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How flower therapy restores balance and wellness

Carly Neeson

This springtime, you might just consider seeing flowers in a new way, much more than just for beautifying your surroundings.


Flower therapy fans and those who practice alternative medicine attest flowers do more than just liven up a place. They also restore your inner calm and balance. Even simply picturing yourself smelling a bunch of fresh flowers gives you an immediate sense of serenity. Now imagine having that state of serenity unified with your fitness activities. Ponder that and learn more about the role of flower therapy in restoring your inner balance to power up your fitness this springtime.

Flower therapy falls under alternative medicine, which involves healing practices that don’t fall within any area of conventional medicine. Alternative medicine may be in the form of diet-based therapies, acupuncture, homeopathy, hypnosis, biofeedback, meditation, Ayurveda, Unani, Chinese traditional medicine, herbalism and naturopathy (among others), on top of a wide range of other practices.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has classifications of complimentary and alternative medicine, which is broken down in five major groups: Whole Medical Systems, Mind-Body Intervention, Biological-based Therapy, Manipulative and Body-Based Methods, and Energy Therapy.

Flower therapy
Most people seeking higher levels of fitness tend to treat exercise as an obligation. They tend to overlook the fact that looking good is also linked to feeling good. How can you stay in shape when your emotional state is in chaos? This is where flower therapy can come into your regimen.

The flower therapy remedy was developed by Dr. Edward Bach, an English physician in the 1930’s. It is not a particular line of perfume, neither is it similar to aromatherapy. Instead it deals with flower mixtures either taken orally or applied to the skin to remedy spiritual and emotional conditions, such as stress, insomnia, anxiety and depression.

How it works
The remedy concoctions contain flower substances in a 50:50 mixture of brandy and/or water. Since the remedy concoction is diluted, it has little or no taste or scent of the flower at all. There are a lot of flower essences available in the market that you can buy off the shelf. However, you can also make your own homemade versions with a few simple steps:

• Place fresh flowers—preferably with early morning dew—in a bowl with water (about 2 cups) and leave them under the morning sun for two to three hours. Boil the water along with the flowers under medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Combine brandy or fresh water, and the boiled flower water in equal parts.
• The concoction can be taken orally by putting several drops on your tongue, or mixing a few drops into your drinking water.

Now that you know how to make your own flower essences, here are some of the flowers you can use with their corresponding effects:

1. Agrimony – for those who want to avoid conflict
2. Aspen – for those who want to deal with panic attacks
3. Beech – for excessive intolerance
4. Centaury – to counter a weak personality
5. Cerato – to boost self-confidence
6. Cherry Plum – to address obsessive behavior
7. Chestnut Bud – to address absent-mindedness
8. Chicory – to resolve self-pity
9. Clematis – to deal with present issues and problems
10. Crab Apple – to counter self-disgust
11. Elm – if you feel overwhelmed by responsibilities
12. Gorse – to counter defeatism
13. Heather – to counter obsessions
14. Holly – to counter envy and jealousy
15. Honeysuckle – to address melancholia
16. Hornbeam – to deal with procrastination
17. Impatiens – to boost patience
18. Larch – to deal with an inferiority complex
19. Mimulus – to counter fear of embarrassment
20. Mustard – to deal with depression
21. Oak – to deal with feelings of hopelessness
22. Olive – to feel energized when over-fatigued
23. Pine – to counter feelings of guilt
24. Red Chestnut – to counter obsessive concern
25. Rock Rose – when you feel panic stricken
26. Rock Water – to deal with self-denial
27. Scleranthus – to address doubtfulness
28. Star of Bethlehem – to counter frightfulness
29. Sweet Chestnut – to balance out emotional disturbances

What to Expect
Flower therapy provides a distinctive approach in transforming emotional conditions. Potentially the therapy goes beyond defeating difficult emotions; it also develops a general exuberance for life and boosts creative thinking.

When you desire to experience life as a physically fit and healthy person, take on this remedy and you might just see for yourself how you can reach a balanced state of spirit, feelings, mind and body. Aren’t you glad it’s springtime – the season of flowers?