Flower Essences 101: What Are They & How Do They Work?

What Are Flower Essences?

Flower essences, also referred to as flower remedies, are made from flowering plants and are therapeutically used to address emotional matters like mood, perspective, and more. Flowers have survived for hundreds of millions of years on Earth, and are therefore one of the most evolved and highly intelligent species we know of. There are more than 300,000 species of flowering plants, and in flower essence therapy every flower is believed to have its own healing vibrational energy. This healing energy can be used to address a wide range of emotional issues. Facing these emotional issues can lead to soul development and have a profound impact on mental, physical, and spiritual health. Flower essences can be used on its own, as part of a larger holistic health treatment, or complementary to western medicine treatments.

What Is Emotional Well-being?

As human beings, we will experience a wide range of emotions. We have some control over how long we experience the emotions we are presented with, through sitting with them in the present moment. If you can describe yourself as free-flowing and not stuck in any particular emotions, that is emotional well-being. Being “at peace” is the foundation of sound emotional health. It is important to understand your self when trying to heal holistically, so you can understand what being at peace feels like for you, and start to map out the way to get there. This will look very different for each and every one of us.

What Is Vibrational/Energetic Medicine?

There is a strong belief within the holistic health realm that issues and ailments that are not addressed in the emotional body eventually manifest in the physical body. This can be in the form of skin issues, reproductive health issues, speech impediments, cancer and more, just to name a few. Our five physical senses- sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound, have become the modern day proof of pudding for scientific findings. Concepts of science that exist outside of these physical measurements are deemed as not provable and therefore not real, but humanity has always been aware of the existence of a bioenergetic field of the body, or a metaphysical science, that can not be measured physically. In cultures across the world, you’ll find various rituals and practices based on the knowledge that there is a non physical energetic field humans interact with daily simply by being of this universe. Vibrational, or energetic medicine, is meant to address ailments and issues within this energetic field. This can relate to emotions, spirituality, your mental state, and more. Modern day perspectives of science have led us to be extremely out of touch with our emotional body and energetic field. One form of vibrational medicine we haven’t lost touch with, is music. I’m sure you’ve noticed how a specific song can lift your mood, purge a necessary cry, or get you to shake what your momma gave ya, but we are not literally ingesting the music, eating the speakers. We are simply being affected by its vibrations. Vibrational medicine can help with our emotional well-being, affecting our overall and physical well-being, just like music.

Are Flower Essences New? How Are They Made?

Most traditional medicine practices around the world have attributed physical ailments to emotional disturbances, so it wouldn’t be surprising if this form of medicine has been around for as long as humans have been around. Ancient Kemetians, otherwise known as Ancient Egyptians, are the first known peoples to have used flower essences, dating back to thousands of years ago. In the scope of modern health and wellness, Edward Bach, a British physician of the 1930s, is credited for archiving flower essence therapy for worldwide application and understanding.

There are many ways that people across the world have utilized flowers for their healing properties. The Ancient Kemetians used to collect dew from flowers and use that water for its emotional healing properties. Others would wrap muslin cloth around flowers and use the collected liquid as healing treatments. Sitting in flower baths or using flower water has also been widely practiced. The flower essences that are available in today’s health stores, are made by collecting flower blossoms and placing them in a bowl of water. They are then covered with cheese cloth or something similar to avoid debris from getting in, and are left alone to sit in the sun for a few hours. That water is then cleared of the flowers, mixed with brandy, and put into mother essence bottles. This is further diluted into .25-1oz stock tinctures, which is what we know as flower remedies. These remedies are rich with the energetic imprint and healing codes of whatever flowers have been collected to make them.

Benefits Of Flower Essences

Flower remedies are intentional deep dives into different rays of emotion. Think of them as our friends who are always so happy and bright that we can’t help but rub off of that energy when they are around. Vibrations are contagious. We’ve all experienced uncomfortable emotional dispositions that for some reason or another, prevent us from having a happy, stress free moment. We have those instances where we become stuck and get to choose whether we will move forward with joy, peace, and acceptance, or conflict. For some odd reason, in today’s society, a lot of us choose conflict. It’s like we’ve been bred to believe that conflict will get us farther than cooperation. The vibrational energy of flowers are that of unconditional love, and when we use this kind of energetic medicine, it helps us bring love to the forefront and overcome those instances where we would once become stuck or choose conflict. Flowers, as a highly evolved species on Earth, are the experts we can turn to for assistance in self-healing and balancing our emotions. When we ingest flower essences, we are watering our bioenergetic fields with the high vibrations of the particular flower we are working with. By matching their energy of unconditional love, we help ourselves get closer to resolving traumas, releasing trapped emotions, accessing self-love, and promoting self-acceptance. These vibrations melt away the emotional vibrations of what is keeping us stuck.

