As more people embrace an holistic approach to healthcare, there is a new interest in flower essences, writes Sylvia Thompson
Almost everyone nowadays knows about Rescue Remedy, the flower essences that people (mainly women) pull out of their bags to take at a time of crisis. But what many people don't know is that Rescue Remedy is a combination of five flower essences (Rock Rose, Impatiens, Star of Bethlehem, Cherry Plum and Clematis) developed by an English physician and bacteriologist, Dr Edward Bach, in the 1930s.
Tessa Jordan, a London-based Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner (BFRP) and homeopath, says Rescue Remedy is used by everyone from pregnant mothers to people who are terminally ill.
"I call it yoga in a bottle. It gives people a sense of control over what's happening to them. I recommend people use it whenever they need emotional rescuing," she says.
As more people embrace a holistic approach to healthcare promoted through traditional Indian (Ayurveda) and Chinese medicine systems, Western herbal medicine and homeopathy, there is also a new interest in flower essences.
Angelina Kelly, a BFRP based in Dublin, says: "People come to me at big stress moments in their lives, for instance when children are going back to school, when there has been a bereavement or when there is a marriage in the family.
"There may be nothing physically wrong with them although they may have aches and pains, rashes on their skin or fell unwell in the stomach. The remedies help to comfort and calm them through these challenges," she says.
The Bach flower remedies focus solely on emotional and mental difficulties and practitioners can neither diagnose nor treat physical conditions.
The remedies do, however, give people the opportunity to look at the emotions behind the physical symptoms.
"I describe them as archaeologists because they dig down behind what's going on and dredge up the real feelings which are linked with the appropriate remedy," explains Kelly.
Dr Bach, who was a medical doctor, bacteriologist and homeopath, selected 38 different flowers which he believed covered all known negative states of mind.
These include beech for those critical and intolerant of others, elm for those overwhelmed by inadequacy and responsibility, gorse for those suffering from pessimism and defeatism, and vine for those who are dominating, inflexible and arrogant.
Kelly, who is also a qualified reflexologist, says that, generally speaking, identifying the specific emotional and mental areas of difficulty takes one or two consultations. "It gives the person a chance to explore and verbalise what they are feeling. That's what does the work and the remedy backs that up and helps them through their difficulties."
Kelly says that many people describe the Bach flower remedies as "a crutch or support to lean on until they have the strength and courage to carry themselves again".
She says: "Fewer and fewer people are tolerant of how people are thinking and feeling and, sometimes, all somebody wants is someone else to sit and listen to them."
Tessa Jordan says the key difference between using Bach flower remedies and counselling is that there is no need for the analysis. "Analysing your problems can be a huge pressure for people and it can be a huge liberation for people to reflect on, acknowledge and accept where they are at, without the analysis of their personal history."
Carmel Clarke, another Dublin-based Bach Foundation registered practitioner, combines her use of the Bach flower remedies with Shiatsu.
"Emotional conditions do impact on the physical body so I can offer them to people who come for Shiatsu," she says.
Clarke, who has been using Bach flower remedies for 25 years, says she has found the Star of Bethlehem useful for shock and grief that might be lying dormant in the body. "Impatiens is also good for those who are impatient," she says.
"The Bach flower remedies may not impact on specific health conditions but if you can cope with the emotions you feel, you can deal with the physical problems better," says Clarke.
On a more specific level, Clarke says that if you carry a lot of fear about an ongoing situation, this fear stimulates your body into a fight/flight stress reaction, which diverts energy away from the body's systems that promote healing.
Such is the popularity of Dr Bach's Rescue Remedy that the Nelsons Homeopathic Pharmacy chain (which is licensed to bottle and sell Dr Bach's flower remedies) has launched a new product, Rescue Remedy Sleep.
"This is the first product that Dr Bach didn't develop himself. Basically it's for people who find it hard to go to sleep because their minds are busy and distracted," says Jordan.
"It contains the five flower essences that Dr Bach put in Rescue Remedy with the addition of White Chestnut, which Dr Bach prescribed for persistent unwanted thoughts, mental arguments and pre-occupations."
Angelina Kelly will give an introduction day to the Bach Flower Remedies on Saturday, September 29th, 10am-5pm in Libra Natural Health, 44 Leinster St North, Phibsboro, Dublin (booking on tel: 01-8304285) and on Saturday, October 27th, 10am-5pm in Ard na Solas, Main St, Ashbourne, Co Meath (booking on tel: 01-8357414). Cost €100 per day. See www.bachcentre.com for list of Bach Foundation Registered Practitioners.
Flower Power
• What are they?
Bach flower remedies are a group of 38 different flower essences which are taken by individuals to help them cope with difficult emotional states and negative frames of mind. There are also other flower essences such as Californian flower essences and Australian bush flower essences.
The well-known Rescue Remedy is a combination of five different Bach flower essences.
• Where did they originate?
Bach flower remedies were discovered and developed by the late Dr Edward Bach, a medical doctor, bacteriologist and homeopathist who left a London practice to study plants in Wales.
• What are they used for?
Bach flower remedies are used to help people deal with negative states of mind and emotion.
Dr Bach categorised his 38 chosen flowers into seven headings - those for apprehension, for uncertainty and indecision, for loneliness, for insufficient interest in present circumstances, for over-sensitiveness to ideas and influence, for despondency and depair and for over-care for the welfare of others.
• What is the theory behind their use?
Bach Flower Registered Practitioners (BFRP) are trained to help people identify the specific emotion that is bringing difficulty to their lives. Dr Bach believed that each chosen flower contained a specific vibrational energy which assisted the emotional state. Some flower essences are also believed to have an impact on the nervous and immune systems.
• What is the scientific evidence behind Bach Flower Remedies?
A recent double blind clinical trial found that those who took Rescue Remedy rather than a placebo experienced significant reduction in their levels of stress and anxiety following a specific stressful situation. There are no known clinical trials of the 38 Bach flower essences.