According to Dr. Bach, flower remedies set out to affect physical problems of the body by addressing their emotional and psychological causes. As the emotions stabilize and general health-especially emotional outlook-improves, the illness begins to disperse. This seems to be accomplished by the triggering of mechanisms that stimulate the internal healing processes.

  These "mechanisms" of the mind/body link have received intense scrutiny from the scientific community over the last two decades, leading to the emergence of a new field called psychoneuroimmunology. Clinical studies have confirmed that the psychological and emotional state of a person influences a myriad of bodily processes, for better or for worse, by stimulating or suppressing immune cell activity, adrenal gland hormones, and neurotransmitters.

  Researcher, writer, educator, and authority on the Bach remedies, Leslie Kaslof says that flower remedies have a subtle effect, gently resolving underlying emotional stress by triggering mechanisms which serve to mobilize the body's own internal healing processes. Most often, as the remedies take effect, one will not even have a sense of having had an emotional problem. Only in retrospect will a person be able to determine where attitudes have changed or resolved themselves.

  Usually flower remedies prove effective in removing the emotional blocks to recovery within one to twelve weeks. Nevertheless, in cases of deeply rooted psychological patterns or beliefs, it may take longer. Once a patient's emotional state has improved, though, the remedy, no longer need to be taken. Moreover, unlike many chemical drugs, flower remedies will not create any physical dependencies, because the remedies have a self-diminishing effect. This means that both the need for and the effectiveness of the remedies diminish as the patient moves toward a more balanced and healthy emotional level.

 

 

  Flowers are picked in the morning, when heavy with dew, and at their fullest bloom. After being placed in a bowl of spring water and exposed to full sunlight for three hours, the flowers are removed with a twig from the same plant. A sterile bottle is filled half with the flower water from the bowl and half with brandy. This is the "Mother Essence," which is then diluted to make the remedy.

  An alternative method is used for certain other flowers-the flowers, leaves, and twigs are placed in a saucepan then covered with two pints of spring water and brought to a boil. After cooling, the liquid is decanted then filtered through three layers of blotting paper and again mixed with brandy 1:1 to make the Mother Essence, before diluting to make the concentrate.

  The remedy concentrates can then be administered in a variety of ways, as well as in varying strengths, depending on the patient's specific need. Generally, though, for immediate or acute situations, two to four drops of the concentrate can be placed directly under the tongue. For alcohol-sensitive persons, the concentrate can be diluted and sipped in a quarter of a glass of juice or water, or can be rubbed on the temples, behind the ears, wrists, crook of the elbows, or knees. The remedies can also be sprayed from an atomizer onto or around the patient.

  For long-term use, two to four drops of the concentrate should be added to a one-ounce bottle of spring water (avoid distilled). A teaspoon of brandy or other rectified spirits may be added as a preservative (if alcohol-sensitive, use apple cider vinegar). Four drops are placed under the tongue upon rising, between meals, and at bedtime.

  To maximize shelf life, the remedies should always be kept tightly stoppered and away from sunlight and heat.