Flower Remedies

Consider This Therapy For
The flower extracts recommended in this form of therapy are intended to relieve various unwanted, counterproductive emotional states. Advocates say that diminishing these negative emotions can, in turn, remedy any physical symptoms the emotions may have fostered.
   Although many physicians would agree that emotional stress can contribute to illness, the effect of flower remedies on emotions has never undergone formal clinical trials, and there is no scientific proof that the remedies have any therapeutic value.

How the Treatments are Done
The extracts used in this form of therapy are extremely diluted solutions produced from 38 different blooms. The so-called "mother tinctures" are made by either floating the blossoms in water for a number of hours or boiling them for half an hour. Each tincture is preserved by mixing it 50/50 with full-strength, 80 proof brandy. Drops of this mixture are diluted in additional brandy and bottled for personal use. Before ingesting, patients are advised to further dilute the remedy by putting two drops in a 30-milliliter (1-ounce) dropper bottle and filling it with mineral water. The bottle should be refrigerated.
   The entire set of remedies is intended as a self-help system simple enough to use without professional advice. Manufacturers provide self-administered questionnaires to aid in the selection of the proper flowers, each of which is thought to correspond to an emotional or psychological state. Users are advised to ignore any overt illness, instead asking themselves how they feel and what emotions they are experiencing, since the remedies are intended to treat psychological states, not physical disease. Remedies can be combined, but no more than six or seven should be used at once.
   The problems that the remedies purport to relieve range from fear of the unknown to intolerance. Here's a complete list.
Agrimony...mental torture behind a cheerful face
Aspen...fear of unknown things
Beech...intolerance
Centaury...the inability to say "no"
Cerato...lack of trust in one's own decisions
Cherry Plum...fear of the mind giving way
Chestnut Bud...failure to learn from mistakes
Chicory...selfish, possessive love
Clematis...dreaming of the future without working in the present
Crab Apple...the cleansing remedy, also for self-hatred
Elm...for those overwhelmed by responsibility
Gentian...discouragement after a setback
Gorse...hopelessness and despair
Heather...self-centeredness and self-concern
Holly...hatred, envy and jealousy
Honeysuckle...living in the past
Hornbeam...procrastination, tiredness at the thought of doing something
Impatiens...impatience
Larch...lack of confidence
Mimulus...fear of known things
Mustard...deep gloom for no reason
Oak...for the plodder who keeps going past the point of exhaustion
Olive...exhaustion following mental or physical effort
Pine...guilt
Red Chestnut...for those overly concerned for the welfare of loved ones
Rock Rose...terror and fright
Rock Water...self-denial, rigidity, and self-repression
Scleranthus...inability to choose between alternatives
Star of Bethlehem...shock
Sweet Chestnut...extreme mental anguish and hopelessness
Vervain...over-enthusiasm
Vine...dominance and inflexibility
Walnut...protection from change and unwanted influences
Water Violet...pride and aloofness
White Chestnut...unwanted thoughts and mental arguments
Wild Oat...uncertainty over one's direction in life
Wild Rose...drifting, resignation, apathy
Willow...self-pity and resentment

   There is also a combination remedy called Rescue Remedy.

   If you feel you need help with your diagnosis, you can consult a practitioner trained in selecting the remedies. He or she will question you about your emotions and attempt to intuit the emotional state underlying your condition.
   However, practitioners are expected to encourage patients to choose their own flower therapies once they're sufficiently knowledgeable.

   Treatment Frequency: Take 4 drops of each diluted remedy 4 times a day. Alternatively, put 2 drops of the solution from the manufacturer's bottle into a glass of water and sip from the glass at least 4 times daily.

What Treatment Hopes to Accomplish
Flower remedies were developed in the early 1900s by Dr. Edward Bach, an English homeopathic physician, who believed that negative emotional or psychological states underlie physical illnesses. The remedies are designed to treat these emotional states rather than any specific disease. For this reason, people with similar physical conditions may need different remedies, based on their psychological needs.
   Dr. Bach identified the 38 wildflowers used in the remedies while searching the English countryside for blooms with healing effects. He determined which flower helped which emotional state by trying various plants on himself when he experienced a particular feeling.

Who Should Avoid This Therapy?
Although the brandy used as a preservative is taken in extremely diluted form, recovering alcoholics and those who wish to avoid alcohol for other reasons may wish to forego these preparations. Alternatively, the concentrated drops can be boiled to evaporate the alcohol without affecting the remedy's potency.

What Side Effects May Occur?
Proponents of the remedies warn that they may "(stir) up repressed feelings that need to be cleansed before complete healing can be achieved." Mainstream physicians, however, seem unconcerned. Most regard the remedies as harmless unless they're substituted for needed medical care.
   Advocates cite no physical side effects. Indeed, they say that the remedies can be taken more frequently in moments of crisis without risk of overdose, addiction, or tolerance. The solutions do not affect other courses of treatment, and are unaffected by them. Some practitioners add that the remedies are a self-limiting form of treatment, asserting that the need for and effectiveness of the remedies decrease as the patient's emotional health improves.

How to Choose a Therapist
Practitioners using the original 38 remedies developed by Dr. Bach are certified by The Bach Foundation, and sign a Code of Practice that includes ethical standards. The code specifies that practitioners are not licensed to diagnose medical illness or otherwise practice medicine. (You can find the complete text of the code on the Foundation's web site.) About 350 practitioners are registered with the Foundation, according to a 1997 report.
   Floral essences are available from a number of sources. Some lines, however, may include plants excluded by Dr. Bach, or offer other herbal therapies prepared using the Bach method.

When Should Treatment Stop?
When you feel that the emotional problem you've addressed has been resolved, you can discontinue therapy immediately. There's no need to taper off the remedies. According to the Bach Centre and Foundation, the remedies should be used only to relieve existing emotional problems, not as a means of preventing their development.

See a Conventional Doctor If...
Check with your doctor if there is any suspicion of an ailment that can be treated through standard medical means. Bach flower remedies are not a substitute for medical treatment, but can be used along with conventional care.

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Revised: June 10, 2006 .