In early 2005  I made a flower essence of the ‘Blueberry’ Cactus.  It’s name this due the small sweet fruits it produces which resemble blueberries.   I choose a stately 80+ year old specimen which started to flower in early March. It produces clusters of small white flowers with a soft fragrance.  The flowers open in the day and close at night.   The remedy was prepared via the Bach sun method, the flowers infused in the water in full sun for 3 hours under the warm Southern California sun.

Initial provings indicated  that it slowed the velocity of the mind, not so much inducing sleep but slowing the swirling of the mental process to the point where sleep or relaxation would occur easily.   Early in the research I noticed Blueberry cactus to be useful for the ‘Type A’ personality.  Type A of behavior is  so praised in our society that we forget the value of slowing down.  The many Type A people who received Blueberry cactus essence all reported an immediate sense of relaxation and well being.

There were also people I would not classify as Type A who also received lasting benefits from this remedy.  This other ‘type’ are those of a more sensitive nature but have choose to live in a big city.  This group  understands the value of relaxation in its relationship to health. But by osmosis they absorb the tension of city life and suffer from sleep difficulties.  For them the a cycle of disturbed sleep or inability to fall asleep soon after lying down grew into a problem.  People in this group all reported improved sleep patterns including being able to fall asleep easier, staying asleep and waking up feeling more refreshed. Blueberry cactus’s  impact on the sleep has been seen with both acute and long term use, with most clients reporting an immediate benefit.

The common thread with this essence is that it enhances our ability to slow down mentally, making physical relaxation easier.  What then happens is people are able to feel more joy and positive feelings, whih creates a new cycle for the personality.

I look forward to sharing this essence with more people as time goes on. This essence is a lovely reminder of the benefits of relaxation and taking a slower more mindful approach to life.

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.

Discontent is an insidious feeling, subtle and overt at times; it can be mild or wildly disruptive to our lives.  Especially when our discontent is connected to the mundane: the routine of job and/or responsibility.  Over time it becomes a sort of baseline feeling that runs through our day.  The fact that it is not so overt but part of daily routine is its worst eroding quality.

The erosion happens in a way that is almost unrecognizable because it is so common.  We loss interest, the world is not as bright; we are cut off from a feeling and we forgot when and where that happened. A schism has occurred and we participate in it actually give it fodder by continuing the patterns that led to the feeling of discontent.  But a sense of responsibility keeps us plodding on and resolution seems out of reach.  This kind of feeling eventually will wear on our health, relationships and piece of mind.

Recently I have come across a flower essence to help with this all too common feeling; Bouncing Bet.  It works with alleviating the feeling of discontent that comes along with the “inevitable” aspects of our life; such as going to work in the morning.  It has a soothing quality on the mind which helps one find the kernels of brightness and find more contentment in life and routine.

This essence works mainly on the mental body; by helping us to release feelings of discontent.  Also our uplifted and content mind will have an equal effect on our emotions.  A calmer more content mind will ultimately lead to a more enriching emotional life.  Releasing these feelings of discontent opens space up within us that allows for more healthy energy to flow in our system.  This benefits us in many ways, as this renewal gives us the strength to create more opportunities in our lives.  Opportunities to change and create more of the life we want.

There are a number of pre-made flower essence combination remedies available on the market.  The most recognized being Edward Bach’s original formula known as Rescue Remedy also referred to as Five Flower Formula*.   This formula was originally designed to be you used acutely in times of shock, stress or trauma.  It works well when used in this manner.

Rescue Remedy consists of the following flowers Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose and  Star of Bethlehem.  From this original formula one can make variations on the theme to address more specific concerns.  Below are some examples of other possible uses for Rescue Remedy.

Rescue Remedy + Crab Apple:  Useful for upset stomach  and discomfort from food poisoning, it can also be used topically on the skin for rashes/ hives or other inflammation related skin issues.

Rescue Remedy + Olive: This formula is useful for states of exhaustion it is great for general use.

