Flower Remedies

 What are flower remedies?

The flower remedy system of medicine was first developed in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach, a British physician, bacteriologist, homeopath, and researcher. Dr. Bach was inspired by his work with homeopathy and its vitalistic philosophy and believed that the attitude of the mind plays a key role in maintaining health and recovering from illness. Through his research, he identified 38 negative states of mind and began to investigate the impact that plants had upon them. In 1934 he left his successful medical practice in London and move to the countryside to further pursue his flower remedy research. While in the countryside, he discovered the plants and trees that helped to balance these negative states of mind.

The flower remedy system has since been expanded to hundreds of plants and trees, all helping to balance complex emotional states.

 What do flower remedies treat?

Flower remedies help to improve our emotional wellbeing during stressful or difficult times. Each remedy addresses a specific emotion (and sometimes even a specific situation), and up to six remedies are mixed together to make a customized formula. Flower remedies are subtle, and I often tell my patients they may not notice anything directly for a few weeks. I ask my patients to reflect on things that they previously felt were very challenging and how they feel about them after taking the remedies. Flower remedies make those past obstacles seem like less of a roadblock. They smooth the path so our emotions can flow and transition freely, rather than remain stuck in a certain cycle.

Formulas can be made for an acute use in stressful times, such as moving, illness, and trauma. They can also be made for constitutional use, as people tend to have predominant emotional states or cycles that impact their health and outlook on life.

Specific emotional states include, but are not limited to:

• Grief
• Difficulty adapting to periods of change
• Fear
• Worry and repetitive thoughts
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Shock and trauma of any kind
• Anger or agitation
• Self confidence issues
• Lack of direction
• Difficulty coping
• Mental exhaustion
• Courage
• Letting go
• Reaching out to others
• Difficulty making decisions without the input of others
• Impatience
• Self blame or guilt
• Intolerance of others
• Repeating the same cycle of mistakes
• Self doubt
• Fearing a loss of control

Are flower remedies safe to take?

Flower remedies are extremely safe and gentle. They do not interact with any medications and improve emotional wellbeing for adults, children, and pets. Traditionally, flower remedies are preserved with a small amount of brandy, however, this ingredient is not active and can easily be left out of the preparation for children and pets.