loss of perspective, forgetting responsibility to The Self, overwhelmed.
Gentian: Doubt about everything, discouraged, disappointed by setbacks, pessimistic, doubting potential for success, needing something to worry about, recurring health issues.
Gorse: Lost hope, depressed, despairing, needs “sunshine in a bottle,” facing long term illnesses, pale face with dark under eye shadows, feeling defeated, feel as though you have lost hope.
Heather: Desperate for love and security, hate being alone, strong need to talk about your problems and ailments, your inner child is desperately lonely, finding it hard to listen because you feel so desperate to talk.
Holly: A wounded heart, fearful that loving will lead to being hurt, fiery anger/ rage, hatred, jealousy, envy, the need for revenge, suspicion and mistrust of people, inflamed reactions, feeling eaten up inside.
Honeysuckle: Yearning for the past, disliking growing older, bereaved, avoiding the present by living in the past, yearning for the old days, re-living good and bad memories, homesickness, disliking change, cannot let go.
Hornbeam: Facing the same tasks every day, feeling stuck in a rut, avoiding the to-do list, procrastinating, tired at the mere thought of work, the “Monday Morning” feeling, needing to ‘galvanise’ with caffeine or sugar to get going.
*Impatiens: Impatient, accident-prone, tense, agitated, finding others too slow, tantrums, restless, mind is thinking too fast, fidgety, demanding, feeling it is quicker to do a task yourself than wait for others.
Larch: Low self-confidence, living with the brakes on, expecting to fail, seeing only limitations, not feeling bold enough to plunge in, missing opportunities through lack of confidence, being half-hearted.
Mimulus: Fear from an identifiable source, phobias, shyness, introversion, stammering, blushing, anxiety about life, disliking bright lights and loud noises, social anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person.
Mustard: Sudden visible depression or gloom that comes and goes for no obvious reason, depression turning inward, unable to hide your severe mood changes.
Oak: Totally exhausted but keeping going regardless, feeling as though there is no time to attend to the self, scared of being dependent on anyone, never asking for help, ignoring your body’s signals of impending burnout.
Olive: Exhausted, relying solely on physical energy but ignoring your need to recharge, wanting to be left alone to rest, not honouring your body’s needs, trying to recover after a prolonged illness, drained from over-working, wiped out.
Pine: Guilt, taking blame for everything, apologising for existing, finding fault in yourself, setting yourself impossibly high standards, ‘survivor’s guilt,’ never feeling good enough.
Red Chestnut: Over-concern for safety of loved ones, irrational fear of disease, issues with weaning, ‘empty nest syndrome,’ immediately assuming the worst has happened, often passing your fear onto family members.
*Rock Rose: Terror, dealing with a sudden shock, nightmares, feeling scared to death, panic, having panic attacks, feeling like bad news was a blow to the stomach, depleted energy resources.
Rock Water: Cannot connect to others, have learned to be 100% self-sufficient, feeling inflexible, severe with yourself, rigid views, high standards, internal harsh criticism, severe perfectionism, cannot accept yourself.
Scleranthus: Cannot decide between two options, mood swings, mind / conversations bouncing everywhere, all or nothing behaviour, travel sickness, will not discuss indecision, indecision becoming distressing.
*Star of Bethlehem: Grief (old and new), the effects of shock and trauma, unable to self-heal, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, bereavement, flashbacks, long terms effects of shock or grief are still manifesting.
Sweet Chestnut: Deepest despair, all hope seems lost, feeling utterly depressed but not always suicidal, the dark
night of the soul, hitting rock bottom, feeling bereft and desolate, depression that physically hurts.
Vervain: Zealous, extra-enthusiastic, sometimes fanatical, living on your nerves, revolutionist tendencies, can reach burnout, expressing extremely strong values and opinions, needing to convince and galvanise others.
Vine: Appearing very self-assured, thriving in a crisis, displaying authority over others, having very fixed opinions, commanding others just by a glance, finding it easy to intimidate others, being a dominant leader, seeming severe.
Walnut: Heavily affected by others, struggling with change, drained by energetic links to others, feeling under the spell of something, feeling lost, needing support with a transition, needing protection from unwanted influences.
Water Violet: Finding it difficult to connect to people, seeming aloof, struggling with socialising, spending time alone,feeling isolated, preferring to withdraw and disconnect from others rather than criticising them, seeming distant, living behind a veil.
