Updated January 3, 2022
Aromatherapy: Make Your Own Flower Essences
Think of flower essences as the Reiki of the plant world, as they work on the emotional and energetic levels of the body and mind. Flower essences are useful for people with highly sensitive nervous systems. Flower essences can also be thought of the homeopathy of the plant world. They were developed by a homeopath, Dr. Edward Bach. He believed many illnesses and ailments have emotional origins. Dr. Bach believed the health of the body depends on the health of the soul.
Herbal preparations come in different forms: fresh and dried herbs, tinctures, soups, teas, essential oils, hydrosols and flower essences. Essential oils are the most concentrated of the plant modalities, using a large amount of plants to create a small amount of concentrated plant oil. Because of the concentrated nature of essential oils, they must be used in dilution. I use them only in dilutions appropriate for sensitive people.
Fresh and dried herbs and essential oils act on the physical plane, their constituents interact with our physiology on a molecular level.
For example, lavender essential oil has been studied extensively. Due to the chemical constituents of linalool and linalyl acetate and their ability to bond with the human neurotransmitter system, lavender has proven anti-anxiety and sedative effects. A meta-analysis done by Benjamin J. Malcom, PharmD. and Kimberly Tallian, PharmD. of some of the research on the constituents in lavender essential oil can be found here.
Flower essences are not composed of physical or concentrated plant constituents, as are herbs and essential oils. There aren’t physical traces of molecular constituents found in a flower essence.
Flower essences act on the energetic and emotional plane, rather than the physical plane. The sight and the scent of rose makes one feel a certain way; the sight and scent of a daisy makes one feel another way.
Read about combining affirmations and flower essences to create positive emotions here.
The flower essence is the imprint of the energetic and emotional qualities of the plant. Like Reiki, flower essences affect the human energy field and shift emotional aspects of the self.
Reiki has been studied extensively and has been shown to directly affect the physiology. A Reiki treatment invokes the relaxation response, lowers blood pressure, lowers cortisol, decreases anxiety and raises quality of life indicators. A meta-analysis done by David McManus, Ph.D., of some of the research on Reiki shows that it has broad potential as complementary therapy.
However, unlike Reiki, flower essences do not have much research supporting their actions, but there is recent research to support that plants and trees communicate with each other in a silent network, through the soil.
I buy most of my flower essences from Bach Flower Remedies and from Flower Essence Services (FES). Dr. Bach created a basic set of 38 flowers essences that are still in use today. The Flower Essence Services (FES) company has created hundreds of flower essences and oils. I use both Dr. Bach’s and FES flower essences. I like FES as it is an American company based in the American Rocky Mountains. I have a spiritual affinity to the Rocky Mountains and have been there many times. Their flower essences speak to me on an energetic level.
Read about 12 Ways to Use Flower Essences Here
And, sometimes I am drawn to make my own flower essences. I thought I’d share with you how you can make your own as I find working with plants to be therapeutic and relaxing and you might, too. The life spirit of the plants are deeply healing to me.
Making flower essences is a simple procedure. But it requires mindful presence from the practitioner. Mindfully walk thought your garden and be sensitive to the feelings that come up as you allow yourself to bathe in nature’s presence. Let the flowers call to you. I’ve been drawn to irises throughout my lifetime. Iris flower essence nurtures individuals who need to work on a soul level and want to bring passionate creativity to their life’s work. I watched my irises and waited until the plant had alot of blooms. Some people like to harvest their flowers for making essences only at the full moon. The full moon often coincides with abundant bloom.
I cut the flowers early in the morning, on a sunny day, when I knew the sun would be strong. I wanted to use the sunlight to capture this particular iris essence. People like to use the moonlight or the sunlight to manifest flower essences. Without touching the water or the blooms with my fingers, I clipped the flowers off and let them fall into a bowl of spring water Then I let the flowers sit until the essence had imprinted in the water, about 2 – 4 hours in the sun.
After about 4 hours, using a sanitized tweezer, without touching the water with my fingers, I removed the blooms. The water that is left holds the iris flower essence. I had pre-sanitized ten small dosage bottles to hold the flower essence. I added a 1/4 teaspoon of vodka as a preservative, then about just about filled bottles with spring water, then dropped ten drops of the essence into each dosage bottle. Now I have my own iris essence, filled with the energy of my garden!
