Blooming with health

Lavender, lilac, iris, heliotrope... These beautiful and fragrant flowers can also care for our health... a virtue that might have been left unexplored had it not been for a certain Dr. Bach...
By Justine Hossano . 17/08/01

A treat for the eyes and nose, delightfully tasty in pastry and preserves, flowers possess many qualities, including curative ones, according to the followers of floritherapy. This method uses floral elixirs obtained by diluting a few drops of a flower infusion in alcohol. The flowers are picked just as they are blooming, and then left to steep in the heat of the sun.

Interpreting the language of flowers

The treatment was the result of careful observations made by Dr. Edward Bach, an English homeopathic practitioner. It is based on a principle (known as the signature medicine) which posits a relationship between certain plants and specific parts of the body or certain ailments affecting that part. Thus, a plant whose leaves are shaped like alveoli will treat respiratory ailments. Dr. Bach started with twelve flowers to create his "Twelve Healers", then other remedies followed (39 in all) of which the famous "Rescue", a blend of five elixirs designed for emergency situations. Most of his elixirs are made from flowers, hence their generic name, Bach's Flower Remedies, which is known and used in seventy countries.

Sound mind, sound body

Dr. Bach's method works on the assumption that every disease is intimately linked to an emotional state. Stress, fatigue or emotional shocks weaken the immune system and prevent the body from reacting positively, hence the need to balance and stimulate the mind in order to develop a better resistance to infections.

Choosing an elixir

Bach's Flowers are not medications. They don't present any side effects and can be used concomitantly with other medical treatments. So they are safe to use. Still, to fully enjoy the benefits of the treatment, it is best to start by assessing the individual's needs and state of mind.
In his time, Dr. Bach identified seven frames of mind ranging from fear and despondency to dependence or indifference. He created a specific remedy for each of them. However, as judging emotional states is far from an exact science, in order to obtain a conclusive result, it is sometimes necessary, according to the experts, to test different remedies or to compose one's own by blending different elixirs.
Suggested reading: The Bach Flower Remedies Step by Step by Judy Howard

Where to buy flower elixirs

They can be found in many pharmacies, herbalists' and health-food shops. Here are a few addresses:
Lassere, the official French importer of the Bach Flowers Remedies brand.
Phone: (33) (5) 5662-5700
Laboratoires Deva. Phone: (33) (4) 7695-3587.