Below is a list of  key flower remedies that come to mind when I am asked: Which flower essences can help with sleep difficulties?

White Chestnut one of Bach’s Original essences is the first essence that comes to mind.    This essence helps to calm an over active mind, indicated by chattering repetitive thoughts which circulate relentlessly.  This restless mind syndrome is most troubling at night when a calm mind is needed to help ease us into sleep and relaxation.

Lemon Balm: This essence facilitates deep relaxation of the mind; it also helps one move into an alpha state more easily.

Blue Vervain: This essence is excellent for tightness and rigidity; it helps to bring about a state of relaxation to the mind and body.  This essence is great for Type A, over achiever personalities who have a hard time slowing down and relaxing.

Lavender: This essence is great for nervous insomnia; it has a soothing quality that helps to calm the nerves, mind and spirit.  Lavender is a wonderful essence for highly sensitive people, you may also want to combine it with Aspen. Aspen brings strength to highly refined souls who suffer from anxiety.

Blueberry Cactus:This essence works similar to White Chestnut; in that it helps to slow the mind down.  Blueberry cactus also has calming properties that helps one to gain deeper states of relaxation, facilitating deeper sleep and more restful sleep.

If you suffer from nightmares trying adding St. John’s Wort to any of the above essences in a sleep formula.

How to Use:  If one is high strung and generally has a more anxious personality, these essences can be used throughout the day without fear of falling asleep.  For more acute times of anxiety and restlessness you can use these remedies around the evening and before bed.

This is a small list but they are my top recommendations to support a good nights sleep.

In this section I will outline a few possible combination flower remedies to address various areas of learning difficulties.  The themes are mentioned in bold italics and the essences suggested are meant as guidelines; where certain essences fit.  This is to give you an understanding of how to design a formula.  Other essences that may be applicable but where not mentioned in Part 1 will also be included.

Below is a list of possible combinations based on themes:

Shy Student Low Self Confidence:

Larch, Hornbeam, Gentian, Sunflower, Missouri Primrose (Delta Gardens)

Day Dreamer:

Clematis, Star of Bethlehem, Hornbeam, Rosemary, Wild Rose

Forgetful, Low Grades, Always Trying:

Chestnut Bud, Peppermint, Larch, Gorse, Rosemary,

Study Formula:

Chestnut Bud, Rosemary, Shasta Daisy, Larch

Hyperactive Mind:

White Chestnut, Lavender (FES), Lemon Balm(Delta Gardens),  Chamomile(FES), Blueberry Cactus( Essence Alchemy remedy)

This list is meant to provide a basic starting point on which to build.  All the essences mentioned are available to order through the site.  If you have any questions you can e-mail me at mark@essencealchemy.com.

When using a flower essences dosage bottle consistency is key.  It is not how many drops but how often the drops are used.  I have found a dosage of 3 drops 3 times a day to produce beneficial results.

When preparing a dosage bottle each flower essences producer recommends a different proportion of stock essence to neutral solution.

David Dalton of Delta Gardens offers the most precise dilution, 1 drop of stock to 100 drops of neutral solution.  This is equals roughly 3 drops of stock to 1/2 oz neutral solution.

FES and Bach each recommend 2 drops to neutral solution, they do not specify 1/2 oz or 1 oz of neutral solution.  Dr. Edward Bach felt that one drop would suffice but said add 2 drops to be sure.

Australian Bush Essences say to add 7 drops of each stock to a 1/2 oz of neutral solution.  This seems like a high dilution but they only recommend taking the essence twice a day  for 2 weeks. Compared to other producers who recommend 3-4 times a day for 4 weeks.

I have tried all the above dilutions and have achieved good results, I have also strayed from the suggestions each company recommends and have achieve good results.  I have noticed that higher dilutions are more tangible on a feeling level.

So how much does it really matter?

In all my playing around with dilution suggestions, the key to success is taking the remedy on a consistent basis no matter the dilution.

The initial process of making a flower essence involves clean fresh water, usually spring although some people choose to use distilled water.  The choosen water is then placed in a clean clear glass bowl in direct sunlight.  Then fresh pick blossoms from the plant species is placed in the bowl of water in full sunlight for a minimum of  3 hours.  After 3 hours the water is decanted into an amber glass jar with an equal amount of brandy.  The brandy serves to stabilize the vibration of the essence and prevent the growth of bacteria in the now highly charged water.  Now you have a mother essence, from the mother essence stock bottles are prepared.

To make a stock bottle a few drops of mother essence are added to a neutral solution of water and brandy.  Stock bottles are usually prepared in 1 to 1/4 ounce  bottles.  When you buy flower essences in the store or on line you are purchasing flower essences at the stock level.  Stock bottles are sometimes used directly, though if you are using a few essences at a time it is best to combine your stock essences into a dosage bottle.

