The use of flowers in homeopathy
Bach's flower remedies are likely the most famous when it comes to homeopathic medicines that use flowers to cure. The Bach Flower Remedies – created by the homeopathic Doctor Ed Bach in the 1930s – total 38 in number and are designed to address particular characteristics or emotional states.
Doctor Ed Bach was a medical doctor who began his career as a surgeon in London, England before moving to the field of bacteriology and later pathology. He dedicated a large portion of his life, until his death at the age of 50, to making remedies from fresh, seasonal flowers.
The Bach Flower Remedies treat a variety of conditions, including:
• Envy
• Fear of the unknown
• Guilt
• Hopelessness
• Intolerance
• Lack of confidence
• Living in the past
• Self-hatred
• Selfishness
• Procrastination
As can be seen by this initial list, which is not comprehensive, the majority of the conditions treated by The Bach Flower Remedies are designed specifically to address feelings, emotions and mental states that are afflicting people rather than physical ailments, such as headaches, stomach cramps, or asthma.
There is a reason why The Bach Flower Remedies focus on feelings and personalities, and that is because Doctor Ed Bach believed that by first treating his patients' unhappiness that both mental and physical discomforts would subside. Bach believed the origins of a healthy person begin in a mind that is characterized by a balanced state of emotions. It is this state of equilibrium that prevents any type of physical discomfort. On the contrary, if a person suffers from emotional imbalances then aches, diseases and illnesses could emerge.
It is common for people taking The Bach Flower Remedies to combine a few of them in order to match an exact emotional state. For example, a combination of elm and aspen might be necessary to accurately address feelings of an overwhelming sense of responsibility coupled with fear or uneasiness about what the future will bring.
The Bach Flower Remedies work by reversing negative emotions and mental states and turning them into positives. For example, taking beech for intolerance will not suppress a person's feelings of intolerance, but rather assist in helping the person to feel more compassion and understanding for the things and people that surround them.
Generally, practitioners of The Bach Flower Remedies recommend taking no more than six or seven different remedies at one time. Practitioners who use the letters BFRP before their names must be registered with the Bach Centre in England and are known as Bach Foundation Registered Practitioners.
Dosage:
The Bach Flower Remedies are all liquids that are preserved in alcohol. They are taken in a diluted fashion by combining two drops with a glass of water, or in a glass of hot tea.
Criticism:
As is the case with many alternative types of medicine, there are many people who question the effectiveness of The Bach Flower Remedies. The most common criticism revolves around the fact that physical discomfort is not directly treated by the remedies and that The Bach Flower Remedies lack scientifically-proven evidence.
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