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.

I see the flower essence of Rabbitbrush as being a sort of godsend for our modern age.  Rabbitbrush helps us to keep our focus on the task at hand while being able stay aware of the details going on in the periphery. This is useful because influence of technology and media on life today can often act as a distraction with the ability to take our focus and vision in many different directions within seconds.  Part of being a functional human being requires that we focus on a goal and follow it through to completion, which demands that we focus our attention in a chosen direction.

Society today almost demands that we have our focus on more than one thing at time, which can be disorienting and stressful.  As the pace of society and life seems to get faster and faster these demands show no signs of slowing down.  Yet thankfully we have a useful tool, Rabbitbrush flower essence, to help us keep our center and focus as we navigate the maze of the demands of our daily life.

Vision and focus are two words that immediately come to mind when I think of this remedy, because it is such a valuable aid to bringing cohesion  to where the power of sight and mind intersect.  It aids in the ability of the mind to ’stick together’ so that we are less influenced and pulled off course by all that is going on around us.  And it helps to bring a togetherness to different useful pieces that lie at the edge of what we are focused on.   Use this essence for maintaining focus and attention when working on a project with many details that all require your attention.  This essence supports a ‘flexibility of the mind and helps one to gain a wide focus over the big picture so that we are aware of the many details of the issue, task or project.

Rabbitbrush flower essence is also helpful for times when we feel overwhelmed by all the details we need to address whether it be in a personal or professional setting.   This essence helps one to hold the details in perspective so that one may proceed forward with more clarity thus helping to dispel confusion and feelings of being overwhelmed.  This essence is useful for in a wide range of situations and can be used in acute situations or on a ongoing basis.   Many blessings to you in finding the remedies to best suit your needs.

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.

Recently I was feeling the need for a multivitamin, like I could use some extra nutrition in my life. So I went to one of my favorite websites iherb.com.  I examined the offerings of the food based vitamin companies (more on this later) and finally settled on New Chapter’s multi vitamin called Unbounded Energy.  I highly recommend iherb.com they stock a wide variety nutritional supplements many at discounts up to 40%.  Plus you can save $5.00 off your first order by using the coupon code DAQ492.

What really peaked my interest in this supplement besides the fact that it is food based, it contains a flower essence formula known as “Vital Rhythms”.  This is trade marked name for the combination of FES essences in this formula.  “Vital Rhythms” is composed of the following flower essences:

• Indian Pink- for remaining centered and focused even under stress, managing diverse forms of activity
• Morning Glory- for sparkling vital force, feeling awake and refreshed in touch with life
• Penstemon- for great inner fortitude despite outer hardships; perseverance
• Self Heal-for vital sense of Self; deep sense of wellness and wholeness
• Zinnia- for childlike humor and playfulness; lightheartedness

Besides the flower essences this formula as contains herbs beneficial for energy as well as a high concentration of B vitamins, which helps greatly with increasing our energy levels. Some of the herbs in this formula are maca, cordyceps, reishi and ginseng.

New Chapter are truly pioneers in the vitamin world,  they were one of the first companies to produce whole food vitamins.  Meaning all the nutrients in their supplements come from food.  This is vitally important because the body recognizes them easily and assimilates them better than lab made vitamins.  Lab made vitamins are known as USP (United States Pharmacopia) they are isolated nutrients and do not resemble nutrients the way they are found in nature.

As an example the vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid) found in oranges is chock full of many co-factors which aid in the absorption of this nutrient.  In most standard vitamins the vitamin C that is used is solely ascorbic acid. Some of the co factors found in oranges are as quercitin and rutin.  They are vital components which as stated before aid in the absorption of vitamin C aka ascorbic acid.  Simply, wholefood vitamins are better recognized by the body than USP vitamins, therefore they are easily and rapidly absorbed and generally are safe to take on an empty stomach.

I have now been using Unbounded Energy for the past two weeks, they suggest using 3 tablets a day.  Rarely do I use the 3 tablets a day recommendation, usually 1-2, sometimes 3.  Even at less than their recommended dose I still feel a noticeable increase in my overall energy levels.  I have definitely noticed if I take this product around 8 or 9 o’clock at night it will keep me up past midnight.  The title Unbounded Energy is not too much of a stretch and the efficacy of this product is on the mark, for that I give it two thumbs up and recommend it as general daily multi vitamin.

Remember to use the coupon code DAQ492 to save $5.00 of your first order from iherb.com.

Recently FES has introduced a line of 12 combination remedies in spray bottles.  These combination essences address a broad spectrum of conditions and are beneficial for temporary use.  We will now look at the Active 8 combination.

