Using Flower Essences Internally

Flower essences are usually taken internally using a small dropper bottle from which a number of drops are taken several times a day, depending on the brand of essence in use. These bottles are easy to use and a course of treatment can normally be fitted into the daily routine without forgetting. No special rules apply, as they do in other healing systems such as homeopathy, so you are free to eat and rink anything at any time and use your usual toothpaste.

It is advisable to take the drops morning and night, when the system is clear, and also before meals, holding them in the mouth for a few moments. A rhythmical approach like this, if you can adhere to it, will give the best results. No advantage is gained by taking a double dose if the previous dose has been forgotten, as taking more than the suggested number of drops is a waste.

Preparing a dosage bottle for Bach essences

You may find it helpful to make up more than one bottle say, one to put by the bed and one to leave in the kitchen, or one to leave at work for the daytime doses and one at home for the evening and weekends. Small dropper bottles are available from pharmacies.

Almost fill a 30ml/1fl oz dropper bottle with spring water. Add 5ml/1 tsp brandy or vodka as a preservative. Use cider vinegar or glycerine if you wish to avoid alcohol. For babies and animals you can omit the preservative, in which case the bottle must be kept in the fridge.

Dosage Instructions

Take 4 drops, four times a day for three weeks, then allow a week to integrate and assess what to put in a new bottle. Each treatment is based on a four-week cycle, in harmony with the cycle of the moon.

Essences for long term treatment can be taken in a glass of water. Add 2 drops of each chosen essence to the glass and stir well to activate the essences. Sip four times a day, making a fresh batch daily. If you cannot tolerate alcohol, add the essences to a glass of hot water, as this will cause the alcohol to evaporate. Essences can also be taken directly from the stock bottle, by putting 2 to 4 drops under the tongue, although this approach is not thought to be as effective, as they are absorbed more efficiently when diluted.

Preparing Flower Essences in Pill form

Impregnating sugar or lactose pills with flower essences can prove a very user friendly way of ingesting them. Weigh 30g/1oz pills and fill a small jar, add 2 drops of each chosen essence and shake well. Pour the pills on to a clean plate, spread out and allow to dry. Return them to the

jar and chew two pills thoroughly as required, preferably with water.

How Many Essences?

Traditional Bach literature, written since the 1930s, recommends that no more than a total of six essences should be combined in a treatment bottle. Many flower blends on the market, as well as the Bach combinations presented in this book, contain more than ten essences. However, they are designed to work together on a single issue, which seems to be a critical factor. Treating a number of diverse issues with too many essences all at once, may dilute the effect, leaving nothing properly addressed. In practice, there is a certain amount of usable psychic space and, as the bands of colors in a rainbow lay side by side, so the chosen essences fill such a space with their differing healing vibrations.

Some essence producers suggest that one well chosen essence that addresses a core issue can be every effective and also seems to eliminate many related issues, which at the original consultation seems to demand treatment. A small study reported in Donna Cunningham's Flower Remedies Handbook (1992), tested the effects of taking either one, four or seven essences. The results suggested that four essences were actually more effective than one or seven, and a number of producers do suggest four. A general guideline in most cases would seem to be that a treatment bottle should contain no more than six, but preferably four, essences.

Treatment Period

It is difficult to say for how long essences will be required, as there is no way of knowing the depth of the issue being addressed or what other lessons could come up along the way, which will need to be cleared to effect a complete resolution. An acute problem, such as not sleeping, cansometimes be resolved with one treatment bottle, and some essence makers though not all are of the opinion that if you forget to take the drops, it is a sign that treatment is no longer required. For most difficulties, however, it is advisable to take three bottles, and some chronic problems could require in excess of four to facilitate long lasting improvement.

Essences and other Therapies

Flower essences are very compatible with other therapies and many health practitioners use them in addition to a wide range of other modalities, including allopathic medicine. The reason essences do not interfere with other means of therapy is that they work on a higher level and may even enhance treatment, as they energize the human system. Negative thinking may often prove an obstacle to healing, so if a more positive frame of mind is encouraged, greater improvement may be enjoyed.