Herbal Flower Remedies

Herbal flower remedies, also called flower essences, are dilute solutions of herbal materials used as a complementary therapy used to correct emotional and spiritual imbalances. This method of healing is very different from conventional medicine or even traditional herbalism. The remedies do not contain chemically active constituents that affect the body. Do not use herbal flower remedies as a substitute for advice and treatment from a qualified health care professional.

History

Herbal flower remedies were invented in the 1930s by a former pathologist and bacteriologist named Edward Bach. David F. Vennels writes in "Bach Flower Remedies for Beginners" that Bach noticed that people with similar personality types often responded to the same homeopathic remedies, even if their diseases were different. Bach went to the countryside to identify plants that according to his intuition, would alleviate the negativity associated with different personality types. He gathered the dew that collected on these plants and thus created the first herbal flower remedies.

Production

According to a 2010 review by Edzard Ernst published in "Swiss Medical Weekly," flower remedies are now commercially produced by immersing flowers in water and producing what is known as a "mother tincture." Brandy is then added to preserve the mixture. Ernst explains that according to flower remedy theory, subtle energies are transmitted from the plant material to the water. They then are prescribed in accordance with the patient's emotional states.

Scientific Research

Ernst explains that that scientists are naturally skeptical of the claims made for herbal flower remedies, because they are so dilute that they cannot even be distinguished from each other. Ernst undertook a review of the scientific literature about flower remedies and analyzed seven clinical trials that compared flower remedies with placebo. He concluded that these trials did not show flower remedies to be more beneficial than placebo.

Examples of Flower Remedies

Herbal flower remedies are often named for the flowers from which they are derived. For example, "gorse" is used for patients with extreme hopelessness; "heather" is used for those who are self-obsessed, and "aspen" is used for nervous people with vague worries and fears. "Rescue Remedy" is a popular remedy for anxiety, stress and panic. It is a combination of rock rose, impatiens, clematis, cherry plum, and Ornithogalum arabicum, which is also known as Star of Bethlehem.