How Do I Know The Flower Essences Are Working?

Flower remedies are easy to take, and you can feel its effects subtly or dramatically. After taking the flower essence you will notice that emotional stress around a situation or event that once caused you pain and stuckness will be newly met with a neutral attitude and a feeling of being at peace. Old feelings may be brought up by the flower medicine and in some cases may feel like an extreme purging of the emotions. This will mean that effect is necessary to your emotional journey in order to move past it.

Some of my favorite flower essences that I’ve worked with so far have been Blackberry, which is meant to translate goals and ideals into concrete action, Mugwort for the integration of psychic life into daily life, Columbine for inspired speaking and acting in the world, Alpine Lily for radiant and self-assured female physical identity, and Spreading Phlox for the ability to recognize and manifest significant relationships that foster life purpose and destiny. I knew Blackberry was working when I no longer procrastinated things I had to complete for work and instead found joy checking things off my work to do list. When I started taking Mugwort, I came across many “coincidences,” for example, where I would think of somebody and 5 minutes later they were crossing the street in front of my car. One day using Mugwort I also randomly told my son before he went to school to say hello to a specific classmate for me, thinking it was kind of odd for me to relay that message but doing it anyway. Later that afternoon he told me it was that girl’s birthday and that they had a huge birthday party at school for her. Columbine allowed me to feel comfortable bringing the many ideas I had at work to the table, where I once felt intimidated for being the only female on the team. It was interesting because though they still did not hear me in the way I thought I should be heard, I was able to be at peace because I knew I tried my best. Before taking Columbine I probably would have blamed myself for the disconnect versus realizing the work environment I was in was just not compatible with my aligned self because I gave myself the opportunity to step up to see if it was. Alpine Lily helped me become super comfortable dancing in front of and with my long time partner of almost 10 years. I had no problem dancing around the house by myself when no one was home and would basically freeze if he was around while I wanted to dance. Meanwhile we have a son and my partner has seen me in my most intimate, vulnerable moments. One day I just continued to dance once he got home and I thought it was one of the best feelings to overcome, because how odd to be so intimate with someone but be scared to dance with them?! With Spreading Phlox, the first day I took it, I ended up chatting with a mom on the playground who ended up having a lot in common with me, when usually I'd try to avoid striking up a convo with others. These examples of how I knew they were working will look different for everyone, based on your personal dispositions on things and what you are trying to overcome.

What Flower Essences Are Not

Flower essences are not to be confused with essential oils. All essential oils are not safe for ingestion and are to be ingested in particular ways depending on which one you are using. Flower essences have a touch of alcohol to help preserve them, so other than anyone who can not ingest the tiniest bit of alcohol, they are all safe for consumption. Some flower essences are made with vegetable glycerin or apple cider vinegar if you are sensitive to alcohol. They do not contain any plant parts or aromas.

Flower essences are not herbal tinctures either. Herbal tinctures are meant to treat the physical body, while flower essences treat the emotional body. Flower essences would be helpful in preventing the energetic imbalances that caused the physical manifestation in the body that herbal tinctures treat.

Where To Get Flower Essences

Flower essences can be made easily on your own, but they can also be purchased at health food or herbal supply stores. There are a lot of flower essence practitioners that make their own essences who would also be able to assist you in navigating which essences are good for you to take. A consultation regarding the reasons you are looking to take flower essences with questions on your family, work, social, and physical health would help a practitioner decide the flower essences that would benefit your emotional being. This is probably the biggest obstacle to overcome with flower essence therapy- being real about what your emotional needs are and where you think they may be stemming from. If you’re looking to start flower essence therapy, reach out to me at katrina@radicallovedoula.com or DM me on Instagram @radicallovedoula and I’d be honored to help you on your journey towards emotional freedom! I also have a line of flower essence blends that you can choose from if they appeal to you, find them here.