The 38 Bach flower remedies are mostly flower essences that were developed in the mid 20th Century by the English physician Edward Bach. These are highly diluted solutions, and although they have virtually no physical side effects, can be very effective – if you have the particular specific condition a particular Bach Remedy is good for. The one thing to keep in mind about the BFR is that if you don’t have the condition they are for, they won’t do anything! (More on this below.)
Whether or not you’re on a spiritual path, if you’re living on Earth you’re bound to travel over some bumpy roads – physical, emotional, or mental hardships that send you looking for relief. It’s one thing to “suck it up” and muscle your way through life, but at a certain point you might need some extra help. In addition to working with a good intuitive counselor, therapist, or other healer, I’ve found that when times get rough, Bach Flower Remedies can offer relief, and help me get back into my heart where I belong.
By the way, I’m not a medical doctor, so I don’t prescribe these in my intuitive guidance sessions, beyond sometimes suggesting that a client might want to look into them in general. Information on these remedies is widely available, so I won’t go into all of them, but I would like to mention just a few that I’ve found especially effective for myself and my friends. I would recommend learning about all of them and having a set on hand.
White Chestnut
White Chestnut is the remedy for those times when thoughts keep going round and round in your head, and you can’t seem to get them to stop. This is not for the general problem of “thinking too much”, but for those intense episodes where you feel like you’re caught in a loop that has pretty much taken over your mind. This sometimes happens to people at night when they’re trying to get to sleep. If you’re in that situation, White Chestnut might work so well, and so quickly, that you may forget why you even took it!
Scleranthus
Scleranthus is similar to White Chestnut in that the mind seems to be caught in a loop, but it is specifically for situations where you’re on the fence about a decision, stuck between two things.
Walnut
Walnut is called “The Link Breaker”, and is the remedy for breaking free from influences, internal or external. It may help with some of the effects of advancing stages of life like puberty or menopause, or for the pain of separation due to events like divorce or going away to college. It might be one helpful component in the process of breaking free from an addiction, supplemental to other kinds of treatment. Some healers use Walnut for clearing their energy after seeing patients, either after each treatment or after a long day of work.
Mimulus
Mimulus is for fear of any known thing. Use it for phobias, fear of a coming event, fear of another person, and so on. It can work well for certain specific situations like this, however, it’s not a cure-all for fear. Many people carry a truckload of fear buried in the subconscious, either from events from early childhood, or past lives, or both. Unfortunately, Mimulus is more for the type of fear that’s closer to the surface, and won’t do much to help the deep, deep stuff. If you’ve got lots of deep fear, your best bet is to see a therapist or healer experienced in helping people bring that to the surface and release it. And by the way, if you do have unresolved fear, I would encourage you to get started on the process of working to release it now. It won't go away by itself, so why carry it forward? Those bags get heavy on a long trip!
Impatiens
Impatiens is as it sounds, for dealing with episodes of impatience. If you’ve got ants in your pants, impatiens will help you get rid of them. (That’s a figure of speech, by the way, in case you missed out on that one growing up. Impatiens doesn’t help with actual insects.) If you are an impatient person by nature, impatiens taken over a long period may do you some good, but like Mimulus it probably won’t go deep enough to really solve the problem. For that, your best bet is to see a therapist or healer experienced in helping people get to the root.
Rescue Remedy -- Please Use As Directed!
Rescue is a mix of five Bach Remedies, and is the most widely sold of the BFR. I’d like to point out that Rescue Remedy is often misused, and the way the product is currently being marketed has contributed to that problem.
Rescue Remedy was originally developed for treating acute emergency conditions, accidents, injuries, and trauma. Each of the five ingredients addresses a specific emotional/mental state a person may have in a traumatic situation. So, if you’re in a car crash, a fight, an accident, or any emergency, Rescue Remedy is a fabulous potion to get you back into your body, calmed down, and able to deal with matters more effectively. It balances out the emotional aspects of the trauma, and can therefore make any injury to the body heal much faster.
The problem with Rescue Remedy is that people have begun using it as a sort of emotional panacea any time they are upset, sort of like the way some folks use alcohol or other drugs. Well, it’s definitely better than having a drink when you’re upset, but it really doesn’t work very well for that, except perhaps as a placebo. Remember, if you don’t have the condition the BFR are for, they don’t do anything! So, if you’re not experiencing impatience, being spaced out, extreme mental anguish, shock, or fear of loss of control, Rescue Remedy won’t do a darn thing. It’s not a sedative.
Do keep Rescue Remedy in your car, or in your pack or purse, and use it if you’re in a jam, but please learn more about what it’s really for – and the other BFR too, to put them to their best use.
*The Disclaimer
All of the information mentioned here is based upon my opinion, and upon information I've collected over the years in my personal course of study. You'll need to decide for yourself if it's valid for you. Don't use this information in place of seeing a licensed health practitioner -- if you're ill, please see a doctor!
Thanks, Ed!
I’ve been using the Bach Flower Remedies since the early 70’s, and am very grateful for them.
I hope this is has been a helpful introduction, and I think that if you use the BRF the way they’re intended, you’ll find them helpful.
Max Highstein is an intuitive guide, author and acclaimed music composer. He helps people get unstuck and find their way home through Intuitive Support sessions and workshops. Click here to Book an Appointment
