I’ll never forget the first time I tried flower essences. I was a recent college graduate starting my first big girl job as a retail buyer in NYC. I was surrounded by so many new things and felt an intense amount of pressure to succeed. I woke up most days with a lot of anxiety, uncertain what the day would bring. I was constantly worrying about what others were thinking of me, if my work was good enough, how I was being perceived by my coworkers and friends, and so on. I was taking anti-anxiety medication at the time to help manage my anxiety but it didn’t seem to be helping. If anything it made me feel apathetic, uninspired, and disconnected from myself. As the anxiety worsened, I found myself seeking out alternative ways to better manage my emotions. A friend of mine told me about flower essences and suggested I try Bach’s Rescue Remedy, a flower essence blend that helps to ease anxiety and reduce stress. After the first use, I felt immediately calmer, more grounded, and at ease. The anxious thoughts were still there, but my body felt different. Less tense, more centered, and more confident in my ability to handle whatever was coming my way.
I have continued to work with flower essences over the past 10 years and I am constantly amazed how these subtle energies can create such big shifts. There is so much that I want to share about this magical medicine but first i'll just start with the basics:
What are Flower Essences?
Similar to homeopathic remedies, flower essences are vibrational in nature and are used to address issues of emotional well-being, soul development, and mind-body health. They are liquid extracts made from flowers that embody the energetic imprint of the plant. Each essence is diluted down to the point where no physical plant matter is present, only the essence of the flower remains. Because of this, flower essences do not create a bio-chemical interaction in the body when taken. Instead, the essences work through the human energy field and influence mental and emotional well-being. As energetic patterns and blockages shift, many will also experience a shift in their physical well-being as a result.
How Are Flower Essences Made?
Flower essences are prepared from a sun infusion of the flower when it is in its most vibrant state. The flower blossoms are picked and placed in a crystal bowl filled with spring water. The bowl is placed in direct sunlight and sits for several hours while the sun rays work to transfer the flower’s essence into the spring water. Once this is complete, the plant material is removed and the water remaining is poured into a bottle that is topped off with brandy to help preserve the essence. This is called the Mother Essence. It is very potent medicine that needs to be further diluted into stock bottles. To make a stock bottle, you take 5 drops from the Mother Essence and place into a 1oz bottle. The rest of the bottle gets filled up with half spring water and half brandy. You can further dilute the stock bottles into dosage bottles by adding 1 drop of stock essence to ½ oz of spring water. Dosage bottles are meant to be used within 2 weeks and do not require brandy as a preservative.
How Do Flower Essences Work?
The way they work is similar to the effects you may experience from listening to music, seeing an inspirational work of art or smelling a familiar scent that evokes a particular feeling. When these light or sound waves reach your senses, they can indirectly affect your breathing, pulse rate and other physical states. In a similar way, the specific vibration and life force of each flower essence has the ability to resonate with and awaken certain qualities within the human soul. Each flower essence contains its own unique frequency that can help to recalibrate energetic imbalances and blockages within your own energy field.
Who Can Benefit From Flower Essences?
Everyone! Because there isn’t any physical plant matter in the essence, they are safe for anyone to take, including children and animals. They can be taken for immediate relief of acute emotional distress or used on a daily basis to help shift energy patterns that are more deeply rooted. As you break up and release old, stuck energy it creates more space to invite new ways of thinking and feeling into your life. Flower essences can help with situations such as:
Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Fatigue
Insomnia
Relationships
Trauma
Communication
Confidence
Productivity
Breaking habits
Fear
Loneliness
Chronic illness
Finding purpose
Grief
How Do I Use Flower Essences?
When using flower essences, more is not necessarily better. Each drop is a holographic imprint of the essential qualities of the plant. As the flower essence gets diluted, the physical substance of the infusion is no longer biochemically significant. Instead you are left with the full etheric “message” of the plant. It is recommended to take 4 drops orally, 4 times a day for at least 2 weeks to shift energy patterns. If you are taking for acute relief, you can use 1-4 drops as needed. Flower essences can also be used topically if preferred. You can place them directly onto your body, into a bathtub, or add them to a spray bottle and mist yourself with them.
When you buy a flower essence from the store it is in the form of a stock bottle. This means that it contains a few drops of the mother essence and the rest of the bottle is 50% water and 50% preservative (usually alcohol). You can take directly from the stock bottle or you can further dilute the essence into a dosage bottle. Dosage bottles are meant to be used within 2 weeks and do not need a preservative. To make a dosage bottle, add one drop from the stock bottle into a ½ oz dropper bottle and fill the rest of the bottle up with spring water. This size should last about 2 weeks. If you are making a larger bottle, add one drop of stock essence for every additional ½ oz of water that you use. You can work with one essence at a time or a combination of essences. Bach recommends using no more than 7 essences in a formula.
Where Can I Get Flower Essences?
If you are just getting started with flower essences, I recommend starting with the Original Bach Flower Remedies. There are 38 remedies in this kit and they cover a wide range of feelings such as fear, loneliness, despair, uncertainty, etc. On Bach’s website you can learn more about what each essence is for as well as purchase them directly from the website. Depending on where you live, you can also sometimes find the Bach remedies in the supplement section at health food stores such as Whole Foods.
How Do I Know Which Flower Essence To Take?
I always start by making a list of all the emotions I am currently experiencing. Journaling, meditating, or talking with a friend or Flower Essence Practitioner can help bring awareness to what you are really feeling. Once you are clear on where you feel the imbalance, then it is easier to select an essence that can help to balance it out. To learn more about the 38 Bach Remedies and what each one can help with, visit Bach’s website. I will also be doing more posts on the benefits of individual essences -stay tuned!
Typically you will know after a few days if the essence is a match for you. You will start to feel subtle shifts in energy that will bring a sense of ease and flow into your life. If you don’t notice any differences it could be that the essence is not the right match, try a different one! As mentioned before, flower essences are very safe so you don’t have to worry about choosing the wrong one. I always recommend journaling before and after taking an essence. This can make it easier to see the subtle changes that have taken place.
Last Thoughts…
For me personally, flower essences have supported me emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually throughout the past 10 years. Let’s be honest, life is not always easy and in fact sometimes it can feel so hard that it leaves us feeling paralyzed and unable to move forward. It has been in these moments that flower essences have been one of my biggest allies. I have so much love for this medicine and I am passionate about sharing it with others. If you are interested in working with me one on one to learn more about essences and build a custom formula please reach out to schedule an appointment.
You will also notice that I use flower essences in some of my Tulsi Rose products. I find that they integrate really well with the other plant ingredients and increase the overall vibration of the product. Some of my personal favorites include the Aloe Honey Face Wash, Radiant Beauty Facial Toner, Release & Relax Spritzer, and Dry Skin Relief Cream. Click below to shop Tulsi Rose products.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out. I am happy to support any way that I can!