I’m a firm believer in holistic wellness. Taking a holistic approach to addressing an illness or condition consists of addressing not only the physical parts of a person but the mental and spiritual parts as well.
As an herbalist, I often call upon plants to bring about physiological adjustments to the body. However, plants can also bring about shifts in a person’s mental/emotional and spiritual spheres as well.
While using plants for spiritual purposes is not the focus of this article, using plants for mental purposes is, which brings me to today’s topic — flower essences.
What is a Flower Essence?
At its most basic definition, a flower essence is a solar water infusion made with the flower of a plant that is extremely diluted and used to bring about mental/emotional shifts in the body through its energetic actions on the nervous system.
While I tend to have a more scientifically-oriented mindset — meaning I like to understand how this action works in the body — I sometimes have to trust that some things either (1) can’t be explained, or (2) we simply don’t have the understanding of how they work at this time.
I think both of these things are true for flower essences.
From my understanding, flower essences can be used in stronger dilutions to bring about physiological changes in the body that occur at a molecular level. This is very similar to how herbal preparations like tinctures and infusions work. Flower essences can also be used in diluted doses to bring about changes and shifts in the body that occur on an energetic level.
I mentioned the difference in physiological and energetic dosing in the May 2021 Q+A when I answered the question about flower essences, and I mentioned that flower essences are a type of energetic dosing practice.
The simplest way I know to explain energetic dosing is this.
When you use a small amount of a plant, it’s not enough to stimulate or inhibit the metabolic functions of the body that are resp, but it is enough to create subtle energy shifts, either increasing or decreasing them where needed. These energy shifts help to open and unblock areas of the body where energy is stuck. In Ayurvedic medicine, these energy pathways are referred to as meridians.
At this point in the modern world, we know that energy is present in all things, living and non-living. We even have ways to measure energy frequencies in things — hello, electrocardiograms (EKGs) and electroencephalogram (EEGs)! In the holistic wellness sphere, there are many energy therapies, such as reiki therapy, muscle testing, and even drum circles, all of which work to shift energies in the body. Even listening to different types of music can change a person’s mental and emotional energy.
While some of the ways flower essences work on an energetic level can be explained and make sense to my logical mind, some of it can’t (or I’m not at a place where I can completely understand it).
This is where evidence must make way for faith, whether it’s faith in the order of nature itself, the greater cosmos, or a higher power who has designed us and set all laws of our universe into motion. And it’s in this space that we simply must let go of our finite understanding of the world and the way it works so we can open ourselves up to the possibility of something beyond the grasp of our limited, scientific mind.
Now that we’ve covered the fact that flower essences work on an energetic level, let’s look at why this even matters.
Energy Stagnation, Blockages, and Ruts
We are energetic beings, and we respond to the energy of things around us. Have you ever wondered why you feel gloomy, sleepy, or sometimes cozy when it’s raining outside? What about why you feel uncomfortable around certain people even when you know nothing about them? Why is it that certain musical compositions make you feel different things?
It’s all various forms of energy affecting our personal energy, and when the energy in our body shifts, so do our emotions (as well as our physical and spiritual selves too)!
Okay, so let’s look at this from an emotional perspective since that’s what flower essences support.
Think about your emotions as you would water running downhill. We, humans, tend to have set responses or patterns to our behavior and thought processes, and these patterns each time they’re repeated are like water creating deeper and deeper ruts down the mountain. At first, they’re little streams, but eventually, they turn into rivers with banks holding the water in so it flows in a set path.
Are you following me?
Now, imagine this river becomes blocked. All that water is going to get stuck and stagnant. Eventually, it’s going to back up, eventually overflowing the banks. From there, it will have to find another path past the blockage, but this path won’t be easy. It’s unknown and the water seems to be flowing all over the place trying to find the easiest way around the blockage.
Our mental and emotional patterns can be that way.
