Bachblüten Anhängsel
Rock rose: used in a state of terror, panic and extreme fright- whether
the person is in good health or not. People who are suffering from this state
of mind are usually in a serious condition.
Situation so grave that it affects those around him (Chancellor,
1995:162 ). Many women experiencing menopause go through a feeling of being
unable to cope and fear of losing control.
Impatiens: Feels impatient, irritable, extreme mental tension and for
those who are quick in mind and action. The mental tension often manifests as
muscular tension and pain.
Effective for all pain caused by tension such as sudden cramp, an agonizing pain, or other spastic conditions
(Chancellor, 1995: 121).
It is common that women experiencing menopause also experience severe
mood swings and irritability that this flower may be able to subdue.
Clematis: In individuals who experience a sense of indifference, dreaminess, inattention and
unconsciousness. Poor memories, they avoid difficulties or unpleasantness by
allowing their
attention to wander and by withdrawing (Chancellor, 1995:76). Lack of
concentration is a common symptom in women experiencing menopause.
Star of Bethlehem: After mental or physical shock. One of five remedies
in Rescue Remedy and its function is to neutralize shock in any form. Dr Bach
called this remedy “The comforter and
soother of pains and sorrows” (Chancellor, 1995:179).
Women going through menopause do have a sense of vulnerability,
insecurity and depression that can be helped by the Bach Flower remedies.
Cherry Plum: For the desperation and deep depression of those on the
verge of a nervous breakdown. The distress becomes so great, that they fear the
mind will give way under strain. They fear
that they will lose control of their thoughts or actions, and be
impelled to do something dreadful or to commit an act which in a happier time
they would not consider for a moment
(Chancellor, 1995:61). Women in menopause commonly experience the
feeling of losing control and anxiety therefore the inclusion of this flower
remedy.
[Edward Bach] (24-9-1886 - 27-11-936)
Bach grew up in
Before turning to alternative therapies, he was a House Surgeon and a
casualty medical officer at
Later he worked at the
These Bowel Nosodes were introduced by Bach and the British homeopaths,
John Paterson (1890-1954) and Charles Edwin Wheeler (1868-1946) in the 1920s.
Their use is based on the variable bowel bacterial flora associated with
persons of different homeopathic constitutional types.
Bach flowers
In 1930, at the age of 43, he decided to search for a new healing
technique. He spent the spring and summer discovering and preparing new flower remedies
- which include no part of the plant but simply what Bach claimed to be the
pattern of energy of the flower. In the winter he treated patients free of
charge.
Bach did not use the Scientific Method to determine the claimed healing
properties of his concoctions. Instead, Bach claimed to have psychically or
intuitively discovered the healing effects of 38 wildflowers. His
"discoveries" were arrived at by "inspirations." For
example, while on a walk he had an inspiration that dew drops on a plant heated
by the sun would absorb healing properties from the plant. He claimed that all
he needed to do was hold a flower or taste a petal and he could intuitively
grasp its healing powers. From these intuitions he went on to prepare
"essences" using pure water and plants. Bach claimed that these
wildflowers have a soul or energy with an affinity to the human soul. The
flower's spiritual energy is transferable to water.
Rather than recognizing the role of germ theory of disease, defective
organs and/or tissue, and other known and demonstrable sources of disease, Bach
thought that of illness as the result of
"A contradiction between the purposes of the soul and the
personality's point of view“. This internal war, according to Bach, leads to
negative moods and energy blocking, which causes a lack
of "harmony," thus leading to physical diseases.
Bach advertised his remedies in two daily newspapers, but since his
practices did not follow any scientific protocol, and his results were dubious,
the General Medical Council disapproved of his advertising. For example, in his
treatise Heal Thyself he wrote:
"Disease will never be cured or eradicated by present materialistic
methods, for the simple reason that disease in its origin is not material . . .
Disease is in essence the result of conflict between the Soul and Mind and will
never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort“.
In 1934, he moved to
[Suzanne E. Sky, L.Ac.]
Dr Edward Bach was a remarkable man. He was an early pioneer of natural
medicine who discovered results when he treated the person rather than the
disease. Born in 1886, Bach entered the medical profession from a sincere
desire to help others. Early on in his practice he noticed that the patients
personality or temperament was more helpful in deciding which medicine would be
most effective than any other factor.
Early in his career, Bach studied bacteriology and became fascinated by
the connection between a person's colon flora and their health. He discovered
that a vaccine made from the patient's intestinal bacteria, and injected into
their blood stream, gave excellent results, especially in chronic diseases.
When Bach discovered homeopathy, he modified his method and made homeopathic
preparations known as nosodes (remedies made from pathological tissues). He
classified the intestinal bacteria into seven main groups and made preparations
still known today as Bach's Seven Nosodes. Soon, he found that when a patient
entered his office, he could immediately tell which type of flora would be
predominant in that person, and which nosode they would need. From this Bach
correlated seven main personality types and began prescribing the Nosodes
solely on the basis of the patients personality, rather than laboratory tests.
The results were even greater than he expected, and he saw clearly the
importance of treating the person rather than their disease.
While Bach had great respect for homeopathy and its founder, Dr.
Hahnemann, he refuted the basic premise of homeopathy, that like cures like.
