In addition to whatever lip liner and lipstick combo I’ll be wearing for the day, I always have a bottle of flower essences in my bag. I consider flower essences a must-have for reducing anxiety and promoting overall emotional wellness. For the uninitiated, these botanical remedies are healing tinctures made with flowers to support and address emotional, mental, and spiritual issues, flower remedy practitioner Alexis Smart told me. This is made by floating flowers in a bowl of spring water. Smart explains that, harnessing the power of vibrational medicine, the healing patterns of that particular flower are imprinted into the water.
Healer and flower essence expert Jenna Sophia adds that the treatment itself doesn’t involve any physical flowers or plants, but rather contains the vibrational wisdom of the flowers. They alleviate a wide range of emotional disorders. “They work on our energy body by removing unwanted emotional blocks that may be causing mental or physical imbalances,” explains Sophia. “They help to release any energies that may be blocked or stuck in our field, allowing us to return to our original state.”
The history and effects of flower essences
Flower essences have become more popular as health and wellness becomes more mainstream, but Smart points out that they were discovered in the 1930s by British physician and researcher Edward Bach. Dr. Bach believed that physical ailments could not be truly cured unless the patient’s mental and emotional state was improved, Smart explains. So by improving the patient’s emotional state with flower remedies, the body began to heal itself. “Humans have a self-healing mechanism, so if you cut yourself, you don’t bleed to death because there are lots of systems that work to hold the skin together and stop you bleeding to death,” Smart says. “These mechanisms exist at every level of the body.”
In other words, Dr. Bach felt that emotional disorders like trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, etc. affect our physical health. “So instead of treating the body and hoping that once the body was healed the patient would be healthier, he was doing the opposite by bringing his patients joy and happiness, peace of mind, and restoring their physical health.” [self-healing] “It starts to work slowly,” Smart said.
Flower remedies work because each flower has a specific vibrational frequency, and by taking a specific remedy that matches the negative emotion you’re feeling (jealousy, anger, darkness, closed-heartedness, etc.), you promote the opposite emotion, Smart says. “Instead of suppressing the negative emotion, you fill it with positive vibrations, giving it what it needs,” Smart says. “And the negative emotion… [emotion] It blends together in a very natural way and for that person it feels harmonious.”
How to Choose the Right Flower Remedy
Flower remedies are made from a variety of flowers, but Smart prefers to use only the original 38 flowers studied and discovered by Dr. Bach, as he believes they are the most effective and comprehensive. Dr. Bach’s remedies are the most readily available and can be found in most health food stores, but are also sold by many other flower essence sellers. They usually come in a small bottle with a dropper so you can take a few drops a day under your tongue or in water and sip throughout the day.
No matter where you get your flower remedies, Smart recommends using only one remedy at a time, and while it’s technically possible to mix them, doing so is best done with a practitioner who understands how different flower essences work together.
If you’re taking a self-selection approach to the treatment that’s best for you, Smart recommends reading through Dr. Bach’s descriptions of 38 treatments to find the one that corresponds to what you need the most support with at the time, then sticking with that treatment for at least a month to experience its full effects.
Below are some examples of flower remedies that Smart says can help with common ailments:
- Dr. Bach’s Rescue Remedy contains Cherry Plum, Clematis and Rock Rose and is effective in treating shock, trauma and acute anxiety. It has an immediate calming effect.
- Larch is great for boosting self-confidence, public speaking, risk-taking, and dealing with fears of failure.
- Mustard is effective against depression, gloom and gloomy feelings.
- Mimulus is effective for anxiety, shyness, nervousness and self-consciousness.
- The gentian represents lack of faith, negative outlook, discouragement and disappointment.
- Verbena is great for relieving stress and feeling overwhelmed, as it helps you relax and feel calm, helping you to make things easier for yourself.
- Crabapples represent feelings of unattractiveness, body shame, and self-criticality.
So, what kind of effects can you expect when you start taking flower remedies? It depends on the person and the remedy you are taking. “If you are sensitive, you will immediately feel subtle changes in energy. [for] Others may take a little longer to notice the change,” Sophia says. But overall, “[flower remedies] This creates a more balanced and open feel. [They] It can really raise your vibration as it clears out stagnant energy and leaves people feeling lighter and more at ease.” Smart adds that things that previously bothered you may become less bothersome over time. “You’ll notice an increased ability to adapt to things that used to stress you out,” she says.
Smart suggests that if you don’t see any changes after taking a flower remedy for a month, it’s probably not right for you at that point and you should try a different remedy. If you notice a small improvement, he suggests continuing with the same remedy for a little longer to feel the full effects. If you’re dealing with a serious, chronic problem (for example, lifelong shyness), he points out that it may take longer to resolve the issue.
Even more good news: Flower remedies have no side effects. Smart says they’re safe, gentle, and won’t interfere with other therapies, medications, or medical procedures. She adds that once you start feeling better, the effects will last, so there’s no need to keep taking the same remedy.
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