Learned behaviors and thought processes work as they always have, for better or worse, because they’re flowing in a set path — a learned path. However, once something blocks or interferes with that path, intentional or not, our emotions get stuck, stagnant, overflowing, or straight up lost. We can find ourselves feeling blah. It may be that we eventually overflow with emotions, such as anger or panic, when we normally keep things in check. Perhaps we even find ourselves having to forge a new emotional pathway, and we feel completely lost and out of control.
This is where flower essences can be of assistance, as can many other forms of energy therapy.
Flower essences can be used to help unblock stuck energy pathways, help us as we forge a new pathway around a blockage, or simply deal with our feelings as we work to unblock the pathway.
Flower essences work to gently and slowly bring balance to the emotional self.
Alright, so moving beyond how and why flower essences work, let’s look at some specific things to know about flower essences.
Logistics of Flower Essences
Finding the Right Flower Essence for You
When using flower essences, I always recommend doing some journaling for a while first to identify some areas of your emotional self that you want to address. Don’t be afraid to ask yourself the hard questions and to spill your true thoughts and feelings on paper. You can always burn it later! The goal here is to identify emotions that are stuck and stagnant and need help moving again. Go with your gut, and don’t be afraid to listen to your intuition!
Once you have an idea of what your current emotional needs are, it’s a good idea to research different types of flower essences to see which one(s) is a fit for you.
Here are some good books to help you get started:
- The Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy by Mechthild Scheffer
- Flower Essence Repertory by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz
- The Bach Flower Remedies by Edward Bach, MD
You can also do some online research, but be sure you use trusted sites run by flower essence practitioners or someone with experience using flower essences. I mean, you want to get the flower essence(s) that is actually going to fit your needs so it works. Right?
Once you’ve found one or more flower essences that will help support your current emotional self, you’re going to want to purchase them online or make them yourself if you have access to the flower you need.
Mother Essence, Stock Bottle, Dosage Bottle — What!?
If you’re making a flower essence at home, as I demonstrated in the recipe walk-through video with buttercup, you’re making what’s called the mother essence. The mother essence is 50% flower infusion and 50% alcohol. This is the foundation of your flower essence, and it is what you use to make your stock bottles. You DO NOT use the mother essence internally! It’s too strong!
Stock bottles are a further dilution of the mother essence — typically 5-10 drops of the mother essence diluted in 75% water and 25% alcohol. The stock bottle is what you will use when taking or dosing your flower essence, and this is what you will typically purchase in a store or online.
Now, some people even go so far as to make dosage bottles which are further dilutions of the stock bottle. These bottles are used on the go or when multiple flower essences are being used. Personally, I don’t see a point in a dosage bottle. It seems like an extra step to me, so I ignore them, and simply use my stock bottle.
Dosing Recommendations
Typical dosing for flower essences is to take 4 drops from a flower essence stock bottle 2-4 times a day (more often if needed) for a minimum of 4 weeks for short-term emotional needs. For long-term or deep-seated emotional issues, it’s recommended to use flower essences for a minimum of 6 weeks if not longer for best results.
You can take all of your essences together at the same time by either carefully dropping them directly into your mouth (under the tongue is ideal), or dropping them in a small amount of water and then drinking it.
Evaluating Your Progress
As you continue to use your flower essence, I find it a good idea to journal through the process. It can be helpful to look back at the end of the month and read through your writing to see where progress has been made. It can also be helpful to ask yourself how you feel about certain areas of your life or situations at the end of each week and rate them from 1-5 to get a better idea of whether progress is being made or not.
If you are feeling more emotionally balanced or stable, it’s okay to stop using the flower essences altogether or move on to another one. If you don’t feel any different than you did before you started this regimen, perhaps you need to continue using the current flower essence for a few more weeks, use a blend of essences from other flowers that can help support your emotions, or try combining flower essences with an herb that supports emotional wellness.
In closing, let me caution you not to give up on flower essences too soon. Remember, nature’s medicines are slow and gentle, and they often take time and patience to work well.
Best of luck to you as you dive into flower essences. I’d love to know if you have any further questions about making or using flower essences.
Love and light,
Meagan