Bach states "It is obviously fundamentally wrong to say that 'like cures
like'. ...Like may strengthen like, like may repel like, but in the true
healing sense like cannot cure like. ....And so in true healing, and so in
spiritual advancement, we must always seek good to drive out evil, love to
conquer hate, and light to dispel darkness. Thus must we avoid all poisons, all
harmful things, and use only the beneficent and beautiful." (Collected
Writings, page 113)
Bach became dissatisfied with using the intestinal Nosodes, desiring to
find a natural method which would not require using pathological material. He
felt herbs would provide the most suitable material and began investigating the
plant world. As Bach continued to work with and observe people, he became even
more convinced thata person's temperment and personality were the factors that
determined what illnesses they were prone to and what medicines would help
them.
The first two plants he discovered and used in his practice, that are
still Bach Flower Essences® today, were Impatiens and Mimulus. The third one
was Clematis. This was in 1930. Bach was so pleased with the results, he
decided to give up his use of nosodes altogether and seek out other herbal
remedies to add to his repertory. Dr. Bach gave up his successful, lucrative
and prestigious Harley Street office and set out for Wales to discover new
healing plants. Little did he know he was about to discover a whole new form of
natural medicine and herbal preparation.
Tromping around Wales for many years led him to discover the remaining
36 Bach Flower Remedies®. Bach was very particular in his selection of flowers
and where he found them. Each of his remedies is a specific botanical entity,
and substitutions are not equally effective. Bach was a sensitive as well as a
medical researcher and physician. This blend made him search out only non-toxic
plants that offered the highest vibratory patterns. Of the 39 essences we
attribute to Bach, 37 are from plants, trees and bushes. One remedy, Rock
Water, is from a special spring. The 39th, is a combination of several
remedies, used for acute and emergency situations.
Bach found great results using the flower essences with people who came
to him from all over. No matter what illness the person had, he only gave
remedies in accord with their mental/emotional state of being. Bach himself
became ill several times and only recovered after discovering and using the
appropriate flower essence. He discovered several essences in this way.
Dr. Bach died in his sleep in 1936, feeling his lifes work was complete.
He stated that the 38 flower essences he discovered would cover every possible
area of need. His goal was to discover a safe, effective system of medicine
that even the simplest person could use to help themselves, without a doctor.
He felt he achieved this goal with his system of the Bach Flower Remedies®,
which anyone can learn and apply with a little study.
The cause of disease according to Dr. Edward Bach
[Friedwart Husemann, M.D.]
Bach's Medical System
As a boy, Edward Bach hoped to discover the principle that could be used
to cure all diseases. As a medical student he was conscious of the strong bias
in school medicine. When he first came in contact with patients he felt that
their psychological and personal symptoms were much more important than the
physical symptoms. He trained
as a bacteriologist and produced vaccines (nosodes) from the intestinal
microorganisms, injecting patients with their own nosodes. He achieved
remarkable results with
this method, later modifying it and giving the nosodes only by mouth. He
then found in Hahnemann's Organon much of what he himself had discovered in
working with
his nosodes.
In July 1917 Bach had a severe pulmonary hemorrhage requiring surgery.
He was in a coma for some time.
He developed his nosode therapy further at the
He differentiated between seven groups of bacteria:
1. Proteus,
2. Dysentery,
3. Morgan,
4. Fecalis,
5. Coli mutabile,
6. Gaertner,
7. No. 7.
In clinical use, the mental symptoms and temperament of the patient
became the most important indications/Bach defined 7 clearly-defined
personality types with the 7 nosodes corresponding.
His approach was based on bacteriologic/pharmaceutic/clinical
investigations. The success achieved with the nosodes failed to satisfy. He
suddenly gave it all up.
In 1928 (age of 42) came a turning point in his life. He was looking for
plants to replace his nosodes for purer remedies. He went to the world of
nature, gathering plants, potentizing them or their active principles, but
found again and again that nothing equaled the power of his nosodes.
He realized that there had to be more than 7 types. He initially
established 12 personality types, indicating twelve flowers for their
treatment. One of his booklets was therefore entitled “The Twelve Healers”. He
realized that he was on the threshold of discovering a completely new system of
clinical medicine. He also had a feeling that he would find a new method of
preparation that differed from existing techniques in being extremely simple.
He left
Bach's primary intuition -using the term in his sense- had been that
there are twelve personality types which he distinguished according to mental
and characterological aspects:
1) fear
2) terror
3) mental torture or worry
4) indecision
5) indifference, boredom
6) doubt or discouragement
7) over-concern
8) weakness
9) self-distrust
10) impatience
11) over-enthusiasm
12) pride or aloofness
Bach found a natural remedy for each of these, perceiving the connection
directly when encountering the plant:
The results achieved with these remedies, used according to the mental
typology, satisfied Bach greatly. They were much better than those he had known
with his nosodes. Most of the readers of this journal will be familiar with
Cichorium intybus, a plant R.S. investigated in spiritual science. The story of
a patient treated with Cichorium intybus by E. Bach is of interest. According
to Bach, Chicory is indicated for people who are over-concerned and like to
interfere in other people's affairs:
According to Bach, the physical disease had been caused by lack of
harmony between soul and spirit, personality and higher self. Disease as such
is beneficial and serves us well: it is a corrective, pointing to a lesson to
be learned. Essentially there are twelve faults to be recognized. The disease
will be cured if we develop the virtue that balances the fault. In support, or
even on its own, the appropriate flower therapy is indicated for each fault.
