Bach Flower Therapy & Remedies

Bach flower essences is an alternative medicine. The Bach system of healing is therapeutic in that it incorporates flower essences with other dilutions to promote physical and emotional balance. Dr. Edward Bach founded Bach Flower Therapy as he saw the need arise in his patients. Bach believes the right combination of flowers will benefit the patient both physically and emotionally. Bach remedies are homeopathic; Bach essences contain 22% alcohol, listed as brandy in the ingredients.

12 Healers

• The sun is a natural dehydrator.

  12 Healers is a Bach essences product containing agrimony, centaury, cerato, chicory, clematis, impatiens, mimulus, rock rose, scleranthus, vervain and water violet. The sun method captures essences from flowers that bloom in late spring and throughout the summer. The sun is most powerful during these seasons. Harvesters capture the essences of the flowers onsite. Harvesters also cut the head of the blooming flower off the stem below the calyx. The flower head sits in a jar of water for three hours in full sunshine, then it's removed and the water filtered. Mother tincture is the name of the filtered water. Mixing brandy with the mother tincture in equal amounts creates the essences.

7 Helpers

• Boiling water extras nutrients from flower heads.

  The 7 Helpers include gorse, heather, oak, olive, rock water, vine and wild oat essences. The boiling method extracts the essences from these flowers. The boiling method is effective early in the year before too much sunshine takes over the day. At 9 a.m. harvesters go out selecting flowering sprays and leaves, placing them in a glass vessel. The mixture is 10 parts water to 1 part plant material. The water and plant rapidly boils for 30 minutes then workers let it stand to cool. After cooling, they let the water filter into glass decanters. The mother tincture created through the boiling method becomes a remedy after mixing with equal amounts of brandy, shaken and stored in a cool dry area.

2nd and 19

• The 2nd and 19 remedy includes aspen, beech, cherry plum, chestnut bud, cab apple, elm, holly, honeysuckle, hornbeam, larch, mustard, pine, red chestnut, star of Bethlehem, sweet chestnut, walnut, white chestnut, wild rose and willow. People choosing Bach essences often do so intuitively. Vibrational remedies like the 2nd and 19 are combinational methods of healing focusing on both the physical and the emotional pains of the person. Intuition is an inner knowing of what you need physically and emotionally to regain balance in your life.

First Aid

• First Aid is a healing essence including five flowers: cherry plum (fear of losing control), clematis (inattention), impatiens (impatience), rock rose (panic) and Star of Bethlehem (shock). The First Aid remedy reduces stress and anxiety of everyday life. The goal is to reduce tension and maintain mental balance. Both the Sun and Boiled Methods create the mother tincture for the First Aid remedy. The name can be confusing since it is not an immediate remedy, but a lifelong journey of healing and recovery.