Once upon a time, Buddha, in the course of a journey, fell ill and some Jain priests were able to treat him successfully with nectar served on a lotus petal. The story throws light on the therapeutic effects of flowers. Flowers are nature’s best gift to mankind. They have an immense power to influence the mind and the body. For example, a sight of red roses fills the mind with joy and pleasure. Perhaps, this may be the reason why we have the tendency to carry a bouquet for a friend in the hospital. Flowers are known to have vibrational energy that can help in bringing about cure. This curative potential of flowers is used in a system of healing called the Bach Flower

therapy. It is a form of energy medicine that creates a balance in the areas of energy disruption. More so, the remedies specifically target the emotional body of the energy system and restore the emotional harmony. The therapy helps in overcoming everyday stress, fears and Anxiety and is mostly used for treating psychotropic illnesses along with traditional counselling. Bach Flower Therapy was found by Dr. Edward Bach, in the 1930's. Edward was an English psychologist and through his experience he realised that a real and lasting healing can be achieved only when the cause of the illness is treated rather than just the symptoms. With this vision he was way ahead of most of his contemporaries. He further understood that the true cause of illness and disease lies in our personality i.e. the mental and emotional patterns through which we perceive ourselves and the world around us. This basic premise led to his conclusion that achieving and maintaining the emotional equilibrium is surest way of keeping the mind and body healthy. The next step for him was to find a way to counter the negative moods and emotions, which he considered to be the basis for health problem. His heightened sensitivities led him to his first two plant essences, which he made from Impatiens and Mimulus. He conducted many trials and found the results immediate and amazing. This made his conviction firm that patients could be treated according to their emotional state, and the diseases based on those states would disappear. He continued is research and discovered a total of 38 single flower essences that he made up according to homeopathic principles, which are known today as the Bach Flower Remedies.

Bach flower therapy is very popular in England. The Mount Vernon Centre in England is the centre where Bach's international work is now based, to educate us about the working of certain Bach remedies.

According to Dr. Bach, emotional health is supposed to be the most important parameter among all the health parameters i.e. physical, social or spiritual. For e.g. a person may have all the heavenly pleasures and comforts at his disposal but if he is filled with sorrow, he won’t be able to enjoy them. Thus, possession of material riches, without inner peace, is like dying of thirst while bathing in a lake. By dealing with 'emotional imbalance' one can also take care of the physical, social and spiritual health. And hence the therapy aims in restoring back the emotional health. The remedies are given on the basis of personality pattern of a person. Each remedy is a correcting vibration for a state of mind or emotion that needs to be gently rebalanced. Since the body is a direct reflection of the mind, transforming negative vibrations into positive good vibrations allows the body to respond naturally with better health.

Method of Application

The therapy floods out the negative emotions. Flower essences are liquid preparations, containing only minute traces of actual flowers, which convey the vibrations and essence of specific flowers. Due to this fact, their actions are subtle and it extends beyond the physiological and affect not only the body but also the mind and spirit. This brings an overall wellbeing. This is very important because many times, our emotions are not dealt with or are repressed and if they are not cleansed from the system, they cause physical illness. Bach flower remedies can be used whenever any negative emotional state arises forestall the possible physical manifestation associated with that state.

The remedies do not treat physical complaints directly. However, it can negate the psycho emotional imbalance that can cause the physical ailments. For e.g. an attack of Asthma or migraines are often brought down stress. And such diseases respond beautifully to Bach flower remedies. These gentle essences are very safe. They have no side effects and are non-toxic in nature. Some people may state that they don't 'feel' any change or effect from using flower essences.

However, many people find the flowers provide an essential factor in their healing process. Each person responds to flower essences according to their inner rhythm and needs. Research in the modern field of psychoneuroimmunology shows a clear interrelationship between physical illness, stress and emotional outlook. The flower essences help address issues, which often underlay stress and health problems, helping one 'untie' or release these emotional energetic knots. And thereby they expand our understanding of health care, recognizing the interweaving of spiritual, mental, emotional and physical aspects of wellbeing. A Bach Flower remedy consists of water that has been medicated with the energetic vibrations of one of 38 different flowers. These remedies are prepared by gently picking wild flowers at their prime, that is, just before dropping, at 9 a.m. They are floated in a glass bowl of spring water and left in clear sunshine for three hours. The vitalized water is then preserved in brandy, vinegar or spring water.

Bach Flower Therapy can be used by anyone to overcome irritability, mood swings and stress. However, counselling is required if the problems become deeper and frequent. The remedies can be used during counselling as an adjuvant therapy. The remedies can be taken by anyone, safely and without any fear of side effects, overdose or addiction. The therapy cannot be used as a replacement for medical treatment. The remedies act at the level of energy and do not interfere with other modes of therapy. Another salient feature of the therapy is that if the chosen remedy turns out to be wrong then, it won’t have any harmful effect on the body, as it will cancel itself out if not needed. Flower essences can help transform emotions, attitudes or patterns of behaviour to enhance one's development, growth and awareness.

Most of the emotional problems can be addressed with Bach Flower Therapy. The therapy is specific in a way that it treats the specific shades of emotions for e.g. rage, sadness, hopelessness, panic, fear of unknown, increased sense of responsibility, phobias, pains, irritability, despair, self doubt, shyness, overwhelm, lethargy and many such disturbing emotions.

Bach Flower Essences are approved by the United States Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and listed in the United States Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia (approved by the FDA). There are no known side effects of Bach remedies. A 'prescription' of a registered medical practitioner is not required to buy them.