Perhaps, no one, so far, has shown the remedial powers of flowers like Dr. Bach has. A renowned English physician, he devoted his entire life to studying the healing effects of flower essences and how they could be utilized to cure human ‘emotions’. Classified as ‘alternative’ medicine, Bach flower therapy does not claim to cure a disease or its symptoms instead it focuses on healing that emotion in a human being which leads to diseases in the first place. It can be said that Bach flower essences help in curing a person’s mental or psychological state of mind.
Recent research has proven that the immune system is directly affected by the state of mind thus scientifically proving the age-old adage; ‘a healthy mind leads to a healthy body’. And Bach flower therapy attempts to do just that.
Bach flower ‘Rescue remedy’
Created in 1930’s by Dr. Bach, Bach original flower remedies are 38 flower-based remedies that can help you deal with the emotional demands of everyday life like depression, anxiety, stress and insomnia. Each remedy is said to cure a specific emotion, they can be taken individually or in a combination of two or more remedies. The most popular of all the Bach flower remedies is the ‘Rescue remedy’. A combination of five flower remedies including Impatiens, Star of Bethlehem, cherry plum, rockrose and clematis. The rescue remedy is believed to help you deal with stress, anxiety and panic attacks. It is also available in the form of a ‘rescue cream’ which can be used as an ointment. Though there has been no research on this matter, Bach flower rescue remedy is said to be effective in calming down animals and on diseased plants as well.
The flower remedies are still made using the boiling or ‘sun heating’ method advocated by Dr. Bach. Dr. Bach also used alcohol in is preparation but only as a preservative. The remedies could have been created in a water-based mixture but then they would have been extremely susceptible to bacterial formations. However the quality of alcohol is very limited and is in no way harmful.
Dr. Bach believed that the real diseases of man were cruelty, selfishness, pride and hatred and thus he came up with the postulate, ‘Treat the person, not the illness’. Another thing about Bach flower therapy is that each remedy can have a different effect on different people. For instance two people may have the same disease, say diabetes, however they differ in their attitudes to the disease, one may be resigned to it while the other may want to combat it. Hence both these people would have to use different Bach flower remedies because of the inherent difference in their nature or emotions. Some of the flower remedies Dr. Bach Discovered are, holly to cure hatred, envy and jealousy, Willow for self-pity and resentment, Aspen for fear of unknown things and honeysuckle for living in the past. All 38 remedies are attributed with curing certain intricate human emotions.
And if all of the above still has you raising your eyebrows in cynicism, here’s something that ought to convince you, Queen Elizabeth II uses Bach flower therapy till today!