What are the Bach flower remedies?

Flowers have been used throughout time to express loving emotions - to bring joy, comfort and support to others. Over 90 years ago, a British physician, surgeon and homeopath found that flowers could do much more. Dr Edward Bach found that emotional disharmony such as anger, fear, worry and more were the initial triggers for imbalances, discomfort and unhappiness, and that these could ultimately lead to physical illness. It would take the scientific community another 60+ years to begin to validate this relationship between stress and illness.

But many decades before, in the 1930's, Dr Bach discovered that the energy of specific flowers could gently move the emotions back to a state of harmony, thereby restoring well-being. He found 38 different flowers containing specific balancing energies, and made a diluted 'sun tea' of each one to create energetic essences. The 38 Bach flower remedies each address a different emotion and may be taken internally or applied topically to restore balance to our emotional energies. Dr Bach wanted his safe, gentle system to be accessible to all and would be pleased to know that today Bach flower remedies are used around the world.A natural system of stress relief, the 38 Bach Flower Remedies were discovered by a physician named Dr. Edward Bach of England, in the 1930's. Most of all, Dr Bach was a compassionate man who wanted to ease the suffering of others. So he designed a safe system of 38 flower essences which could be used in the home to help us with the ups and downs of life - our worry, anxiety, stress. Today, his 38 Bach flowers are used around the world.

Who was Dr Edward Bach?

Dr. Edward Bach was a physician, surgeon, homeopath, bacteriologist and immunologist.

Edward Bach studied medicine at Birmingham University and University College Hospital, London. He qualified in 1912 and worked as house surgeon, pathologist and bacteriologist. He also carried out original research into immunology and vaccine therapy.

In 1919 Bach took up a post at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. Inspired by his experiences there, he began research into the use of healing plants. In working with his patients, he found that their physical illnesses were exacerbated by their mental and emotional states and so set out to discover a system of healing with non toxic plants that would be safe and simple, with no side effects.

Using his vast knowledge of herbs and his intuition, he sought plants which balanced specific negative emotions and formulated them into dilute homeopathic mixtures. The first remedy potentized in this way was Impatiens, in 1928. Mimulus and Clematis followed in 1930. Ultimately, he located 38 flowers from plants and trees with healing properties to comprise his complete system; the preparations made from these plants became known as 'Bach flower remedies'.

He eventually left the bustle of London for the English countryside. He spent 1930-1934 by the sea on the northern coast of England in Cromer, wandering the countryside in search of flower remedy plants.

Cromer historical plaque image, Dr Edward Bach Homeopath and Spiritual Writer, Eastern Daily Press Feb 26, 2017

The last two years of his work were completed at his final home, called Mount Vernon, in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Wallingford, a small country village about 50 miles outside of London.

Dr Bach wanted his system to be safe and simple, so that anyone could use it in their home. These liquids, these 38 drops, can be used in combination to address over 200 million states of mind. Best of all, they are gentle, non-toxic and do not interact with any other form of treatment. The remedies are manufactured under strict guidelines for safety and purity (GMP) which are established by the World Health Organization and are available in 66 countries worldwide. The Bach flower remedies have now been in use for over 90 years worldwide.