Does anyone use or make flower essences? What are your favorites?

UrbanBramble

It's in the title...

What are your favorite flower essences? What do you use them for?

I just made a maple flower essence, the ones around here have beautiful red flowers that bloom before they leaf out. Online I read that it is to help with vitality and to help folks step into their power. My personal experience is that it is super magical and put me in a very creative / dreamy mood. I have a forsythia bush blooming too and have been thinking about making one from those flowers.
 

danieljuk

I use Dr Bach remedies all the time. But my alternative health practitioner friends are not keen on the Dr Bach *brand* anymore because it was made by a homoeopathic pharmacy which is now owned by a big pharmaceutical company and now really marketed as a mass product way. The practitioners avoid it and don't think the remedies follow the same Dr Bach receipe anymore. But there was a lawsuit here and Dr Bach made his remedies for public use (not to be copyrighted) and so now loads of little companies make his remedies in a small and more original way and can call themselves his remedies :) You can even made them yourself!

The small place where I buy them from, pick the fully opened flowers they want to use and then leave in a bowl of spring water in the sunshine for a day. The water is then taken and is infused by the energy. That works for half of their remedies, the other half are boiled in spring water to get the essence. They then add brandy and bottle!

I swear by rescue remedy (or as they call it 5 flower remedy) for my anxiety. If I am in a crisis it is amazing! I also like night remedies which help you sleep, I like mixes of the flower essences. I tried to buy some individual bottles and mix them for my emotion needs and give that a go. I think they are brilliant for emotional problems! I had Mimulus for fear of the world and Larch for lack of confidence and just thinks they are a failure. A friend of mine took Gorse for hopelessness she felt with depression. However my combination, unlike the mixes caused me to feel worse! My energy is so sensitive! :) I really reacted to it emotionally. I need to take it in a smaller gradual way and will try it again sometime in future.

Hope your homemade remedies help UB :heart: I have not tried making my own yet :)
 

UrbanBramble

Thanks, Dan! Interesting info, I didn't know that about Dr. Bach's stuff. You definitely can't call them Bach's flower essences here. But lots of herbalist I know make them.

They are wonderful for emotional stuff. It's funny because it is 100% "vibrational" rather than physiological. I actually didn't believe in them until recently, but I've just started to think of them as a way of engaging with plant magic. It's great to hear that the rescue remedy helps you with anxiety. I tried to get my partner to take it for her panic attacks, but she doesn't believe it works so it doesn't work on her (in my opinion that's why).

Interesting that you can take the plants seperately for things but when you tried to make your own mix it made things worse. Did you try dilluting? I'm pretty sure what they sell you in the store is considered the "mother" concentration, and you can take it as is or fill a dosing bottle (same size that they sell it in) half with spring water and half with brandy and add 9 drops (total!) of the essence into it. If you are that sensitive dilluting might help.
 

Jagdamba

Flower Essences

I haven't used any for a while but this thread is a useful reminder. This could be just the thing that would support me right now. I've used them in the past to support emotional/psychological issues for myself and friends.

A friend has some kind of homeopathic machine that you can calibrate to make up different remedies. Its very simple to use. It'd be nice to make remedies via water & sunlight too, as Daniel describes & I think I'll try that too.

Choice of remedy and dosage has been something I've selected via dowsing. I've made up blends for myself and others too. I have found this useful and feedback has been positive too. This has all been very playful so far. I'd love to dig deeper into this area study wise at some point :)
 