Bach's writings thus contain lists such as the following:
This establishes a kind of pastoral medical and phytotherapeutic
connection.
Continuing his researches. Bach found 7 more medicinal plants. In the
last 2 years of his life he discovered a another 19 medicines using a different
method of research. Bach himself would develop a certain negative mental state
or a physical illness, and he always knew that he would recover as soon as he
found the appropriate medicine. This method of pharmacognosy through self
treatment required great courage of his convictions and an unshakeable faith in
his mission. The additional 19 medicines were largely taken from trees (oak,
elm, larch, hornbeam, etc.) and prepared not by the sun method, which will be
described below, but (with the exception of White Chestnut) by decoction. Bach
mainly used this second series of remedies for patients who did not respond too
well to the first series.
Bach's system of medicine thus involves 2 x 19 = 38 remedies. The Rescue
Remedy: combination of Rock Rose, Impatiens, Clematis, Star of Bethlehem and
Cherry Plum.
The first book published by Bach following the discovery of his flower
remedies was Heal Thyself. Physical illnesses are psychological in origin. If
we deal with our psychological problems we shall be well, contented and happy.
The function of the new remedies was to help patients to overcome the negative
states of soul that caused the illness.
Bach rejected poisonous plants and metals as medicinal agents. He would
only use the flowers, for the flower, containing the potential seed,
concentrates the vital powers of the plant.
Bach’s method: freshly gathered flowers were placed in a dish of clear
water and exposed to direct sunlight. A glass bowl, as thin-walled as possible,
was filled almost to the brim with pure water, preferably from a spring.
Sufficient flower heads were placed in the bowl to cover the surface
completely. A cloudless day would be chosen, and the flowers were picked after
they had been in the sunlight for about 2 hours. The bowl was then placed in
the sun, changing its position from time to time so that the light of the sun
was fully on the surface, with the whole bowl bathed in light. A quarter of the
liquid was poured off after 3, 4 and 7 hours respectively, adding about 20% of
pure alcohol to the drawn-off liquid, which would represent the 3rd, 4th and
7th potencies respectively.
It is evident from the above that Bach - in the initial stages of
developing the method - equated the period of exposure to the sun with
different potencies. It also shows that Bach would originally pick the flowers
2 hours after sunrise at the earliest and that some of the tinctures were not
ready until 9 hours after sunrise, in the afternoon. Later he said the flowers
should be exposed to the sun until the petals just started to fade. Ultimately
the instruction was to expose to the sun for 4 hours, and that is the method
used today. Even today, the 4-hour period may well extend beyond noon.
The method was, therefore, to take the place of potentization for Bach's
researches had shown that this was the best way of ensuring medicinal powers.
Bach wrote in 1930 that people should not reject the method on account of its
simplicity; the further scientific research advanced, the greater would be
recognition of the principle of simplicity in the whole of creation.
In his view, the system could be used to cure all diseases:
Whatever the disease, the result of this disharmony, we may be quite
sure that the cure is well within our powers of accomplishment, for our souls
never ask of us more than we can very easily do. Any disease, however serious,
however long-standing, will be cured by restoring to the patient happiness and
desire to carry on.
Examples he gave were "arthritis, cancer, asthma, etc." and
also "measles." A few weeks before his death he spoke of "all
diseases normally known in this country".
There is no need to tell you of the Great Healing Properties of these
Remedies, more than to say that hundreds and thousands of people have been
brought back to health.
He compared his cures to the melting of snow:
They [the Bach Flowers] cure not by attacking disease but by flooding
our bodies with the beautiful vibrations of our Higher Nature, in the presence
of which disease melts as snow in the sunshine.
He also stated that his method was very simple, requiring "no
medical knowledge whatsoever". "The whole principle of Healing by
this method is so simple as can be understood by almost everyone".
Anthroposophic Point of View
A comparison of Bach's method with anthroposophic medicine will not only
throw a light on the Bach Flowers but, if we look at anthroposophic medicine in
the mirror of another system, some of the principles of anthroposophic medicine
emerge more clearly.
What are the origins of disease?
Bach saw the origin of physical illnesses in the human psyche. The
mental symptoms were much more important to him than physical symptoms. Edward
Bach (1886-1936) and R.S. (1861-1925) were
of one mind regarding the psychic origin of physical illnesses. "The
disease is merely an abnormality in the individual's life of feeling",
said R.S. and Edward Bach had clearly developed the "perceptive eye for
the inner life" that R.S. hoped physicians would develop. In
anthroposophic medicine this concept of disease is only one among many, and it
is immediately reversed when it comes to "mental" diseases, the
syndromes known in the field of psychiatry. Depression and mania, compulsive neuroses
or delusional states have their origin in the patient's physical body. Other
concepts arise, for instance, if we consider the human being from the point of
view of the 4 aspects, its 3-fold nature, or the polarity between the upper and
lower human being.
If a physical illness has its origin in the patient's soul life, does
this permit us to give low value to physical symptoms?
Let us imagine 2 patients who are both over-concerned (Bach).
Let us say one has a heart condition and the other a liver disease. Heart
and liver are different worlds, and so it cannot be one and the same. Here we
see that it really matters if we are able to distinguish between body, soul and
spirit.
