I’ve been using Bach flower remedies for almost 20 years.
I discovered them during a very stressful time in my life and I’m really glad I found them.
Bach flower essences are a type of homeopathy. (However, this is a hotly debated topic.)
Yet they’re very different from classical homeopathic remedies.
The process of prescribing is different too.
Instead of taking a complete case with a list of your physical and emotional symptoms, Bach flower practitioners zero in on your emotions.
You’ll be asked to describe your predominant emotional state.
What’s bothering you? What’s getting in the way to enjoying life?
What’s stopping you from functioning well?
What’s standing in the way of developing healthy relationships?
Your emotional state is then analyzed against a list of 38 remedies.
Compare this to 5,000 and counting classical homeopathic remedies. Even trained homeopaths need computer programs to sort it all out.
Classical Homeopathy Vs Bach Flowers
Bach flower remedies are extremely easy to use, compared to regular homeopathy.
Flower essence consultations are generally less expensive than a classical homeopathy session.
You tell your Bach consultant about your predominant emotional symptoms. He or she then chooses the appropriate remedy or combination of remedies for you.
Which, of course, begs the question of why not just use Bach flowers?
Why not just ditch classical homeopathy and do it the easy way?
Bach flowers are amazing. But they have limitations.
For example, if you have a really bad flu, toothache, headache or ear infection you want the laser-like precision of classical homeopathy.
Your homeopath will guide you on remedy and potency selection. You may have to switch remedies while you heal.
It’s an intricate dance of using the right homeopathic remedies, in the right potency, for the right amount of time. You also need to know when to change them if necessary.
(Certified homeopaths go through rigorous training and have typically practiced for years before you interact with them. Their experience typically includes much practice on themselves, family members and pets.)
For instance, I definitely wouldn’t rely upon Bach flowers if I had an acute infection or chronic long-standing pain.
Nor would I expect them to address a serious medical condition. Or a nagging skin problem that just won’t go away. Or an ear infection. Or a bladder infection.
In an emotional crisis I’d also recommend classical homeopathy. That’s because it has more data behind it and we can tell very quickly if the remedy is working or not.
Children with developmental problems are best served by classical homeopathy. As are people who’ve never quite recovered from mono or the flu. Or someone in severe acute physical pain.
Bach flowers, on the other hand, hit you on an emotional level. They help your present emotional state.
Many practitioners (myself included) believe that Bach flowers also lead to long-lasting positive mental changes.
Since being angry, unhappy, jealous or resentful can lead to illness, lifting these states should lead to better health, according to the principles upon which Bach therapy was founded.
But Bach flowers often don’t deliver immediate results. The changes are generally subtle. But Bach remedies have the potential to do a lot of good if you use them consistently, over time.
What’s The Difference Between Bach Flowers and Regular Homeopathy?
Sleep problems may respond to both classical homeopathy and Bach flower remedies.
If you have trouble sleeping try one method and if it doesn’t work try the other.
As I mentioned earlier, Bach flowers are very easy to use.
There are only 38 remedies plus a combination of five essences called Rescue Remedy.
Rescue Remedy is sold by various brands and it may have different names, such as Crisis Formula.
But it always contains Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose and Star of Bethlehem essences.
Bach flowers were created by Dr. Edward Bach, MD, a British homeopath who wanted the world to have an easier system of homeopathy.
Dr. Bach believed that these 38 remedies alone or combined cover the entire human emotional state. They often work really well for animals too.
One of my dogs had a panic attack on a long road trip. One dose of Rescue Remedy, which we always have in the car, and she slept the rest of the way.
Homeopathic Aconite likely would have yielded the same result. But it was packed away in the trunk and the Rescue Remedy was more convenient. (I always keep it in my car.)
In short, Bach remedies are amazing.
But they have their limitations.
Once we had a very elderly dog and it looked like he was dying. He had stopped eating and he was sluggish. We tried a few regular homeopathic remedies and they didn’t work. So I brought out the Rescue Remedy. That didn’t work. So I tried yet another regular homeopathic remedy and that saved his life. He lived for another year and a half.
Anyway, I tell those stories to show that Bach remedies are a nice adjunct to classical homeopathic remedies.
The main uses for Bach remedies (as I see them) include:
- An easy introduction to homeopathy. Someone who’s never used homeopathy before might want to try these gentle easy-to-use flower essences.
- For a purely emotional condition. If you’re not suffering physical distress it can’t hurt to try flower remedies. See what happens.
- For someone in a weakened state. Bach remedies would be very appropriate for a frail person when emotional issues predominate. Hopefully this will boost their vitality, in order for classical homeopathy to work better.
- Extremely sensitive clients. Some people respond to homeopathy a little too well and develop “aggravations” even with careful prescribing. In that case why not just switch to Bach flower prescribing for a limited time to clear old emotional patterns and see if classical homeopathy works better. This is similar to intercurrent prescribing.
- Intercurrent Prescribing. This is when a new homeopathic remedy is given in order to make the originally prescribed remedy work better. Typically the intercurrent is a similar homeopathic remedy or a nosode (a special type of homeopathic remedy.) But there’s no rule that says you can’t use Bach flowers as an intercurrent if there’s a well indicated remedy or remedy combination.
- Very complex cases. It may take a little time to sort out certain cases, because they are so complex. Meanwhile your client can take Bach flower remedies for immediate relief, until the best-indicated homeopathic remedy is found.
- For residual problems. If someone is 90 percent helped by homeopathy and there are lingering mental symptoms you can use Bach flowers to clear them out.
- Animals with emotional issues. Bach flowers work beautifully in animals.
In short, Bach flower remedies are a simple way to reap the benefits of homeopathy. Although they’re not made in traditional homeopathic potencies, they are potentized by the sun or by boiling and then diluted.
So I consider them another form of homeopathy, similar to cell salts.
If Bach flower remedies are so easy do you really need to work with a practitioner?
No, you can absolutely do it yourself.
But it’s also good to have someone else’s perspective.
Plus, believe it or not, you’ll probably save money if you hire a reasonably priced Bach therapist, especially if the remedies are included in the consultation fee.
That’s because several remedies are usually taken together. Your special combo.
However, each Bach essence bottle often costs around $20. So you could easily spend $100 just buying remedies and hoping you’ve chosen the right ones.
Would you like to talk more about Bach flowers?
I’d love to work with you.
