 |
 |
|
|
|
|
MoonDragon's Alternative Health Information
Medicinal Therapies: Bach Flower Remedies
For information and research purposes only. Please contact your health care provider for specific information, diagnosis, and treatment of any health concerns. The information provided here is not meant to be used in place of any medical treatment or therapy.
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Edward Bach was an English doctor who concluded from studies of his patients that negative emotions could lead to physical illness. He was also convinced that flowers possessed healing properties, which could be used to treat emotional problems and so restore health and harmony to mind and body. In the 1930s, Dr. Bach began to produce his remedies, which are made by infusing or boiling plant material in spring water. Bach Flower Remedies and other flower essences are today popular around the world, and are often taken for self-help during times of emotional crisis or stress.
BRIEF HISTORY
Early in the 20th century, a London doctor and homeopath, Dr. Edward Bach (pronounced "batch"), made a study of his patients and concluded that harmful emotions, such as despair or fearfulness, could lead to physical disease. Convinced that flowers could affect one's state of mind, and familiar with the homeopathic law of potentization, Dr. Bach developed his Flower Remedies. He identified these by holding his hand over each flower in the belief that he could intuitively discern its healing properties. By 1936, Bach's remedies were being made commercially. They are now available from natural health outlets worldwide.
MoonDragon's Alternative Health: Homeopathy
CONSULTING A PRACTITIONER
Although practitioners in other fields - for example, homeopathy, naturopathy, and aromatherapy - may prescribe Bach Flower Remedies in certain cases, Dr. Bach developed his remedies primarily for self-help use. Several remedies may be taken together, and the selection is generally based on the patient's assessment of his or her emotional state. However, some people select the individual remedies by holding a pendulum over each in turn.
Bach remedies are not intended directly to relieve the physical symptoms of an ailment. Dr. Bach believed that harmful emotions were the main cause of disease, and he sought to treat moods such as fear, anger, guilt, and depression in order to restore the harmony of mind and body necessary for good health.
Dr. Bach classified the various moods into seven categories, which he then subdivided into 38 negative feelings, each one associated with a particular plant. He also developed a compound, Rescue Remedy, to be taken for shock, panic, and hysteria.
Remedies are prepared by infusion, with flower heads placed on the surface of pure spring water and left to infuse in direct sunlight for three hours, or by boiling short lengths of twigs with flowers or catkins in pure spring water for 30 minutes. After either process the water is retained and preserved in brandy.
Bach remedies are sold in a concentrated form that should be diluted in fruit juice or mineral water, rubbed on the lips or behind the ears, or dropped directly on the tongue. The dose is usually four drops of solution, repeated four times a day. For immediate problems, the dose may be repeated every 3-5 minutes until symptoms subside.
FLOWER & GEM ESSENCES
An extension of the work of Dr. Bach, 70 Californian flower essences were developed by an American, Richard Katz, in the 1970s, and are said to contain "vibrations of the sun's energy," absorbed by the petals of flowers infused in sun-warmed water. The remedies are taken in a similar way to Bach Flower Remedies, and are also organized by mood and designed to bring harmony to body and mind. Other essences have since been identified, notably from plants in the Himalayas and the Australian bush. Gem essences are also available, made in a similar way by steeping precious and semiprecious stones in spring water.
THE 12 BIOCHEMIC TISSUE SALTS
STATE OF MIND BACH FLOWER REMEDY Fearfulness
- Rock rose for terror and nightmares.
- Mimulus for known fears and shyness.
- Cherry plum for uncontrollable rage and impulses.
- Aspen for vague fears and apprehensions.
- Red chestnut for excessive fear on behalf of family and friends.
Uncertainty
- Cerato for lack of confidence in making decisions.
- Scleranthus for indecision and mood swings.
- Gentian for hesitation, and for doubt and despondency due to past disappointments.
- Gorse for despair and hopelessness.
- Hornbeam for "Monday morning" tiredness and procrastination.
- Wild oat for dissatisfaction and lack of motivation.
Lack of interest in present circumstances
- Clematis for escapism and lack of concentration.
- Honeysuckle for nostalgia and homesickness.
- Wild rose for apathy and resignation.
- Olive for sapped vitality and exhaustion.
- White chestnut for preoccupation with worry.
- Mustard for melancholy.
- Chestnut bud for failure to learn from mistakes.
Loneliness
- Water violet for aloofness and reserve.
- Impatiens for impatience.
- Heather for self-absorption, self-obsession, and excessive desire for companionship.
Oversensitivity
- Agrimony for concealed problems.
- Centaury for anxiety to please.
- Walnut for periods of transition.
- Holly for negative feelings such as hatred or envy.
Despondency & despair
- Larch for lack of self-confidence.
- Pine for guilt and self-reproach.
- Elm for a sense of overwhelming responsibility.
- Sweet chestnut for unbearable anguish.
- Star of Bethlehem for shock and grief.
- Willow for resentment and bitterness.
- Oak for those losing the strength to fight.
- Crab apple for those feeling ashamed or unclean.
Overconcern for the welfare of others
- Chicory for possessiveness, selfishness, self-pity, and overprotectiveness toward others.
- Vervain for the argumentative and overbearing.
- Vine for the ruthless and dictorial.
- Beech for the critical and intolerant.
- Rock water for self-denial and narrow mindedness.
EVIDENCE & RESEARCH
No clinical trials have been carried out on Bach Flower Remedies, and in chemical analysis only spring water and alcohol were detected. One theory attributes any effects to a kind of "molecular imprinting," but this is controversial and claims of efficacy are anecdotal. The unorthodox methods by which Dr. Bach identified and produced his remedies, together with stories of patients choosing their own remedies by dowsing, have not surprisingly left most conventional medical doctors unimpressed by the claims made for Bach Flower Remedies. Conventional medical practitioners are likely to attribute any benefits derived from them to the placebo response.
Consult a health care provider before embarking on any non-conventional form of treatment if you have any medical condition or symptoms of illness.
Do not stop taking any prescribed medications without first consulting with your health care provider.
Tell your complementary practitioner about any prescribed medication you are taking, and any other complementary treatments you are receiving.
Tell your health care provider about any complementary treatments or remedies you are taking.
Do not embark on vigorous exercise without first consulting your health care provider if you have any serious medical conditions, such as back pain, high blood pressure, heart disease, or if you are pregnant.
Advise your practitioner if you have any sexually transmitted disease.
Do not begin a course of complementary therapy without first consulting your health care provider or midwife if you are pregnant or trying to conceive.
Consult your health care provider before allowing babies or infants to receive complementary treatments, since some treatments, such as enemas and certain herbal remedies, are unsuitable for small children.
See your health care provider if symptoms persist or worsen.
ALTERNATIVE THERAPY LINKS
Touch & Movement: Acupressure
Mountain Rose Bulk Herbs
Mountain Rose Aromatherapy Oils
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils A-B
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils C-E
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils F-L
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils M-P
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils Q-Z
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils: Oil Blends & Resins
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils: Diffusers, Nebulizers, & Burners
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils: Oil Kits
Click Here To Visit Herbal Remedies Product Page
A Source For Medicinal & Ritual Herbs & Supplies