Anthroposophy considers not only the psyche, which may affect the
individual's vital processes, but also the spiritual nature of a person which
is embodied and active in the organs. Seen in this light, disease is "the
physical Imagination of spiritual life", and I differentiate between two
different spiritual realities when making the distinction between hemolytic and
hepatocellular icterus. The soul is undoubtedly more spiritual than the body,
but the latter is more perfect in its kind. If we compare the marvelous
structure of the heart or the brain and their finely attuned functions with the
uncertainties and instability of our feelings, it is evident that the physical
body, of its kind, is the most perfect aspect of the human being. Any approach
to medicine must base itself on a study of the physical body; otherwise it can
have no solid foundation.
One-sided or all-round methods?
Bach used only flowers for his medicines (exception = Rock Water = water
from medicinal springs).
Anthroposophically speaking, flowers act on the metabolic pole, i.e. the
area where Bach had collected his nosodes at an earlier stage. The fact that he
used plants to influence the soul is understandable from the anthroposophic
point of view. Mineral medicines act on the human ego, plants on the soul
(astral) body, animal substances on the life body, and human substances (blood
preparations) on the physical body. The flower actually has a soul aspect,
showing nature's changing facial expressions in a poetic way.
Bach, therefore, had the right ideas concerning both disease and his
Flower Remedies, but he made them the sole and exclusive principle to the point
where there are no limits, and one loses one's bearings.
Some dietary advice given by R.S. may demonstrate this.
The metabolic/sulphur pole is dominant in fair-haired children, the
nerve/sense pole in dark-haired children. To correct such a bias, Steiner
advised that fair-haired children should be given root vegetables, dark-haired
children aromatic fruits. The effect of such a diet given to children also
influences the soul, and we really ought to demonstrate this empirically by
conducting long-term trials. But we can understand the principle even without
this. A fair-haired child, with the emphasis on metabolism, would thus be given
root vegetables and a dark-haired child, with the emphasis on nerves and senses,
fruit to correct the bias. Anthroposophic medical treatment is also based on
the principle that human beings have an upside-down plant inside them.
The Flower Remedies deal with one aspect of this. The other, polar root
aspect and the third, mediating leaf aspect are missing. People using the
Flower Remedies, therefore, have no clear understanding of what they are doing.
For what do I really know about an effective medicine if I do not also know the
medicine which acts in the opposite way?
Many mothers today give Bach Flower Remedies to their children as a form
of prophylactic psychological medicine. In view of the above, one would expect
the Flower Remedies to increase the bias in a fair-haired child, in whom the
flowering/sulphur is already dominant, while they may be expected to have a
balancing effect in dark-haired children.
Medicines free from poison?
Bach rejected poisonous plants (Bell./Acon.) even in potentized form.
R.S. would occasionally prescribe substances in doses that came close to the toxic
range (Merc-v nat. in Thuja comp.).
Here again, the physical body can teach us how to find the right way. It
produces numerous toxic substances (CO2/P/Fe/bilirubin) all of which the
physical boda detoxifies. Classic exogenous toxins such as Morp./Strophant.
have been known for years to be endogenous as well, with small amounts produced
in the body. Everything normal and healthy in one organ is unhealthy or a toxin
for the next organ. Consider the way the brain floats calmly in the
cerebrospinal fluid, like an iceberg; in the heart the same macroscopic calm
would signify cardiac arrest and, therefore, death. The inner life, which
proved of such interest to Bach, can only exist in the body by slightly
poisoning it all the time; the state of unconsciousness we enter in sleep will
then correct this again. If a disease develops in which vegetative,
regenerative, sleep-like metabolic forces dominate (a febrile inflammation)
toxic substances are indicated that will strengthen the waking- up pole, which
has become too weak, and thus counteract the overweening metabolic,
going-to-sleep pole.
To be able to cope with the widest possible range of situations - and
Edward Bach clearly wanted this - we have to understand that it is "a
nonsense to dream of non-poisonous medicine".
Self-treatment or self-education?
One of Bach's most important social impulses is that of self-treatment.
Apart from the simplicity of his method, this is probably one of the main
reasons why the system is so widespread, having become highly popular in recent
years.
As already mentioned. Bach's first publication was Heal Thyself. Steiner
asked young doctors to make it part of their medical ethics not to treat
themselves and not to lay claim to the benefits of the medicines for
themselves. This was clearly said with reference to medical treatment.
In terms of general hygiene it is, of course, justifiable and indeed
highly necessary to strive for health. "Striving for health" is the
first condition for entering on the spiritual path (Knowledge of the Higher
Worlds). Tried and proven aids are eurythmy and the exercises connected with
the lectures on Overcoming Nervousness and Practical Training in Thought. At
this psychological level, self-treatment is far from simple, requiring a great
deal of effort and will power. It is, in fact, a matter of self-education. The
"heal yourself" impulse should not take the place of self-education.
We are well on the way to this, however, when we read in the prospectuses of the
Bach Center in England that Bach Flower therapy is "preventive medicine
for the psyche", serving to "build character" and that the
long-term goal of Bach Flower therapy is to achieve "purity of soul and,
therefore, maximum personal development and stability".
Under the pretext of treatment something entirely different is offered
here: the self-education impulse is obscured. Purity of soul is a goal that in
anthroposophic terms can only be achieved through numerous incarnations and, in
Christian terms, only on the Day of Judgment. In selling their products the
manufacturers of Bach Flower Remedies want to provide something to be acquired
passively which, in fact, can never be provided from outside: self- knowledge,
self-education, character improvement, purity of soul.
