Flower essences are a unique type of remedy in the realm of plant-based remedies. The originator of these plant preparations was a wise soul, with a diverse and extensive medical and healing background. Dr. Edward Bach was a British physician, pathologist, immunologist, researcher, homeopath and intuitive. His most remarkable contribution of flower essences took place in the early part of the 20th century.
In 2007, my dream to visit the former residence of Dr. Edward Bach came true. The photo here is a photo that I took of the garden at Mount Vernon, his residence and office in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, England. I was excited to see where flower essences as we know of them today were first created. The original glass bottles of flower essences were displayed in his office and I could almost imagine him sitting at his desk or walking around the garden.
Across cultures and time, people have been using the vibrations of flowers for healing. Bach took this knowing and created a way to bottle and preserve the healing power of flowers into the remedies available today.
The Bach Flower Remedies are now only one—of the sets of remedies that come up if we type in flower essences in an internet search. Since I don’t currently produce commercially available essences, I like to recommend a few particular companies whose essences have helped me and others that I have worked with as a practitioner. I also believe in the power of connecting people with the plants that grow around them. I like to promote a closer people-plant connection and so I will often encourage people to buy from a local or regional flower essence producer. Given these practices and preferences, I still think that the Bach Flower Remedies (also sold as Healing Herbs through Flower Essence Services) are very useful, particularly during these times of turmoil, uncertainty and change. For one, they can easily be found on the shelves of your local health food store. I was thrilled to find Rescue Remedy recently on the shelves of my local supermarket!
Dr. Bach created his set of flower essences during a difficult time in the world. He began his career as a house surgeon in a hospital in London during World War I. He lived and worked through the Spanish flu pandemic, the Great Depression, the rise of fascism, nazism and the years leading up to World War II. He was a witness to the chaos, desperation, social and economic upheaval of the times and a keen observer of the human condition. Dr. Bach treated many, many people during his career. He developed a deep understanding of people and health during decades when so many harsh circumstances compromised people’s very emotional, mental and physical foundations.
During Bach’s first years as a house surgeon he cared for and operated on injured soldiers as well as having a private practice. In 1917, five years into his work as a physician and surgeon, he experienced his own medical emergency. Bach reportedly collapsed and experienced hemorrhaging that threated his life. He had emergency surgery and his colleagues removed a tumor. Shortly after coming to from his surgery, he was given three months to live. Despite the poor prognosis, Bach bounced back with vigor and a revitalized sense of purpose. It has been noted in the history provided by The Bach Centre that he knew “he still had work to do.”
Dr. Bach began practicing as a pathologist and conducting original immunological research specifically on vaccines in his own research laboratory. After some time as a researcher and practitioner, he became disillusioned with the dominant medical paradigm of the times. He believed that there was a more holistic approach to preventing disease. This notion sparked his decision to study homeopathy.
Homeopathy is a system of natural and vibrational medicine created by German physician, Samuel Hahnemann in the late 18th century. Homeopathic medicine treats the whole person (body, mind, emotions and spirit). Dr. Bach made significant contributions to the field of homeopathy. He developed seven homeopathic bacterial nosodes (remedies that were meant to help prevent contagious and infectious disease). These nosodes are still used by homeopaths today. His accomplishments in the field of homeopathy earned him the nickname of “the second Hahnemann.” (https://www.bachcentre.com/en/about-us/history/dr-bach/)
Dr. Bach sought the answer to the question; what was the cause of disease? He eventually began to explore the answer beyond homeopathy. Bach left his medical/homeopathic practice, research and his home and moved to the countryside of England to continue his search. This time he intended to explore the potential for a gentle, natural and plant-based approach to healing. In abandoning the orthodox approach to medicine, he embraced his intuitive abilities and put them to use. In the meadows of the English countryside, he created the flower essences that we know today. 38 flower remedies to heal the emotional, thought and behavioral patterns that he believed create dis-ease. His remedies were meant to treat personality imbalances to restore us to our natural, vital health.
It could be said that Dr. Bach was an early researcher and proponent of what later developed into the interdisciplinary study of psychoneuroimmunology or (PNI). PNI is the study of the body/mind connection. Studies done within the field of PNI show how our mind and emotions effect our health and our resistance to disease.
Fast forward to 2020. We have individually and collectively had to navigate a pandemic and social, economic and environmental upheaval. Many are seeking natural ways to fortify their health and build natural resilience. Bach’s remedies have aided many in strengthening their body/mind health, decreasing their stress and living a more fulfilled life since the 1930s. They remain supportive of our most abundant and optimal health now, as much as they did when they were created.