Dosage bottles are the perfect way to administer and use a variety essences at one time without having to unscrew the cap a few stock bottles a few times a day.  To make a dosage bottle add 2-4 drops of essences from the stock bottles to a neutral solution of water and brandy, usually in 1/2-1 ounce amber glass bottle.  I personally prefer 1/2 bottles as they last 4 weeks when used 3-4 times a day.  The 4 week period is a good cycle when using flower remedies, after 4 weeks it is time to re-evaluate the formula and decide if you still need the essences.  When administering essences always keep the pipette clean, don’t touch it with your fingers, mouth, tongue or teeth.  Preventing contamination keeps the integrity of the essence at its most potent vibration.

One of the goals of Essence Alchemy is provide people with the flower remedies they need to make a dosage bottle.  The retail cost of stock bottles range from $8 to $12 a bottle and if you need 5 essences this can start adding up.  Essence Alchemy is designed in a user friendly way to help you find the flower remedies you need to design your own dosage bottle for a fraction of the cost if you were to purchase each remedy individually.

I have included 6 major brands of flower essences as they cover a wide range of issues and are all well researched remedies.  The brands include the original 38 Bach Flower Remedies, Flower Essence Society (FES), Delta Gardens medicinal herb set and Woodland Essence forrest floor, shrub, tree and at risk plant flower essences.  I also have the complete set of Australian Bush Essences and a partial set of Alaskan flower essences, gem essences and environmental essences.

Flower essences are amazing tools to assist with personal development and knowing how to use them can greatly enhance your experience. A simple method for getting the most out of flower essences in a therapeutic way when choosing self treatment is to focus on one area at a time.  Since most people turn to essences in a time of crisis, it is suggested to start with strengthening essences.

The key here is to use them for grounded perspective so you can easily work with the situation at hand.  Some strengthening essences are borage, mimulus, larch, mountain pride, california fuschi, yarrow, st. john’s wort, walnut, pine, sunflower and red cedar.

It is also recommended to add some catalysing essence to help move energy.  Some catalysts include horseradish, cayenne, habanero and goldenseal.  These essences can help move stuck energy and ‘psychic debris’ from the mind and emotions.  This benefits the whole strengthening process and it is easier to catalyse movement when feeling strong.

Another nice group of essences to include in the initial strengthening process are softening/soothing essences.  The benefits of strength and softness are like a balm to the soul and healing process.  Some essences that are useful with soothing and uplifting the spirit include star jasmine, white chestnut, impatiens, marshmallow, cherry plum, angelica and elderberry.

Self treatment is a great introduction to flower essences as it gets you familiar with the flower essence healing process.  I suggest starting with a few essences at first use them consistently until the bottle is done. For a more in depth experience choosing a personal consultation with someone familiar with flower essences.

The mallow family of plants is quite large and graces the springtime with soft colored blooms.  Their flowers have been explored as flower essences by a few companies mainly FES and Delta Gardens.  There is a softness to the plant which translates to its healing qualities as a flower essence.  The softness is also evident in the marshmallow candy, originally made from the root of the marshmallow plant.

David Dalton of Delta Gardens offers a flower essence of marshmallow which encapsulates the softness,  it is indicated for a hardening of the emotional body.  A marsh is a watery place and the element of water is associated with the emotions.  The delicate looking flower is white with a purple center.  Its main indication is for helping us to soften our feeling around other people particularly those that we do not like.  The essence also helps us to get in touch with the love vibration when feeling hurt or angry.

The mallow essence FES offers has some interesting cross pollination in terms of effects on the personality as the Delta Gardens essence.  The FES mallow (sidalcea glauscens) is indicated for those that feel socially insecure, they create boundaries and fear reaching out to others.  This dovetails nicely with Delta Gardens mallow which helps to soften to those that we do not like.

They both work at clearing the harder feelings around socializing and relationships with other.  They are both working with the second chakra in its relationship to the heart chakra helping to unite the two in greater harmony.  This is a powerful and important function that can assist soul growth on many levels, bringing the gentleness and warmth of the heart into our social sphere.

Mimulus  also known as Monkey Flower is family of plants common in the Western United States. During spring and summer months it can be found growing near rivers and streams as well as deserts and mountain enviroments. It is a large family that covers much ground in terms of habitat range and its flowers offer a variety of color.  Monkey flowers can be yellow, red, pink, purple, orange, beige, brick as well as a combination of these colors.  It is such a color diverse family that offers a wide range of benefits for treating a variety of fear related issues.

The species of Mimulus that Bach prepared an essence of prefers clear moving water. This species grows upright with leaves growing from the stem and flowers at the end of the stem. The flowers are striking bright yellow with many red spots on the throat of the flower which guide bees to the nectar inside.  Over the years FES has been making essences from other varieties of Monkey flower most notably pink monkey flower, scarlet monkey flower, purple monkey flower and sticky monkey flower.

