It’s July and flowers are in full bloom. We love to look at them… enjoy their fragrance… we fill our homes with them… and give them to friends and family when they’re sick. Somehow they just seem to make us feel better. We could leave it at that and it would be enough. But they can do so much more to improve our health and emotional well being if we harness their essence, according to the International Flower Essence Society.
The practice of bottling a flower’s essence was first discovered in the 1930’s, England, by Dr. Bach. It gently restores the balance between mind and body by casting out negative emotions such as fear, worry, hatred and indecision which interfere with the equilibrium of the being as a whole… allowing peace and happiness to return to the sufferer so that the body is free to heal itself.
Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz recommend Rescue Remedy (a blend by Bachflower.com) that is a blend of five flower remedies. The mix was created by Dr. Bach to deal with emergencies and crises. It can be used to help us get through any stressful situations, from last-minute exam or interview nerves, to the aftermath of an accident or bad news. Rescue Remedy helps us keep calm, so that we can relax and focus.
Selma Hayek mentioned in InStyle magazine that she uses Rescue Pastilles to help with crazy busy days, to keep her calm. Emma Watson says about Rescue Remedy, “a few drops under my tonque before I go out calms me down. It’s in my makeup bag all the time.” Van Morrison ordered Rescue Remedy before his performance in Texas, 2010.
There are 38 remedies… here are some of the most common:
Agrimony
Used for: Addiction, unhappy, anxiety, insomnia
Indicators: Fears and worries of unknown origin.
Elm
Used for: Depression overwhelmed by responsibilities, despondent, exhausted
Indicators: Very capable people who temporarily feel overwhelmed and depressed, there is too much to do and you don’t feel that you can do it all.
Holly
Used for: Envy, jealousy, hate, insecurity, suspicious, aggressive, needs compassion
Indicators: When you need to overcome the feeling of hate, envy and jealousy.
Hornbeam
Used for: Weariness, bores, tired, needs strength, overworked, procrastination, doubting own abilities
Indicators: For weariness: mental rather that physical,
the “Monday morning” feeling with a sense of staleness and lack of variety in life.
Impatiens
Used for: Impatience, irritated, nervy, frustration, fidgety, accident-prone, hasty
Indicators: Suitable for people who are easily irritated and impatient. They speak and think quickly, and are energetic, but tense.
Very often we lose site of how important our emotional health is… hopefully this brings it to the forefront. And if there is a natural way to help revitalize and balance our emotional health, I much prefer it to disguising the symptoms with medication.
Karen Masters, Life Coach and owner of Artful Living Boutique can be reached at artfullivingshop@gmail.com