White Chestnut: Constant or regular unwanted thoughts, obsessive thinking, thoughts are on a loop, critical inner voice issues, teeth grinding, replaying arguments over and over, cannot think straight, exhausted.
Wild Oat: Struggling to choose between options, unsure of life path, midlife crisis, life seems unsatisfying, feeling lost, a lost soul, drifting from job to job or friend to friend, needing to find their passion.
Wild Rose: Apathy, disconnecting from life, cannot be bothered, resigned to your fate, feels like life has no purpose, feeling flat, disliking change, have no purpose or motivation, life feels grey.
Willow: Feeling as though life is not being fair, feeling victimised, inner bitterness and resentment smouldering away, dwelling on problems that eat away at the self, feeling neglected, craving love and attention.
* These five remedies make up Rescue Remedy which can be used when someone is experiencing shock, panic attacks, anxiety, nerves, or trauma. (Other brands are known as Crisis Blend or Five Flower Remedy)
The Remedies For Emotional Support
Bach Flower Remedies for Magical Use
Using the Bach flower remedies in your magical work is a beautiful and powerful way of using plant magic. If you'd like some ideas to get you started, here are some of the ways I like to work with them;
Add to potions as well as or instead of the physical plant
Feeding altars or spells
Anoint objects or self before, during or after magical work
Add to offerings for ancestors or deities
Add to inks being used for writing or painting
Add to food or drink used before or after a magical working
Add to crafting materials such as clay when you're making magical objects
Generally speaking, you only need a few drops of a remedy for it to bring its energy to a working. Two drops is the usual starting point but feel free to follow your intuition on the dosage for each situation.
I've created a list of the ways each remedy can be used for different magical purposes. The more you work with a remedy, the more you will find a unique connection with it. You may find a certain remedy will call you to work with it or you can use this list to give you a starting point.
The most important thing is that you follow your intuition and build your own relationships with the remedies you use. Plant magic is such a personal path, so this list is more for guidance as you explore this incredible world of remedy magic! Have fun!
The Remedies for Magical Use
Agrimony
Abundance
Space clearing magic
Opens doors to opportunities
Awakens senses for working with the plant kingdom
Confidence magic
Truth-telling magic
Connecting to nature
Shape-shifting magic
Aspen
Closing psychic connections that are stuck open
Anti-anxiety magic
Centaury
Staying true to your magical path
Cerato
Connecting to intuition
Strengthening magical ability
Cherry Plum
Calming the effects of too much magic being cast
Chicory
Invisibility spells
Enhances third eye magic
Divination
Protective of Highly Sensitive People during magical workings
LGBTQIA+ magic
Clematis
Protection
Safe travel
Grounding spells
Lightworker magic for grounding and cleansing
Crab Apple
Cleansing and clearing magic
Gorse
Hex breaking
Protective
Calling in protective spirits
Money magic
Resilience and endurance
Solar magic
Samhain magic
Drawing any darkness out
Heather
Weather magic
Ancestral magic
Luck
The Cailleach
'Phoenix from the flames' magic
Holly
Hex breaking
Protection
Self-care magic
Healing magic
Winter Solstice spells
Honeysuckle
Faithfulness
Liminal space magic
Mustard
Disrupts baneful magic sent your way
Oak
Strength
Justice spells
Spirit of place magic
Fertility magic
Used in wards to protect
Courage spells
Divine Masculine
Seeking wisdom
Healing magic
Ancestor magic
Olive
Solar magic
Life purpose
Renewal
Sacred consecration and blessings
Clearing of heavy energies
Healing magic
Star of Bethlehem
Connecting to the Divine Feminine
Used in devotionals and offering to the Divine Feminine
Neutralising magical energies
Wild Rose
Spiritual evolution
Divine feminine
Love
Healing
Deeper soul path work
Protector of the vulnerable
Glamour magic
Prophecy dreams
Sacred anointing and consecration work
Vervain
Social justice
Third eye magic
Used to anoint items that are worn when seeking justice
Summer Solstice magic
Spell-boosting
Connecting to higher energies
Vine
Anti-bullying magic
Walnut
Travel spells
Protective
Cord-cutting
Spell-breaking
Defensive magic
Boundary spells
Fertility magic
Love magic
Marriage magic
Ancestral magic
Used as an offering to the ancestors
Resilience spells
Willow
Connecting to underworld deities
Death Doula work
Used to help recovery after clearing hexes
Divination