The Active 8 combo contains the following flower essences:

Blazing Star- This a new essence to released by FES as part of The Range of Light collection. This essence carries a fiery quality into the will helping to boost overly listless ‘watered down’ will forces. This essence helps us connect with  fiery solar masculine emotional energy.

Blackberry-The tenacity of this plant lends this quality to its flower essence,  empowering the will to overcome lethargy and inertia.  Blackberry flower essence is also used in the assistance of translating goals and ideas into to concrete action

Cayenne-The fiery essence of this hot pepper plant lends its self to overcoming sluggish phlegmatic attitudes and states of being.  Cayenne imparts fire to the personality helping us break through and move forward past resistance.

Dandelion- This bright yellow ubiquitous springtime flower adds the qualities of relaxation and ease in the pursuit of goals.  It is indicate for the overstriving tense personality, helping one take a more relaxed approach to the work at hand.

Madia- The addition of this flower essence aids in the quality of focus, helping one to contract in a clear and direct manner.  Madia helps center scattered energy and is helpful for dull and listless states of mind.

Red Penstemon- The addition of this essence assists with the qualities of tenacity, completing projects and tasks it boosts determination to overcome challenges and obstacles.

Red Larkspur- The addition of this essence brings a quality of radiance to the personality helping with catalyzing a magnetic quality which aids in leadership and inspires others,

Sunflower- A member of the daisy family, Sunflowers are known to turn their heads and follow the sun as it crosses the sky.  This sun seeking signature , translates to us following our own sunny nature, turning towards the positive life empowering feelings necessary when aiming to create and work on new projects.  Sunflower is used to help get us in touch with our positive masculine solar forces of manifestation.
Active 8 also contains the essential oils of cinnamon and cardamon.

Cinnamon Essential Oil- Has a potent and powerful warm, sweet, spicy aroma used in small amounts it is great for enhancing physical energy. This oil increases bioelectrical forces in the body.

Cardamon Essential Oil- Has a rich spicy scent with notes of citrus, camphor, it also has a slightly floral, woody tone.  Cardamon is stimulating to the conscious mind.

An interesting note about this combo is all the flowers are either red or yellow and a few are from the Asteraceae family, Sunflower, Dandelion and Madia.  Three of the essences in this combo are from the new Range of Light kit, Blazing Star, Red Penstemon and Red Larkspur.

This dynamic collection of flower essences is great to use at the outset of a project or goal or anywhere along the process of task complete and goal achievement.  I find this combo to be useful when feeling dull at work and need a boost to my overall physical, emotional and mental energies.

Its now the Holiday Season and time to honor two plants of the season, Pine and Holly.  Both Pine and Holly keep their green all winter long, which has made them popular for winter celebrations.  Their green presence throughout the winter make them symbols for eternal, they  are  also two key Bach flower essences.  According to Mechthild Scheffer* they treat “one of the most profound and deeply human negative archetypal states.”  The negative states that Pine and Holly address are Guilt and Envy.

Pine Flower Essence works to shine a light on guilt and guilt complexes whether self imposed or institutionally inherited.  Pine helps us to shed feelings of guilt related to the past, these feelings may arise  from failures of  judgement or from actions taken or not taken.   Pine fosters a feeling of  love and acceptance for self and others, it also helps us with personally accepting gifts, compliments and praise.

Pine flower essence lessens guilt complexes, bad conscience and the unrelenting drive for perfectionism. It assists in our ability to enjoy life without guilt.  This is important because enjoying life without feeling guilty is a self affirmation.  Being that guilt implies a form of punishment and a fear of punishment, living free of guilt complexes and fear of punishment offers us emotional freedom.  Guilt and fear play upon our lower emotional nature and by freeing ourselves from these shackles we can express more life affirming emotions which inevitably brings us closer to the Divine.

Holly  flower essence treats a condition of hard heartedness exemplified by Ebenezer Scrooge.  This essence is a wonderful heart opening gift, it helps to show us that we live in a stream of love.  This is what helps to sustain life and is a gift from the Divine.  According to Dr. Bach “Holly opens the heart and unites us with Divine love.”

Holly Flower Essence is a great softener of the heart, helping to ease feelings of jealousy, anger and discontent.  There are times when our discontent gives us the feeling that our emotions are poisoned.  Holly can help us to get back in touch with the warmth in our hearts and express this as good will towards others.

These two flower essences are remarkable for fostering Acceptance and Love.  Love and Acceptance are emotional gifts to  be embraced. Because it is not about what we get its about what we give. By learning to love and accept ourselves gives a gift to the world, for these qualities make us better people.  The gifts we truly have and can infinitely give is ourselves and our ability to spread good will.

Happy Holidays to You and Yours and may the Gift of Flowers blossom in your Heart.

*Mechthild Sheffer “The Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy”

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.