As far as I can see, this impulse was not of primary concern to Bach
himself; he truly wanted to heal physical diseases by treating the soul. Bach
was convinced that his system would cure every disease.
Sun method or powers of morning and evening?
R.S. introduced new, complicated manufacturing methods for a whole range
of anthroposophic medicines. Examples are the machine used to produce mistletoe
preparations and the method of producing Kalium acet. comp. cum Stibio. His
suggestions were based on certain insights, e.g. that mistletoe as it occurs in
nature, is a "decadent process". It is often necessary to complete
the work of nature, using the art of pharmacy.
Edward Bach's main concern, on the other hand, was to find a simple
method on which human beings have minimum influence. His sun method exposes the
medicinal substances to direct sunlight, and initially he would start two hours
after sunrise at the earliest, with exposure time of 3 - 7 hours, depending on
the "potency" required. The method was developed further, and today a
standard exposure time of 4 hours is used, often until noon or later.
Originally, noontime was always part of the process.
Steiner, on the other hand, advised against using the noon or midnight powers
of the sun, recommending utilization of the powers of morning and evening, with
direct sunlight playing no role in this, the aim being, among other things, to
avoid the use of alcohol as a preservative. Bach was unable to manage without
alcohol for his remedies. Steiner spoke of the different nature of the powers
of noon and midnight, predicting their future effects in the East and West. A
time will come when "those who have knowledge in the cosmos will fight one
another“. It will be an American secret how the powers of noon can be made to
serve the ahrimanic double, to paralyze the powers of morning and evening. And
the powers of midnight will be used in Eastern occultism to bypass the Christ
impulse.
Readers may judge for themselves if Bach's sun method may be seen in
connection with the above-mentioned American secret or not. The fact is that
Edward Bach, coming after Samuel Hahnemann and after Rudolf Steiner, discovered
a method of preparing medicines that uses the noontide powers of direct sunlight.
Questions we have to ask in relation to that method are: what happens
when the flowers are thus exposed to the sun? Which physical substances and
non-physical creative powers are transferred to the water? Is this the
equivalent of potentization, as Bach believed it to be?
Should we use medicines for which the principle of action is unknown?
Twelve and seven
Bach discovered 7 nosodes, 12 human types, 12 healers and 7 helpers, and
then another 12 + 7 = 19 remedies, after which he declared the system to be
complete. He himself never spoke of the meaning of those figures. Without going
into speculation, let us recall, however, that the major turning point in
Edward Bach's life came when he realized that the whole of humanity is made up
of 12 types. In Anthroposophy we speak of the individual human being, and
initially only of the physical body which consists of 12 senses or has
embryologically evolved through the forces that come from the 12 regions of the
zodiac. The individual human being, and initially only the life (ether) body,
differentiates into 7 stages of life, a 7-fold metal or planetary process.
Numerous further differentiations and aspects make the individual person a
being of body, soul and spirit, a marvelous, artistically metamorphosed, highly
complex mirror of the cosmos. We feel growing admiration and profound reverence
as we learn to perceive this human being. For Edward Bach, it seems, the whole
of humanity was simply and easily divided into 12 types, his system being so
simple that even 38 types are easy to understand. This has resulted in a
simple, practical method that requires "no medical knowledge
whatever" and "can be understood by almost everyone".
Simple or Complex?
In Nora Week's book the terms "simple" and
"simplicity" are used dozens of times.
The keynote of Edward Bach's life was simplicity and it was also the
keynote of his final work - the new system of herbal medicine.
Tempting words - "the genius of simplicity" - but there is
also a certain arrogance which should not be overlooked.
Since Edward Bach's days, a vast number of harmful effects on the
environment have become known, among them thalidomide, the Chenobyl disaster,
the natural catastrophe of the Aral Sea, the plague of toads in Australia, the
ozone hole in the stratosphere, ozone pollution near ground level, the hothouse
effect, mad cow disease (BSE) due to meat being fed to herbivores, etc. All of
these were caused by human beings, sometimes on expert advice. The common
denominator is a biased, simplistic approach, and failure to think of all
possible consequences. Simplicity of thinking is the banner headline when we
consider the causes of today's natural disasters. The longing for simple ways
of thinking arises from the desire to avoid effort. Life, the world and the
human being are many-layered and complex, and in using methods that are too
simple and one-sided we destroy them.
Bach's Flower therapy is as one-sided as it is simple. The original
claims for universality have no doubt been found to be relative in practice.
Bach's successors now want to offer "inner development in the form of
drops", and the tremendous spread of Bach's Flower Remedies is a product
of our age, a product of avoidance of effort.
Blütenessenzen selbst herstellen: braucht folgende Ausrüstung.
* Glasschale
* Vorratsflaschen
* Einnahmeflaschen
* Stilles Mineralwasser
* Branntwein
Zusatzbedarf
* Pipette
* Kleiner Trichter
Glasschale
Das wichtigste Utensil ist eine kleine Glasschale. Natürlich kann man eine beliebige Glasschale verwenden, doch ich habe mir extra für diesen Zweck eine schöne, schlichte Schale angeschafft.
Eine Schale, die ich auch fürs Müsli benutze, schien mir zu profan für die Herstellung von Blütenessenzen.
Wenn die Blütenschale nicht in Benutzung ist, steht sie an einem schönen Platz, wo sie sich energetisch aufladen kann - zumindest stelle ich mir das mit der Aufladung so vor.
