Healing With Flower Essences

An offshoot of aromatherapy, flower essence healing involves the use of natural compounds from flowers to encourage healing and maintain good health. The art of using flower essences is not new. In fact, ancient Chinese and Egyptians all used flowers in their healing rituals. The floral compounds helped to pave the way for modern pharmaceuticals.

Flower essence healing can take many forms. In one type, drops or tinctures made from particular flowers are taken for several days. These are called the Bach Remedies, named after Dr. Edward Bach, an expert in the field. They can offer relief from stress, anxiety, depression, fear, and personality traits like selfishness or low self-esteem. Flower essence is also thought to help encourage positive though, and therefore positive energy.

So where do flower essences come from? The process is actually fairly simple. It begins by putting certain flowers into water, and using the energy of sun to help the water absorb the energy of the blossoms. When applied to the person, either on the skin or on the tongue, the energies that were absorbed by the water are transferred to the person. The vibrations caused by this energy transfer can have an effect on the person's own energy field.

According to flower essence practitioners, poor health generally results from a lack of balance, either with our own inner spirit, our relationship with others, or the world around us. This lack of balance manifests itself through physical symptoms. We've all had the experience of stress causing a headache, or anxiety causing a stomach ache. This is a physical response to an emotional event.

Flower essence therapy aims to alleviate the physical symptoms by restoring a healthy balance. Dr. Bach discovered 38 specific flower combinations that have been show to have a subtle, yet significant, effect.

Aspen has been shown to help control anxiety and phobias, and can even help reduce nightmares. Crab apple can help improve endurance, and has been seen to help in facial rashes. The flowers of the Larch tree can help boost confidence, while the olive blossom restores a feeling of peacefulness.

The Flower Essence Society has a wealth of information on the power of flower essences to bring about balance and good health. The organization works to promote the science behind the practice of flower essences. They also offer a program for flower essence professionals, with a training and certification program. International in scope, they offer programs and training courses around the world.

To learn more about flower essences, you may want to consider these books:

"Flowers that Heal" by Patricia Kaminski offers a look at the effects of flower essences with some interesting historical background. She has written other books as well, including "Choosing Flower Essences: An Assessment Guide."

Written by Julian and Martine Barnard, "The Healing Herbs of Edward Bach" give a good overview of Dr. Bach's work, and his 38 essences. Julian Barnard has written other books on the topic, including "Back Flower Remedies: Form & Function."

If you are truly interested in learning more about flower essences and how they might help you, find a local floral essence practitioner for guidance. If you can't find one in your own town, you might want to check nearby cities for someone who will work with you.

To purchase flower essences on your own, all you have to do is enter a web search on any of the major search engines, and a number of sites will pop up. Be sure that the person you are buying from has a strong background in the science and theory of flower essences, to be sure you are getting your money's worth.