An introduction to flower essences

Welcome back to a new episode of the Sharing Plant Wisdom podcast. This week we are introducing you to the subtle but powerful healing properties of flower essences. They are widely available to buy but also very easy to make yourself. And they are the safest form of medicine out there, with no contra-indications whatsoever! Please be aware however that some essences contain a small amount of alcohol. 
In this episode we discuss how flower essences started, what they do and how they can really support any healing journey. 

We then go into a bit more details about Dr Bach's 12 Healers, which are the "type" essences, because they address personality types. 
·         Agrimony: for people who hide their worry behind a cheerful face

·         Cerato: for people who do not trust their decisions and can get easily led and fooled 

·         Centaury: for the people-pleasers, those who can’t say “no” 

·         Chicory: for those who are possessive and demanding in love, who try to keep the loved ones dependent and end up suffocating them

·         Clematis: for people who dream of the future without working on the present

·         Gentian: for those who get easily discouraged, despondent and lose faith after a minor setback

·         Impatiens: the impatiens type lives life in a rush and hates being slowed down by methodical people or other constrains, they can get irritable 

·         Mimulus: for people who are frightened or anxious about a known thing, for example fear of heights, fear of speaking in public, fear of spiders, fear of crowded spaces, etc. 

·         Rock rose: for people who experience terrors and panic attacks,

·         Scleranthus: for people who are indecisive for the smallest of every day things 

·         Vervain: for people who are a bit too passionate about something,  a bit fanatic

·         Water violet: for those who are self-reliant to the point of being withdrawn


The 26 other essences discovered by Dr Bach help address reactive emotional states (day-to-day stuff). Here are the examples we mention: 
·         Crab apple: for feelings of uncleanliness, self-loathing, not accepting one’s appearance or one’s personality trait and being fixated on it 

·         Cherry plum: when you are scared of going mad

·         Elm: when you’re feeling overwhelmed

·         Hornbeam: when you’re procrastinating 

·         Olive: when you’re exhausted after a physically or mentally intense period of time 

·         Red Chestnut: when you worry too much about loved ones 

·         Star of Bethlehem: for those who have experienced trauma.

·         Walnut: for when things are changing (moving house, the menopause, kids going to school, divorcing, going back to work)

·         White chestnut: to stop circling thoughts

To make your own essence blend you need: a sterile glass bottle with pipette insert (50 mL is a good size). Mix 15 mL of brandy with 35 mL of water. Add 8 drops of each essence that you need (no more than 7 different essences per blend). 
Simples or blends should be taken as often as needed during the day. A dose is 3 to 7 drops under the tongue. 

Useful link: 
https://www.bachcentre.com/en/