Mimulus was one of the first three remedies that Dr. Bach prepared. It is used for fear, timidity and shyness. Bach noted that the mimulus type are sensitive to their environment. They prefer quite, avoid challenges and shy away from life as they are often plagued by many small worries. This type of withdraw from challenges and giving into fears and worry stymies the growth of the soul on many levels. When using mimulus the soul and personality develop courage by facing fears and moving beyond them helping us to build the internal resources for overcoming challenges we may face in the future.

The following is a group of Monkey flowers prepared by FES out of Nevada City California.
Pink Monkey flower: This essence is for fears related to emotions and closeness. Pink Monkey flower helps one to achieve a state of emotional honesty; it is useful when feelings of guilt, unworthiness and shame lead one to hide themselves from others. It encourages emotional honesty and emotional risk taking helping one to remain emotionally open.

Purple Monkey flower: This essence treats fears related to spiritual experiences; it helps to build trust in ones spiritual experience.  It helps one to learn to trust spiritual guidance and fosters clarity during spiritual or psychic experiences.

Scarlet Monkey flower: This essence is for those who repress deep strong emotions for fear that the power of these emotions will over take them and they will be consumed by the ’shadow’.  Scarlet Monkey flower helps one come to grips with their shadow side, helping to integrate the trans-formative power of deep feelings.

Sticky Monkey flower: This essence treats fears around sexuality and intimacy.  Sticky Monkey flower helps with repressed sexual feelings as well as bringing warmth to the experience of human sexuality.  This essence helps one to integrate warmth in relationships and sexual expression.

Coming across Monkey flowers in the wild is such a fun feeling because they are so distinct in their coloration and there is such a variety of them.  On June 6th 2008, I came upon a variety of yellow mimulus with a large red spot on the front lip of the yellow flower.  On  March 9th 2009 I came upon Bigelow Monkey flower a striking pink, purple, yellow variety that grows in the desert regions of Southern California.

I have prepared an essence of each of these varieties and look forward to doing more research with them over the coming years.  So far they show promise with 1.) coming into healthy contact with anger and expressing it and 2.) treating fear of rejection.  As I discover more about these two essences I will be sharing them with you on this blog.  If you are interested in trying them as research essences please e-mail me and I will be happy to send them to you.

St. john’s wort a special summer herb holds an esteemed place in the world of flower essences. This light filled essences is made from the bright yellow flowers that begin blooming around the summer solstice. The days near the solstice are characterized by early sunrises and sunsets that stretch long into the evening. This abundance of light is a key signature of the action of this essence.

I has my first plant spirit journey with this herb. Plant spirit journeys are one way to gather information on the healing properties of the plant. Two years ago while attending a flower essences course with David Dalton and Kate Gilday I made an essence from this plant. There were many plants flowering at this time and we were instructed to make an essence of a plant we felt drawn to. I felt myself being guided to a bright yellow flowers of St.John’s Wort.

After making the essences we reconvened and prepared to journey to the plant spirit to seek information on the healing action of the essence. The journey was led by a drummer and verbal instructions from David. As with most spirit journeys we were told to find a portal near the plant and travel through the portal to meet the spirit.

The journey took me down a portal which led to a garden, it was like and English garden, very neat with rows and a pathway lined with some benches and lanterns. I walked around in this garden looking at the various plants and then sat down on a bench. Soon after sitting down I was greeted by luminous being about 3 feet fall. He told me he was the spirit of St. John’s Wort, I asked if he had a name, he said “John”, of course. I then asked him “What does St. John’s Wort flower essence do?”

The spirit jumped up put his hand on my belly, upon putting his hand on my stomach a light grew and then spread to encompass my whole body in tight field of light. I could feel a brightness and sense of protection and upliftment from this action. He then sat down next to me, we just sat together on the bench and soon afterwards the drumming changed rhythm and we were lead back to body consciousness.

I related my story to the group and David shared that in his research he discovered that St John’s Wort strengthens the energy field where it connects to the stomach. What I discovered from this plant is that it has a powerful ability to strengthen the human energy field, it tightens the energy field pulling it closer to the body. David recalled that in his research he found that it ‘tightens the filaments of light in our protective field.

The human energy or aura, can be damaged or compromised by stress, ill health, drugs and negative thoughts and feelings. When our field is compromised we may feel tired, unable to focus, experience unexplained fears, disturbed sleep and nightmares. Research by the Flower Essence Society recommends it for people who are overly expanded, thus making them more susceptible to outside influence. This essence has also been used to treat depression related to Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Saint Johns Wort’s unique actions make it a useful essence to have on hand when we need extra support in maintaining the integrity of or energetic field.