Vorratsflaschen
In die Vorratsflaschen füllt man die fertige Mutteressenz, durch Branntwein haltbar gemacht.
Mir schienen Flaschen mit 250 ml Fassungsvermögen geeignet für den Zweck (zu groß?). Die braunen Flaschen habe ich mir in der Apotheke besorgt.
Einnahmefläschchen
Für die Einnahme der verdünnten Blütenessenzen braucht man kleine Einnahmefläschchen.
Grössen von 10 ml bis 50 ml sind geeignet, am verbreitetsten sind wohl Fläschchen mit 30 ml Fassungsvermögen.
Für die Einnahme werden gerne Flaschen mit integrierten Pipetten genommen, um die Tropfen einfacher dosieren zu können. Aber auch Flaschen mit normalen Tropfeinsätzen sind geeignet und vor allem deutlich preiswerter.
Stilles Mineralwasser
Am besten ist frisches Quellwasser für die Herstellung von Blütenessenzen geeignet.
Wenn man solches nicht hat, kann man aber auch ein schlichtes stilles Mineralwasser benutzen.
Branntwein
Zur Haltbarmachung der Mutteressenz aber auch der Einnahmetropfen wird besonders gerne Brandy genommen. (Für Kinder kann man 25% Zucker ausprobieren).
Der darin enthaltene Alkohol konserviert die Essenzen, sodass sie jahrelang, vielleicht sogar jahrzehntelang haltbar sein.
Branntwein hat ein feines Aroma und färbt die Tropfen zudem leicht braun, was optisch einen gehaltvollen Eindruck ergibt. Man kann jedoch auch farblose Alkoholika einsetzen.
Wer keinen Alkohol mag, kann stattdessen auch Obstessig benutzen.
Pipette
Mit einer Pipette kann man die Essenzen gut tropfenweise dosieren.
Pipetten bekommt man unter anderem in Apotheken, wo es auch welche gibt, die man direkt auf Flaschen aufschrauben kann.
Kleiner Trichter
Mit einem kleinen Trichter kann man die Mutteressenz und den Branntwein bequem in die Vorratsflasche füllen.
Außerdem ist er nützlich, um Wasser und Branntwein in die Einnahmefläschchen zu füllen, bevor man die Tropfen der Essenz hinzufügt.
Anleitung für die Herstellung von Blütenessenzen nach der Sonnenmethode.
Die Sonnenmethode ist die bekannteste Methode zur Gewinnung von Blütenessenzen, sie wurde auch von Edward Bach für die meisten seiner Bachblüten verwendet.
Bei der Sonnenmethode nimmt man die Kraft der Sonne zu Hilfe, um die Schwingungen der Blüten auf das Wasser zu übertragen.
Bevor man loslegt, sollte man die Seite über die Ausrüstung durchgelesen haben.
Wichtig! Geht nur an Sonnentagen
Da die Sonne auf die Blüten einwirken soll, um eine Mutteressenz herzustellen, funktioniert die Sonnenmethode nur an sonnigen Tagen. Man braucht mindestens drei Stunden Sonne.
Gerade im Spätwinter, Frühling oder Herbst muss man also möglicherweise tagelang in Lauerstellung abwarten und auch den Wetterbericht aufmerksam verfolgen.
Anleitung:
1. Als erstes gießt man klares Wasser in die Glasschale.
3. Wenn man Blüten verwenden will, die nicht in der Nähe des Hauses wachsen, geht man natürlich zuerst zu den Blüten und füllt dort erst das Wasser in die Schale.
4. Ich finde es nett zu den Blüten, wenn man ihnen erklärt, was man von ihnen will, bevor man sie pflückt.
5. Dann pflückt man die Blüten und legt sie auf das Wasser in die Schale.
6. Am besten benutzt man ein Blatt, um die Blüten zu berühren, damit man sie nicht mit den Fingern anfassen muss.
7. Die Oberfläche der Glasschale sollte von den Blüten bedeckt sein.
8. Zum Einwirken der Blütenkräfte auf das Wasser stellt man die Glasschale an einen sonnigen Platz.
9. Sehr schön ist es, wenn man einen geeigneten Platz auf einer Wiese oder zwischen Blumen findet.
10. Aber die Schale sollte an ihrem Platz auch sicher und ungestört stehen können.
11. Dieses Kriterium geht im Zweifelsfall über die Idylle.
12. Lass die Blütenschale dann mindestens drei Stunden lang stehen.
13. Du kannst dich dazusetzen oder die Schale immer mal wieder besuchen, um an dem Prozess der Blütenessenzentstehung teil zu haben.
14. Nach drei Stunden ist die Blütenessenz fertig.
15. Dieses Blütenwasser nennt sich auch "Mutteressenz" (zusammen mit dem konservierenden Branntwein).
16. Bei den Schneeglöckchen in diesem Beispiel sind die Blüten im Verlauf der drei Stunden weiter aufgeblüht und haben angefangen wunderbar zu duften.
17. Meistens weiß man gar nicht, dass Schneeglöckchen herrlich duften, weil sie so dicht am Boden wachsen und die Kälte den Duft am Ausströmen hindert.
