The 38 Bach Flower Remedies for Various Ailments and Conditions

By Toria Benson

For several years, I’ve kept a bottle of ‘Rescue Remedy’ in my purse. Rescue Remedy is the best know of the Bach flower remedies. Four drops on the tongue, or mixed into a drink, and stress and anxiety seem to melt away.

Bach flower remedies are diluted flower essences, and are usually taken orally. They contain the energetic signatures of the flowers and plants they are derived from.

Dr. Edward Bach was a medical doctor and bacteriologist from London. He created his flower remedies in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. His remedies were not designed to treat an illness or disease directly, but to treat the underlying cause of the illness or disease, which he believed to be an imbalance within the mind. An example of such a disharmony would occur if one’s ego were in conflict with one’s soul.

He believed “that emotional factors, such as fear and anxiety, led to distress of mind and that this depleted the body’s natural vitality, with a consequent loss of natural resistance.”

The flower remedies are a way to deal with negative emotions. They are said to work by peeling away these emotions, like an onion. Rather than treating the disease, they were designed to treat the individual patient.

There are 38 original flower remedies, 39 if you count Rescue Remedy, which is a combination of several remedies.

Rescue Remedy was intended as an ’emotional first-aid kit’. Its reaction is immediate. It is meant to be used before, during, or directly after a crises, or emergency. It’s designed to be calming during any kind of stress, anxiety, or panic attack.

Rescue Remedy is a combination of five different remedies, Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose, and Star of Bethlehem. Rescue Remedy may be taken four drops at a time, on or under the tongue, or may be added to a glass of water, which may be sipped until calming occurs. It can also be purchased in a handy spray bottle.

Rescue Cream is for external use, and may be used on irritated or damaged skin. It is made of the same remedies as the liquid form, with the addition of Crab Apple.

Rescue Remedy is for immediate stress. If you find yourself using it on a daily basis, you should consider one or more of the 38 Bach Flower Remedies.

How do you know which to take? Remedies may be prescribed by a Bach Foundation registered practitioner, a naturopath, or you can do it yourself! Dr. Bach intentionally made his system simple, so the average person could understand how to choose the best remedies to heal themselves.

The following list, of the original 38 formulas, is from the Dr. Edward Bach Centre, which was founded by Dr. Bach. To choose the best formulas for you, look for those that describe your personal characteristics, or your current emotional state.

The Flowers Used in Making Bach Flower Remedies

• Agrimony – mental torture behind a cheerful face
• Aspen – fear of unknown things
• Beech – intolerance
• Centaury – the inability to say ‘no’
• Cerato – lack of trust in one’s own decisions
• Cherry Plum – fear of the mind giving way
• Chestnut Bud – failure to learn from mistakes
• Chicory – selfish, possessive love
• Clematis – dreaming of the future without working in the present
• Crab Apple – the cleansing remedy, also for self-hatred
• Elm – overwhelmed by responsibility
• Gentian – discouragement after a setback
• Gorse – hopelessness and despair
• Heather – self-centredness and self-concern
• Holly – hatred, envy and jealousy
• Honeysuckle – living in the past
• Hornbeam – procrastination, tiredness at the thought of doing something
• Impatiens – impatience
• Larch – lack of confidence
• Mimulus – fear of known things
• Mustard – deep gloom for no reason
• Oak – the plodder who keeps going past the point of exhaustion
• Olive – exhaustion following mental or physical effort
• Pine – guilt
• Red Chestnut – over-concern for the welfare of loved ones
• Rock Rose – terror and fright
• Rock Water – self-denial, rigidity and self-repression
• Scleranthus – inability to choose between alternatives
• Star of Bethlehem – shock
• Sweet Chestnut – Extreme mental anguish, when everything has been tried and there is no light left
• Vervain – over-enthusiasm
• Vine – dominance and inflexibility
• Walnut – protection from change and unwanted influences
• Water Violet – pride and aloofness
• White Chestnut – unwanted thoughts and mental arguments
• Wild Oat – uncertainty over one’s direction in life
• Wild Rose – drifting, resignation, apathy
• Willow – self-pity and resentment

It is very common to find that several remedies fit. Choose only those that fit your present state. The remedies may be mixed, but the recommended rule of thumb is to limit the number of remedies taken at a time to six or seven.

Bach’s Flower Remedies utilize the vibrational energy from flowers and plants. They were created to be a safe and natural aide in healing, for humans, pets, and even plants.

To learn more, click > Find Bach Flower Essences Online, Including Resuce Remedy Products