Winter has afforded us the time to go inside but now spring is here and it is time to shake off the winter doldrums. The days are getting longer and the sun is rising higher in the sky, change is in the air. It is observable with green shoots emerging, trees budding and birds singing. Lets go! and Let go!

Here are some flower essences which we can use to enliven our energy system and spirits.Cayenne, Horseradish, Habanero Pepper, Goldenseal, Blackberry and Lovage, these are common plants with exception of goldenseal (endangered) which have a home in kitchens around the world. The first essence we will look at is cayenne pepper produced by Flower Essence Services.

Cayenne is useful to ignite the fiery forces within us, this useful when we feel emotionally or spiritually stagnant. This is helpful when we feel unable to make changes in certain areas of our life such as career, relationships, decisiveness or when we are stuck procrastinating.

Habanero pepper is known as one of the hottest peppers in the world and this signature of heat is useful for catalysing repressed energies which are tied up in trauma. This essence helps the soul to penetrate deeper into the lower chakras, this movement can shake up the energy system as old traumas are brought into our awareness and released. This essence can be of benefit when we feel depressed, absentminded, can’t think clearly or stuck daydreaming.

Goldenseal, a native plant of the North America is commonly used as a natural antibiotic and detoxifier. It is common to woodlands across the northeast and mid west, the potent energy of this remedy greatly assists in clearing out debris in our subconscious. Sometimes this ‘debris’ or old energy holds us in a pattern of obsessive thinking that challenges us to break free and develop new habits. This is a very supportive remedy for clearing out the old.

Horseradish, feeling stuck, feeling tired, feeling controlled by others . . . turn to horseradish. This essence helps one to bring into focused awareness our power, our real inner power to change a situation. Fears tie up tremendous amounts of energy, which can lead to us feeling tired and unable to make the breakthrough we so desire. This essence bringing this into focus, enlivens the energy system to shake off frustration build confidence and move forward. This flower essence helps us take more control of lives and is excellent to use when setting goals, this essence will spur more action and help focus our energy on goal achievement.

Blackberry we may be caught in minds yet know that we need to act, the inertia of this can be enough to inhibit action. This plant is a member of the rose family and its tenacious growth pattern is a signature of its action. This essence helps to close the gap between thoughts and action and fosters movement in a decisive way.

Lovage, feeling frustrated, have plans yet there is something that keeps you tied up in the mental sphere and taking action gets usurped . . . sound familiar. This essence greatly assists the movement process bringing joy and confidence helping us to move from the thinking planning stage to the action stage. This essence will help us to get a grip on thought energy in a way that we can filter down into concrete action.

The above remedies are a sampling of the major flower essences which are useful for when we have thoughts, goals and dreams that need extra energy in order to translate into physical manifestation. The thinking process uses a lot of energy and when we are caught up in a cycle of thoughts we may find we lack the energy to take the action. All these essences greatly assist the 3rd chakra and our willpower towards action.

A common theme of the essences listed above is that they treat sluggishness in the lower areas of our body, whether is it be cold feet, tired legs or slow metabolism. Now, is a great time to take advantage of the growth forces of nature and bring these forces in greater quantities into the body in order to translate thought to action.

We are proud to announce the arrival of 10 new Vibrational Amulets from Delta Gardens, a leading researcher in flower essences and vibrational health.

The Delta Gardens amulets are small glass vials (1/32 oz.) which contain flower essences, gemstones and essential oils. Each amulet is fitted with a titanium cap to be worn around the neck on a cord or chain. Each has been designed and created to hold a specific vibration which is transmitted to the wearer in a steady pulse. All amulets are infused with specific energies of the sun, moon or elements to bring forth the unique frequencies required for each one.
These amulets work as both enhancers of the human energy field and as elegant jewelry. Elegant and sturdy enough to be worn daily, each amulet has been carefully designed, formulated and tested, to provide   and support energetic protection, boundaries, grounding, strength, meditation and spirituality.  Because of their tasteful design these amulets compliment the wearer both aesthetically and energetically.

What’s great about the amulets is they are functional pieces of jewelry,  created with a purpose in mind, to use the vibration of crystals, oils and essences for today’s needs.  Wearing of gemstones for their energetic benefits has been well known and documented by cultures around the world.  The use of gemstones to assist with protection, strength and angelic support is gaining renewed interest, quartz crystals are even widely used in the computer and electronics industry. A key component to the vital function of many electronic devices because of their ability to hold and transmit electrical vibrations. By working on a vibrational level they are also able to interact with humans and the human electrical system.

They are also charged with essential oils and flower essences, here is a quote from a customer in Brazil: “These amulets are an extraordinary compliment to vibrational medicine. It is like the feeling of having living support with you all the time.”
- Rene Clotier, Brazil