Healing with Flower Essences
Flower essences are gentle yet effective in their ability to promote healing on a deep emotional and spiritual level. They have the power to influence our thoughts and emotions, and so their effect can result in physiological changes (changes you can physically see or feel). This is because emotional healing is a necessary component for the healing of any physical disease.
Vibrational Medicine
Flower essences are a form of vibrational medicine used as a holistic approach to well-being and self-healing. Flower remedies have been used for many years as a way to heal the mind, body, and spirit. They work gently and subtly on the emotional body, helping to calm the spirit and ease the mind. They were first created in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach, a medical doctor who believed in the connection between illness and spiritual imbalances. Similar to homeopathy, they work on the body’s subtle energy fields and have the ability to stimulate the body’s innate self-healing ability.
Flower essences are similar to essential oils, but they are not the same. Whereas essential oils contain a very concentrated amount of a plant (often intended for aromatic and topical application), flower essences are quite diluted and are made from the living blossoms of flowers from plants and trees. Flower essences are intended for ingestion or topical application. Flower essence tinctures may contain a combination of essential oil and flower essence in a base of alcohol.
Tools for Self-Healing
Flower essences are a great tool for self-healing as they are simple to use and very safe. They can be used by women, men, and even children and pets. However, it is best to avoid them while pregnant or breastfeeding. They are natural, non-toxic, and non-habit-forming, and can be combined with other treatments such as homeopathic remedies, natural supplements, and conventional treatments. (However, it is still a good idea to consult your health care practitioner if you have a medical condition and/or are taking medications.)
Flower essences work directly on the mind to heal and uplift the spirit. This allows not only for mental and spiritual healing, but often for the healing of the body in terms of relief of ailments, illness, stress, and disease. Flower essences are perfectly suitable for anyone looking to improve their emotional well-being, increase their connection with self or others, deepen their meditation practice, clear negativity, or achieve overall healing on a deeper level.
Flower essences can be especially helpful for emotions such as:
fear
uncertainty
loneliness
over-sensitivity
despair
lack of interest
lack of confidence
Using Flower Essences
Internally - Essences can be taken internally under the tongue or diluted in a bit of water, which can be taken all at once or sipped throughout the day. Follow the directions on the bottle for amounts to be taken, which may differ for various essences or work directly with a flower essence practitioner for guidance.
Externally - Essences can be applied to the body topically, as a great addition to your self-care routine. Add a few drops to a carrier oil or massage oil and use the oil as you normally would.
Flower Essences & Their Uses
Every flower/formula has a unique set of qualities, making it useful for various emotional states. There are many flower essences available that use single flowers as well as formulas that use a synergistic blend of flowers. You can find them at most health food stores. Our favorite company for flower essences & flower essence tinctures is Floracopeia. Choose a formula based on what you are currently experiencing and what you need emotionally and spiritually.
Aspen - Especially powerful remedy for children and animals who feel apprehensive at night, fearful or have disturbed sleep. Usually sensitive souls + empaths & those who have a hard time letting go of the day.
Uses: Offers peace of mind. Calms vague fears. Supportive for those who feel a lack of safety and security.
Bach’s flowers “Rescue Remedy” - For emergencies and crisis situations in which someone is in a state of extreme or heightened stress. Rescue Remedy contains impatiens, star of Bethlehem, cherry plum, rock rose, and clematis flowers in combination.
Uses: Emergencies, anxiety attacks, for stress/trauma, an outburst of emotions, before interviews and public speaking.
Beech - A beautiful remedy for those who see their environment as wrong, and who judge and criticize others, and who feel intolerant of events and situations.
Uses: For those who want to become more accepting of their environments, and others and who struggle with compassion.
Calendula - Soothing for the mind, body, and spirit, aids in digestion, is cleansing to the liver and gallbladder, and deepens our connection with the earth and its energy.
Uses: Skin health, eye health, digestion, for solar plexus connection, clearing liver qi stagnation. Increasing self-confidence.
Crab Apple - Used for obsession with order and cleanliness, helps us cope with feelings of shame from actions, thoughts or flaws.
Uses: Cleanses the body & mind. Draws out toxins. Clears poor self-image, elevates self-esteem, self-acceptance.
Hawthorne - Protects, strengthens and heals the heart.
Uses: Heartbreak, the loss of a loved one or pet, healing emotional pain, to create more space for love & connection + heart opening. Supporting emotional wellbeing.
Holy Basil (Tulsi) - Can connect us with our dharma (soul’s purpose), as well as enhance immune and digestive function
Uses: Stress regulation, healing old emotional wounds, enhances compassion, inner wisdom, focus, memory.
Honey Suckle - A beautiful remedy for those with memories of the past who are unable to let people, situations, and memories go. They don’t believe happiness can happen again.
Uses: Over-attachment to past memories, codependency, the death of loved ones.
Lavender - Soothes, relaxes, and strengthens the nervous system, acting as a blanket of calm and peace, and allows us to acknowledge our inner feminine wisdom and intuition.
Uses: Restoring the body, healing burnout, healing/restoring the feminine, promotes feelings of comfort and clarity.
Nasturtium - Helps us connect to other energies. Helps to move us back into our body and aids in transmuting dry intellectualization into warm vitality of feelings.
Uses: Grounding, bringing us back into our bodies.
Palo Santo - Grounds, protects and uplifts the spirit, connects us to our innate creativity and is often used in spiritual rituals to clear negativity and blocked energy.
Uses: To call in blessings, in a spiritual ceremony, for creativity, for grounding, for connecting to the root & crown.
Passion Flower - Promotes inner peace, relaxes and harmonizes the nervous system, calms the mind, and deepens meditation.
Uses: For agitation, anxiety, sleep support, calming nervous tension, spiritual insight, connects us with our higher self, balances an overstimulated body & mind
Rose - Uplifts, comforts and softens the heart and mind, calms hyperactivity of the mind and body and reminds us of our essential nature - encouraging more love, fluidity, and grace.
Uses: Calms panic and anxiety attacks, opens a closed heart, for opening to softness and bridging the heart and mind.
Water Violet - A heart opening remedy that can be used for connecting deeper with others, and for issues with communication. This is great for those who have a hard time opening up and trusting others.
Uses: Great for those who have heavy technology use, and who are depressed and lonely.
Creates warmth in connection with others.
Walnut - Helps protect us against outside influences and against the effects of change. Walnut helps us adapt whenever things in our lives are changing significantly.
Uses: Supportive for gracefully fulfilling ambitions.
White Chestnut - Amazing for individuals who have a hard time letting things go. Encourages a peaceful and calm mind.
Uses: Relief of nervous tension, stress, and sleeplessness, clears racing thoughts and repetitive worry.
Wild Oat - Very beneficial for those who have a strong calling within, but are unsure how to navigate through life, and make decisions. They feel a sense of confusion and lack certainty.
Uses: For times of crossroads in life, to assist with clarity and important decision making processes.
Vervain - Vervain works as an anti-inflammatory, reduces swelling, is a known anti-spasmodic (heals muscle spasms), and acts as an analgesic.
Uses: Calms an over-activated mind & body, supports healthy sleep, helps alleviate migraines, headaches, abdominal cramps from menstruation.