Every so often I have a customer who really wants to try flower essences because they have heard good things, but they are actually quite afraid. The same thing sometimes comes up for people about Reiki or any other modality that is perceived as outside of the norm. “Is this something crazy?” Could this hurt me?” “What am I getting myself into?!!”
If that describes you, I don’t blame you! I was in the same camp myself at one time. The first person to tell me about flower essences was an old housemate who thought people were descended from the star constellation Pleiades and put a copper pyramid in my herb garden to “purify the energy.” Hey, maybe she was right (what do I know?), but that was—and still is—too far outside of my belief system to even consider. So when she got excited about flower essences I was skeptical (to say the least). But step by step, positive experience after positive experience, I found myself walking down the flower essence path and now it’s been almost 20 years and I’m still doing it. You can read about how I got started with this in an earlier blog post.
But let’s talk about safety because it comes up in a variety of different contexts for various people.
Some frequently asked questions:
Are flower essences safe for everyone?
Generally speaking, yes! They can even be used by children and pets. However, they do contain alcohol so, if you are sensitive to certain types of alcohol or shouldn’t drink it at all, I suggest you use them as a spray or topically in scented oil form. If you are prone to sensitivity in general, use appropriate caution. A true allergic response is highly unlikely—these are such dilute substances that hardly any plant material can be detected. But a person can be sensitive or become sensitive to almost anything, especially if they have a past history of allergic reactions. Please do not use my products if you appear to be allergic to them. (See below under side effects)
Some of your flower essences are made from toxic plants! Are you sure they are safe?
Toxicity is a matter of the qualities of a substance combined with dosage. Water is toxic in a high enough dosage as are several of the spices most commonly found in a person’s kitchen (nutmeg, for instance). But those same substances are generally recognized as safe in the dosage they are typically used at. Such is the case with flower essences. As I said before, they are highly dilute substances, and they have been used since Dr. Edward Bach developed them in 1928 without reports of harm, although there are rare reports of side effects.
What rare side effects?
Sometimes people try to create a flower essence combination that addresses too many issues at once and that can stir up a sense of uneasiness or confusion. Drink lots of water and throw that combination out—the feelings will subside. Then pick one issue and one flower essence at a time and try again. That usually goes a lot better.
Sensitive people may also find that transformation is happening too quickly to assimilate well. When that happens natural resistance to the process may produce fatigue, skin rashes or headaches. Discontinue use for 2-3 days and try again at a lower frequency of use (once or twice a day). Stop using if symptoms return. (Keep reading.)
Nocebo (negative placebo effects) also present in the same way. (I just wrote a blog post about that.) Those are caused by fear, and you will need to address the beliefs you are struggling with first. Are you afraid of using flower essences? (Take the time to learn more about them!) Afraid of what the healing process might reveal? Sometimes the emotional patterns we adopt in our lives are defense mechanisms to keep from feeling something hidden underneath, and that’s often what the resistance is about. Set up a session or two with a therapist or use other tools you are comfortable with (meditation, journaling) to gain clarity. Different flower essences can ease the way. I once dreamed of the right flower essence to add to a formula I was using and was having a mild reaction to. Once I added that, the reaction disappeared (immediately). Other times I have needed to go in a different direction altogether. Flower essences are not always the right approach. For example, sometimes you need to change something you’re putting up with in your life! Other times, there might be something going on that should be checked out by a doctor. For example, did you know that a vitamin deficiency that would show up in a simple blood test could be the cause of your depression or anxiety? It’s worth finding out!
Allergies are unlikely but please don’t use this if you seem to be allergic to it. Your mind/body does not want you to use it—respect that until you find out what that’s all about and address it.
It’s not a “safety” issue but it worries me: I have heard that flower essences can sometimes make emotional symptoms worse. Is that true?
In the flower essence community we call this an “awareness crisis.” It is a rare reaction but not unknown.
Although it often seems to be so, flower essences are not drugs or magic potions that take your emotional pain away without your conscious awareness of the origin of the problem. If you have been attempting to push important feelings away so you can keep on doing something that is keeping you in an unhealthy situation and want flower essences to help you do that, that might not work. Your awareness of how bad you feel in this situation is BEGGING for assistance, and it’s not flower essence assistance that will make the difference—although they might help you make the changes in your life that need to occur!
Also, as mentioned above, for some people the symptoms you must address have served as defense mechanisms to keep you from feeling the deeper issues involved. If that is the case, you might find that your emotions temporarily intensify until your inner conflict about this is resolved. Unless your feelings are overwhelming, you could try sticking with it and letting your emotions out— the situation typically resolves in 1-2 days. If the awareness crisis becomes unusually intense (beyond a healthy level of discomfort), reduce the frequency of the dosage to slow the process down or change the flower essence selection (maybe there’s something else that needs to be addressed first). Regular use of self-awareness practices such as meditation, counseling, journal-keeping or other forms of self-expression can ease the process or prevent a healing crisis from occurring in the first place. Ask yourself why this flower essence selection is worrisome for you and see what bubbles up.
Could flower essences have a negative effect if I don’t choose the right one?
No. If you have not chosen the right flower essence, they won’t have any effect at all.
––––––––––––––––––––––––
Flower essences are used to assist with mind-body-spirit interactions and individual results may vary. They are extremely dilute which makes them quite safe. But because so little physical substance can be detected in a flower essence solution, these products are presumed to work on an energetic or vibrational level—something that cannot be adequately tested by western scientific methods. Claims made by me, therefore, are based on personal experiences and the evidence of the combined multiple decades of case notes by Dr. Edward Bach as well as Healing Herbs and Flower Essence Services (the companies who make the ingredients I use in my products). This is not, however, accepted medical evidence or substantiated scientific evidence from a modern allopathic point of view. I am not a medical doctor or licensed healthcare practitioner.
Statements made have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information provided on my blog, websites or by this company are not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with a health care provider, and should not be construed as individual medical or mental health advice. Consulting with a health care provider is a must for anyone taking medications or working with a medical or mental health condition, and highly recommended before using any herbal product. Please consult your doctor or health care provider for any possible contraindications and/or interactions with current medications. I trust you to seek the medical guidance you need to use any of my herbal products healthily at your own risk.