stellar4

Been meaning to reply to this thread for ages but hardly home for this past few weeks....
I've used flower essences for years now (for my own and clients healing) and made a lot myself. They are brilliant tools with a wide variety of applications.
Dan is right about the Nelson's Bach range; good alternatives are Healing Herbs and Ainsworths.
There are loads of great makers out there producing fantastic essences. The Australian Bush essences are a good kick-arse set and widely available now in health food shops. Findhorn essences from Scotland are straightforward but very profound and effective. I also love the Alaskan and Pacific sets from Canada. Another favourite is the Living Tree Orchid essences range - very spiritual but extremely effective (and their aura sprays are just beautiful). Jan Stewart's 'Lighten Our Darkness' set is excellent for addressing our shadow side...
There are also vibrational essences that are not made from flowers; I was highly sceptical at first (they took me right out of my cosy Dr Bach comfort zone!) and I could not believe that they would work, but boy, was I surprised. Wild Earth Animal Essences are well worth checking out, as are the Alaskan essences Environmentals range, plus the Pacific Essences Sea set.
Crystal and Gem essences are very effective; I use them when a client is using heavy duty medication that disrupts their system rendering the usual flower essences ineffective or blunts their action. Check out Indigo Essences from Ireland (they are marketed as mainly for kids but work just great on us so-called adults too).
I could go on and on and bore the pants of everyone once I get onto this subject.. time to shut up and let someone else pipe up!
 

avalonian

I wouldn't be without White Chestnut flower essence (I use the Healing Herbs range). And, like stellar4. I am a huge fan of the Living Tree Orchid Essences and sprays - they are in a class of their own, very special. I keep the "Positive Flow" aura spray at work and am regularly asked for a "waft" when people are feeling a bit out of sorts. One of their essences is called "Unconditional Snuggles" and it's like having a warm, comforting hug.

:) :) :)
 

stellar4

Ooh yes, Avalonian, White Chestnut is a must! It works really well for getting rid of those repetitive thoughts that keep me awake at night - a dose of this and I know nothing until morning.
I love all of the LTOE sprays but the one I always have around is their Clearing and Releasing; I always have a spray of it just before I go to bed at night, but it is great for clearing rooms too.
Findhorn's Sacred Space spray is another must-have that I use all the time. When a friend was dying a couple of years ago this was the one that I sprayed around his bed on his last day on earth; the atmosphere was akin to that found in a cathedral - absolutely beautiful.
There are some very talented makers out there (plus some goddam awful ones who have leapt on the bandwagon for the kudos and the £££s) but nothing really beats making an essence of your own. There is a real back-and-forth communication between you and the plant and the surrounding landscape, plus the satisfaction of making something totally unique that works for you. The wonderful Eliot Cowan, author of Plant Spirit Medicine, believes that the plants we need to help heal ourselves are growing near us and I think that he is right.
At the end of the day, Bach wanted to develop a system that was straightforward, accessible and able to be used by anyone, and what could be simpler than making essences of your own and using them? It doesnt always have to be about consulting practitioners and buying packaged products - DIY is the way forward!
 

Tanga

Yup - shame about Bach.

I have a friend who's husband uses all sorts of remedies and homeopathy in his work (he's an osteopath) and found that when the company was bought out (as described by danieljuk) - Bach remedies began "trashing" the energy of all the other stuff he had in-stock on the shelf. So - his clients are now forbidden to come in with any Bach flower remedies. And he doesn't use them.

I used to us Rescue remedy during exams and that and found it really effective.
These days I will use it if I'm feeling a bit fraught. I noticed (after the change of producers) it's nowhere near as strong as it used to be. Now - I have to drink reams of it!

Mostly - I go to a Kinesiologist (general nutritional upkeep - and she always saves me when I have candida overgrowth, with herbs - which these days happens when I've had to have oral steroids for my silly skin condition) who tests for me and mixes them up when needed. Australia Bush Flower Essences mostly.

Presently - I have a blend which has Red Lilly in it. This is all about finding the balance between work, play and spiritual pursuits (just perfect - as I've been an "all work, with minimal play - and spiritual practice right over on the shelf" person recently :) ). Now to work on that balance again...
 

sophiastellarum

Perelandra Essences

I just love the Perelandra flower essences, I have used them for years. Also Perelandra's ETS, "Emergency Trauma Solution", is a stand by that I have in almost every room in my house, my car, my boat, etc. It is absolutely amazing stuff. I use the animal version of ETS for my cats and birds.


ETS is similar to Bach Rescue Remedy in intention, but it rewires your circuits in a heartbeat and does not create a suppression. In my experience, the Bach Remedy does. I guess in the middle of heavy stress a suppression is worth it to survive, but why create one when you don't have to?

The website is Perelandra-ltd.com, if you want to check it out. Machaelle Wright has created a wonderful body of work. IMHO :)