Bach Flower Remedies
Bach Flower Therapy is named after Dr. Edward Bach, whose research led to its development in England in the 1930's. It is a form of energy medicine which offers an alternative to psychotropic medication in the treatment of daily stress, mild to moderate mood concerns, fears and anxieties and other emotional issues. Its purpose is to restore emotional harmony.
A Bach Flower "Remedy" consists of water that has been patterned with the energetic vibrations of one of 38 different flowers. The Remedy is added to a cup of water (or other beverage) 4 times a day.
Bach Flowers can be taken safely by infants, pregnant or nursing women as well as the elderly.
Some examples can serve to illustrate how Bach flower remedies are often of great help:
(1) Suppose a mother is being counseled regularly by a therapist for anger management, because she rages against her young children. Successful counselling may take weeks or months (depending on the reasons for the outbursts). Until she learns to control her angry outbursts, her children continue to suffer. Bach Flower remedies may help the woman to feel calmer right away and she might have more patience, more self-control and less rage. Her family life might therefore be more stable and happy, while she learns parenting skills and anger-management strategies.
(2) Suppose there has been a tragedy in a family where the children have suddenly lost both their parents in a car accident. Bach flower remedies can help the children cope with the loss with less panic attacks and to come to terms with their loss and carry on with their lives under the altered circumstances, in a better manner.
There are important differences between Bach Flowers and traditional medical therapy. Bach Flowers are not medicinal.
They can be taken along with any food, herb, health product or medicine without causing any interaction. Bach Flowers treat the unhealthy emotional tendency, meaning that when the disturbing emotion has subsided, therapy with Bach flowers is stopped.
The following is a list of Bach Flowers and their uses, in general. Often however, better results will accrue if they are taken after consultation with an experienced Bach Flower Therapist, rather than if just taken hurriedly off a shelf in a department store, on a ‘hunch’.
Agrimony - for those who hide worries behind a brave face
Aspen - for apprehension for no known reasons
Beech - for those who are critical and intolerant of others
Centaury - for those who are weak-willed, exploited or imposed upon
Cerato - for those who doubt their own judgement, seeking confirmation of others
Cherry Plum - for uncontrolled, irrational thoughts
Chestnut Bud - for those who refuse to learn by experience and continually repeat the same mistakes
Chicory - for those who are over possessive and ‘clinging’
Clematis - for those who are inattentive, dreamy, absent-minded, for escapism
Crab Apple - for self-disgust/detestation - for those who are ashamed of ailments
Elm - for those who are overwhelmed by inadequacy and responsibility
Gentian- for despondency, for those easily discouraged, lack faith
Gorse - for pessimism, defeatism, 'oh what's the use!'
Heather - for those who are talkative, (obsessed with own troubles and experiences)
Holly - for hatred, envy, jealousy, suspicion
Honeysuckle - for those living in the past - nostalgic - for home-sickness
Hornbeam - for 'Monday morning' feeling - procrastination
Impatiens - for impatience and irritability
Larch - for lack of self-confidence, feeling of inferiority, fear of failure
Mimulus - for fear of known things, shyness, timidity
Mustard - for 'dark cloud' that descends, making one sad and low for no known reason
Oak - for those who are normally strong/courageous, but no longer able to
struggle bravely against illness or adversity
Olive - for those who are fatigued, drained of energy
Pine - for guilt complex - those who blame themselves even for mistakes of
others and are always apologizing
Red Chestnut - for those obsessed by care and concern for others
Rock Rose - for those who are suddenly alarmed, scared, panicky
Rock Water - for those who are rigid-minded, self-denying
Scleranthus - for uncertainty/ indecision/ vacillation - for fluctuating moods
Star of Bethlehem - for all the effects of serious news, of fright following an
accident, death, etc
Sweet Chestnut - for utter dejection, bleak outlook, are at the limit of endurance
Vervain - argumentative, over-enthusiatic
Vine - domineering, wanting to control others
Walnut - are in need to get over with an experience / incident
Water violet - proud and excessively aloof from people
White Chestnut - preoccupied with worries or obsession
Wild Oat - undecided about life and unsatisfied with present state
Wild Rose - apathetic and resigned to fate
Willow - miserable about self and resent, cannot forgive
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Dr. Jayashree Joshi, MD
(affordable Online Health Consultations)