18. Man kann die Blütenschale jetzt ins Hausinnere bringen und weiter verarbeiten.
19. Wenn man weit weg von zuhause ist, kann man die folgenden Schritte auch außer Haus durchführen.
20. Als nächstes braucht man die Vorratsflasche für die Mutteressenz.
21. Die Blüten werden abgefiltert oder abgesammelt, weil man nur die Flüssigkeit braucht.
22. Ein Trichter hilft dabei, das mit Blütenschwingungen angereicherte Wasser in die Flasche zu füllen.
23. Die Flasche sollte etwa halb gefüllt werden.
24. Wenn man zuviel Wasser hat, kann man es an die Stelle gießen, wo die Blütenpflanzen wachsen und sich bei ihnen bedanken.
25. Man kann auch ein paar Schlucke von dem Wasser trinken oder die Stirn damit benetzen, um sich auf die Blütenessenz einzustimmen.
26. Um die Mutteressenz haltbar zu machen, füllt man die zweite Hälfte der Flasche mit Branntwein.
27. Dann verschließt man die Flasche und schüttelt sie kurz, um die wässrige Essenz mit dem Branntwein zu vermischen.
28. Zuletzt wird die Flasche mit Inhalt und Datum beschriftet.
29. Um die neue Essenz kennen zu lernen, ist es empfehlenswert, sich gleich eine Einnahmeflasche zuzubereiten und in den nächsten Tagen regelmäßig Tropfen davon einzunehmen.
http://www.luckysoul.de/Luckysoul/start_frame.php?Pfad=2_23_434_278_299&BL=3
Gewinnung von Baumessenzen
Die Herstellung der Extrakte erfolgt ohne Verletzung der Pflanzen nach der Tropfenmethode. Dabei werden unter Achtung des Pflanzenwesens Pflanzenteile oder Blüten mit Wasser besprüht.
Das heruntertropfende Wasser wird aufgefangen und beinhaltet alle Informationen der Pflanze. Anschliessend erfolgt eine Haltbarmachung mit Alkohol, der schonend aus Pflanzenfrüchten gewonnen wurde
Frei nach: Christian Osika, M.D.
Centripetal Forces In Plant Growth
Initially, Bach used the morning dew from plants. Later, he would pick
the plants and put them in water. He clearly got good results with this
"extract."
Reading this, I remembered similar experiments I made years ago and for
quite different reasons. Following the
In
Bach had the idea at the time of growing medicinal plants in greenhouses
to prevent contamination from the soil and the air. They would be harvested not
by picking but by spraying and washing the pot plants. The washing water would
then be the mother substance for medicinal preparations. The plants would grow
on. Relatively extensive raw material production would thus require only
limited space. It might have been possible to study the production, quantity
and quality of phytoncides for extended periods, also in relation to planetary
activities. The soil was less contaminated than expected.
During some weeks on holiday on
A feature of
With several bottles of spring water in my backsack, I went to a place
by a levada on a northwestern slope. A circle of strong wire had been glued to
the opening of small transparent plastic bag to make it rigid. I had selected
some bushy buttercup patches growing almost horizontally from gaps between the
stones. Gently bending the first plant so that it went through the opening in
the bag
I carefully let water from the bottle run over it. When the bag was half
full I poured the liquid back into the bottle, using a funnel. I washed the
same plant 3x using the same water.
½ liter of the essence thus obtained was diluted to a full bath at body
temperature (not hot) and I was able to experience the relaxing and enlivening
effect on myself. The essence will keep for at least 2 weeks in a refrigerator,
requiring no alcohol to conserve it.
The method also works with other medicinal plants.
Fresh essences may thus be produced as required, avoiding preservation
with alcohol. In winter this would, of course, require a greenhouse.
[Cornelia Richardson-Boedler]
Group 7? Mental obsession, perfectionism
(spiritual)
In this group, the main conflict lies in the unfulfilled urge to achieve
perfection and attain high standards within one's conscience and toward one's
ideals. This urge is also present in face of emotional difficulties and life's
problems. One tries repeatedly and obsessively to master oneself internally or
solve an external problem that poses difficulties. As a result, the
obsessive-compulsive strain creates tension, frustration, and perpetuated
preoccupation that lead to mental/emotional fatigue and physical disturbances.
The challenge lies in allowing oneself to let go of preoccupation, once
one has tried one's best under the circumstances.
Unnecessary worry needs to be replaced with trust, personal
perfectionism with tolerance and self-forgiveness.
This attitude also aids others, should they have been included in the
expectancy of performance of high standards. One needs to understand that
spiritual and personal perfection also comes from being led, impressed, or
inspired, that one cannot accomplish all personal growth through measures,
control, and excessive preoccupation.
Breathing disturbances, gastrointestinal disturbance, skin disorders,
and sleeplessness can be caused by this error in the personality. Other
psychosomatic diseases can have obsessive-compulsive traits as well.
Nervous breathing syndrome = “Respiratory corset”
This disorder is marked by respiratory constriction and inability to
breathe freely. It often occurs in addition to cardiac symptoms and is found
mostly in patients with obsessive, compulsive personality structures.
The restricted breathing is a sign of inhibited self-expression due to
compulsiveness, thus serves as a mental "corset" affecting the
breathing rhythm.
Bach Remedies:
Pine: Obsessive-compulsive tendencies can heal excessive guilt and
exaggerated attempts to appease one's conscience.
White Chestnut addresses mental preoccupation and fixation. It heals the
recurring thought loop related to obsessive thinking patterns.