Rescue Remedy + White Chestnut: This formula is useful for an over anxious mind with it being most helpful when the mind is keeping one from sleeping.

Rescue Remedy +Larch and  Mimulus: This formula is useful for stage fright/performance anxiety.

Rescue Remedy + Pomegranate: This formula is excellent for the discomforts associated with PMS and menstrual cramping.  Pomegranate is available from FES.

These are just a few examples of how one can get creative with the basic Five Flower Rescue Remedy Formula.  There are many stressful situations that can be aided by Rescue Remedy and going off this original formula one can tailor a mixture to best suit their needs.

*Note, Rescue Remedy is a trademark of the Nelson Bach company.  In  Dr. Bach’s lifetime he never made any effort to trademark or patent any of his work, he felt it was a gift to be used freely.  Five Flower Formula is the name given to Bach’s emergency formula by Healing Herbs Ltd.

Within the world of vibrational medicine of which flower remedies are a part of there have been many innovations and advances since Bach made his first flower remedies.  One particular innovation are environmental essences, The Alaskan Flower Essence Project has co-created twelve unique essences of various environments.  The Alaskan Environmental remedies carry potent healing elemental vibrations, that are different from flower essences yet work in tandem at the core level to affect change.

I have been using the environmental essences for a number of years and have found them to be very potent.  I have found them to be most beneficial when I was living in an urban environment.  When using them it felt as if the pristine qualities of nature would flood my body and energy system.  Currently there are twelve environmental essences available from the Alaskan Flower Essence Project.

Chalice Well, Full Moon Reflection, Glacier River, Greenland Icecap, Liard Hot Springs, Northern Lights, Polar Ice, Portage Glacier, Rock Spring, Solstice Sun, Stone Circle and Tidal Forces

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.

Blueberry cactus (Myrtillocactus geometrizans) flower essence, this is one of my favorite essences that I have co-created. I prepared this remedy in March of 2006 shortly before leaving San Diego, I feel like it is a treasure I got to take with me. The cactus I prepared the essence from is about 80+ years old, it has a towering yet gentle presence. The cactus gets its name from the small fruits that resemble and taste similar to blueberries.

The flowers are a soft white with a sweet fragrance, they open to the sun and close at night, protecting the delicateness within. The day I set out to make this essence I intended to only make one essence that of echinopsis, which I also prepared. But I could hear this plant calling to me so I obliged and I am ever so happy I did.

This essence carries such a wonderful relaxing and joyful energy to the user. My initial provings were such a joy to watch. Literally I could see the shift in people immediately. The first time I shared this essence with a friend was on a curb outside of the Farmer’s Market in Hollywood. I handed her the bottle and told her to take 3 drops. I just sat there and watched as she gazed into the distance commenting how she never noticed how lovely everything looked. I said to her “who do you think could benefit from this essence?” Then a friend of hers ran up to us, clearly in hurry, we asked him to sit with us but he had to run . . .

Two other provings revealed this essence’s ability to bring relaxation to the body. The first involves a female friend. A very well put together woman who maintains perfect posture and is seemingly relaxed. I went to her house with a bunch of essences and tested her for which ones she might need, Blueberry cactus came up. We were sitting and talking she took 3 drops and within minutes she was literally draped over the chair in a relaxing reclined position.

The third proving involved a male friend who always struck me as rather laid back, looking back I think this was a front. I was at his house, were he could always be found moving around from one room to the next laptop in hand, checking emails, sending emails, generally keeping busy. I gave him 3 drops and he immediately sunk into the couch and fell asleep shortly afterwards.

What I have found over the years with this essence is that it relaxes the mental body, this in turn brings relaxation to the physical body. It has proven useful for folks dealing with isomnia and disrupted sleeping patterns as well as general stress related to living in a type A society.

This essence brings lightness, joy and more uprightness to the body, enhanceing the vertical flow of energy in the body. It helps us slow down and take a more compassionate approach, helping us feel a joyful sense of presence. Gentle knowing and trusting develops, the ability to handle stress increase thus leading to greater sense of vitality and energy.

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.