A Tool for Emotional and Energetic Balancing

Have you ever heard of Rescue Remedy, Flower Essences, or Bach Flower Remedies? I’ll bet some of you have, but most of you probably haven’t. This fact is fascinating because they have been around since the 1920s. All the “Old Remedies” that are still around, work. Have you noticed that? Epsom Salt baths for aches and sleep. Wet socks for a cold. Nordic traditions like saunas and cold dips. Tai chi, qigong, acupuncture, and traditional Chinese medicine for energy, balance, and so many other things. You get the idea. Well, Bach Flower Remedies fall into that category. They could even be called “counseling in a bottle, without the talking.”

So, what are they and how do they work? 

Bach Flower Remedies was discovered by a doctor from England who would walk the moors regularly, and his mind would wander with observations and questions like: “Wow that Oak tree is like a person who stands up, weathers the storm, and holds everyone else up while they do it, but when they crash, the world shakes.”

Another observation was the clematis and how beautiful and tall it would grow all from a tiny stem, and he would liken that to people who are not very grounded in the world. He went on to connect the dots with 37 plants and trees, and one observation of water going over rocks—how they are rigid and drawn to perfection but can also get worn down by that which is known as Rock Water. 

From his observations of those 38 things, he then started making homeopathic remedies, placing parts of the plants and trees in a dish with water in the sun. The energy of the plant infused the water and then he put that water into a brandy solution to create the homeopath of each remedy. To this day, these remedies are still based on that premise.

Homeopathic remedies work differently from allopathic remedies, like head medicine for example. If we want a result from head medicine, we will take more pills, or at least, that is the premise we understand. If we want a greater effect from a homeopathic remedy, we actually take less or dilute it more—at least for the Bach Flower Remedies. So once a remedy resonates with a person, they could take a dilution of the remedy or use it directly from the original bottle.

The way it is administered is from a medicine dropper. The typical dosage is 2 to 4 drops in a cup or 250 ml of water. Sometimes more than one remedy resonates, and it is advised to do no more than 10 single remedies at the same time. Some practitioners, or people using Bach Flower Remedies, regularly use 30 ml bottles to make treatment bottles, putting 2 drops of each remedy into the 30 ml bottle and filling it with either distilled or spring water. The typical dosage for this is again 2 to 4 drops per cup or 250 ml of water. With a treatment bottle, though, the impact can be faster because it has been diluted twice.

What can someone expect from taking a Bach Flower Remedy? Well if it is the right one (meaning it clearly identifies the true imbalance in the person), then they can experience a balancing effect sometimes within days or weeks. Some people experience just a gentle transition into the issue going away. Some people experience cold-like symptoms during that process, but the cold never manifests. Some people experience dreams that they remember which may range from “cleaning out the fridge” to very specific symbolic or actual processing of events related to the remedies being taken by the person. There are also times that other people notice the difference before the person taking the remedy does, depending on how self-aware the person taking the remedy is. 

What are some reasons to take Bach Flower Remedies? There are up to 38 different health and lifestyle problems that could benefit from taking Bach Flower Remedies. Dr. Bach described it as: “Life bangs our piano and Bach Flowers Remedies tune the piano.” So when experiences create emotions like grief, fear, impatience, bitterness, anger, jealousy, or when we need help with our boundaries, making decisions, a busy mind, and other aspects that show we are not operating in a state of ease, we can lean on these remedies for support.

They can also balance us if we have personality tendencies that are not always balanced, like being controlling or fearful of change, for example.

Are there any contraindications with Bach Flower Remedies? There is no chemistry in them to mix with medications, so they are safe for people on any medication. They are safe for all ages and even pets can benefit from them.

The only thing to be aware of is that brandy is the liquid the original Bach Flower Remedies are stored in, so someone who is a recovering or recovered alcoholic would want to use the children’s version, the gum, the cream, or the lozenges. They are a wonderful tool to add to any household for acute and chronic life events.