Flower Essences 101

What Are Flower Essences?

Flower essences are vibrational healing remedies that provide mental and emotional support. Also known as “flower remedies” or “flower elixirs”, flower essences are subtle but powerful, and are capable of creating permanent change in the emotional and energetic bodies. They can be taken for immediate relief, such as with the popular “Rescue Remedy” which was created by Dr. Bach to provide instant relief for shock, trauma, and emotional distress; and they can also be taken over a long period of time, such as when working to shift long-standing patterns and issues.

Flower Essences as a Type of Herbal Medicine

Flower essences are often considered to be both a type of herbal medicine and homeopathic remedy. Many Herbalists specialize in creating flower essence tinctures, although working with flower essences is also a stand-alone modality in and of itself. The main difference can be found immediately when looking at the concentration and the therapeutic action: Where herbal tinctures have a very high concentration of plant material and have a wide scope of therapeutic effects on the physical and emotional body, flower essences have an extremely low concentration of plant material, and are particularly aimed at providing emotional support.

Flower Essences and Homeopathy

It is because of the minute amount of plant material in flower essences that many people consider it to be a form of homeopathy. However, this is not entirely accurate. While it is true that homeopathic remedies and flower essences have a lot in common, particularly the fact that they are both extremely diluted, it is worth noting that the emphasis of flower essences is their vibrational or energetic nature. Unlike homeopathic remedies which have a wide breadth of physical healing properties, flower essences mainly deal with mental and emotional issues.

How Flower Essences Are Made

Flower essences are made by taking freshly picked plant material and placing it in a bowl of pure water, typically spring water. This water and flowers are then left out in the Sun to infuse for a number of hours. Sometimes, depending on the plant or plant part, the infusion is done by heat, over a stove. The plant material is then separated from the water, and the infused water is mixed with a preservative, typically a form of alcohol such as brandy or vodka.

This is the general framework, within which there are many variations. For example, some practitioners choose not to place the plant material directly into the water, and instead use an indirect method; this method does not change the efficacy of the essence, because again, we are working with the vibrational properties of the plant.

How to Take Flower Essences

Flower essence tinctures are primarily taken orally (by mouth). You can place the drops directly in your mouth from the dropper bottle, or you can mix the drops with your beverages or food.

Flower essence tinctures that have been packaged into a spray bottle can be sprayed directly into the mouth, or over the crown of the head as an aura spray.

When it comes to spray bottles, please read the instructions and ingredients carefully. Some practitioners create spray bottles that contain a mixture of flower essences, essential oils, and other ingredients; if this is the case, you’re best using it as an aura spray. The effect will be the same, except with the added benefit of aromatherapy!

The amount and frequency depend on your intention. As with anything, regular use is the best way to achieve your desired result.

• For long-term use (1-3 months): 4 drops at least 4 times a day
• For short-term (immediate) use: 2 drops as needed

Flower essences can also be massaged into the pulse points, and can even be applied directly to areas of pain. Even though they are primarily used for mental and emotional support, certain essences (such as the Crab Apple) are also known to promote physical healing.

Remember that these essences are vibrational in nature, and therefore work best when in sync with your intention.

Side Effects & Contraindications

Always consult your doctor before taking any medicines or supplements, regardless of whether they are herbal, homeopathic, vibrational, or pharmacological in nature.

Because they are vibrational remedies, flower essences are generally safe for all people at all stages of life. They are safe to take while pregnant and while breastfeeding, and do not interact with any medications or supplements. However, always consult your pharmacist and doctor if you are taking any medications.

Please remember that most commercially-available flower essences (including the Bach Flower Remedies) are preserved with alcohol. The amount of alcohol in the tinctures is too small to have any adverse effect, and still safe enough to take during pregnancy and lactation; however, if you would rather avoid all alcohol, you will have to look for a tincture that has been preserved with a non-alcoholic substance, such as vegetable glycerine.

If you are having a custom-made flower essence tincture, you can always request to have your tincture made without alcohol. Each practitioner has their own methods, so it’s important for you to consult with your practitioner first in order to create the ideal remedy for you.

Side effects are the negative effects of taking a particular substance, and as far as flower essences are concerned, there are none. The worst thing that can happen is that they won’t work for you, and nothing changes. This is not likely to happen unless you picked your remedy haphazardly, or had somebody else choose it for you. That being said, when flower essences work, they really work! Get ready to embody a new way of being and for your life to change as a result.

If you have any other questions or concerns about flower essences, please refer to this FAQ by the Bach Centre. They touch on some very common “issues” and I always temper my advice based on their recommendations.

The Importance of a Practitioner

A trained flower essence practitioner has a thorough understanding of how flower remedies work, how to choose them, and how to use them. They are also skilled in safely preparing and dispensing custom flower remedy blends. The most important aspect of working with a practitioner, however, is the fact that they are there to empower you in choosing the remedy that you need, at this time.

Flower remedies are best chosen by the person taking them, and this is especially true for blends. With few exceptions (such as with Dr. Bach’s Rescue Remedy), flower essence blends are most effective when tailor-made for each specific person and their needs in the moment. This is not something that anyone else can do for you, even another practitioner.

A flower essence consultation, therefore, consists of the practitioner asking you a series of specific questions which will help them narrow down which remedies would be most suited for you. This is truly a co-creative process, and one which you can trust was made with your best interests in mind.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Flower essences have been a core part of my wellness arsenal for years, and I am continually blown away by my results.

Yours in wellness,