Mimulus: Anxiety and nervousness.
Cherry Plum: subconscious urges that are resisted with
obsessive-compulsive measures.
Crab Apple: shame or self-disgust related to such possible issues and
cures fixation of thought in regard to pushing problems out of proportion and
despairing over them obsessively.
Rock Water: excessive self-denial and unnecessarily strict or
ritualistic self-discipline in attempting to achieve perfection or
self-mastery.
Oak: "one-track mind" that is bent on working and achieving
despite fatigue and hardship.
Willow: an experience causing resentment is worked through repeatedly,
without release.
Gentian: enhances faith and trust, enabling to let go of obsessive
measures and breathe freely again.
Wild Rose: Oppressive nature of not being able to breathe, feelings of
powerlessness.
Elm: feelings of being overwhelmed.
Homoeopathic Remedies:
Ars.: highly motivated to achieve order and perfection in the
environment, as well as within the body and mind. Mentally, the interest is
focused mainly on upholding one's standards of perfection in one's performance
and conscience, while an urging for purity and health motivates the focus on
the body. The leading idea centers around purging, cleaning, securing. Patients
are nervous and restless and complain of regularly occurring suffocative
attacks and a tense tightness in the breathing apparatus.
The chest feels particularly oppressed from being angry, on coughing or
laughing, when in cold air, and on exerting physically walking or ascending.
Generally, great anxiety, even inability to speak and faintness
accompany the complaint during acute moments; breathing may be stertorous and
wheezing. The even more severe suffocative attacks involve a spasmodic
constriction of the larynx or chest that leads to anguish, coldness, weakness,
a pain in the pit of the stomach, and fear of death. These attacks more
frequently appear in the evening and on lying down. < lying on the back and
incites violent heart palpitations causing anguish. Patients may also refer to
a burning pain in the chest and in various parts of the body.
Nat-c.: complain of a weakened nervous system and suffer aggravation
from mental and physical exertion. A feeling of overexertion is incited easily,
as even mere trifles instill anxiety and worry and are attended to with
conscientiousness. Patients are prone to a recurring mental preoccupation with
sad thoughts, < music, tends to harbor resentment against specific persons,
though appearing rather cheerful and service-oriented.
Challenges from the environment, in particular in regard to emotional
impressions, are not integrated well and cause emotional exhaustion and overstimulation
leading to depletion. Patients react overly mentalized, conscientious, and
mentally preoccupied. There is a concurrent oversensitivity to physical
impressions; the sun generates headaches; < heat/cold/storms/weather
changes; Hay fever occurs; food allergies (milk), failure in assimilation of
food, and sensitivity to drinking cold drinks when overheated. Jaundice and
chronic inflammation of the liver may develop, likely due to an inability to
tolerate disturbing confrontations or situations, while suppressing one's true
feelings. The nervous overexertion and failure to process affect the breathing
apparatus as well; air is not "integrated" easily. Patients suffer
from pressure and tension in the chest; shortness of breath and labored
respiration (on inspiration); shooting pains in the chest and in the sides of
the chest; a cold sensation in the left side of the chest. Physical exertion,
as well as lying on the left side, bring on strong heart palpitations causing
anxiety.
Aur-met.: show an overly conscientious, work-oriented attitude and a
pathological tendency to depression and self-reproach. They feel nervously
strained, sense that a nervous breakdown or a loss of mental control is
imminent, are prone to rage, and suffer from an oversensitivity to noise,
bright light, and excitement. There is also an obsession with certain ideas
that cannot easily be shaken off, such as the feeling of having failed one's
relations, of longing for deliverance by suicide. Even when encouraged as to
their personal worth, patients insist on having failed.
An imperial attitude, in this case turned against one's own self but
normally also affecting others, is upheld and ultimately dictates to suicide as
a means of deliverance from self-condemnation. Chest heavily oppressed and
congested and is subjected to anxious heart palpitations; the region of the
sternum seems to carry a burdensome weight and aches from the pressure. There
are suffocative attacks, with faintness and bluish discoloration of the face.
Respiration impeded (at night and during walking in the open air when deep
inspiration becomes necessary). A dull pressure-like pain is felt right under
the ribs, and there is an almost constant aching in the left side of the chest.
Prone to ulcerous conditions and caries of bones; generally < from sunset to
sunrise.
Dig.: hard-working, industrious yet may become anxious about the future,
preoccupied with trifles, and prone to remorse and self-blame. Guilt feelings
may arise from a tendency to be unsympathetic toward others.
A concomitant weakness of the heart intensifies the breathing
difficulties, these being marked by a compressed and constricted sensation in
the chest and directly in the lungs < at night when lying down, in the
morning when waking and compelling to rise, when sitting or walking, though
suffocative spells instill a longing for the open air. A constant need to take
a deep breath, being subjected to deep-sighing respiration and a weak, anxious sensation in the chest that appears
to stem from the stomach. Generally marked by an all-pervading weakness and
lassitude, by faintness with perspiration, by vertigo, by a lack of organic,
arterial, and muscular tonicity; in advanced cases, the slightest exertion or
motion may cause collapse. There is a typical nightmare of falling from a
height, from which patients wake with a start.
Drinking cold water causes pain in the forehead ext. nose. There is a
general sensitivity to cold (cold food/weather). < alcohol/after eating;
Sad listening to music.
Nat-m.: turn inward after grief and disappointments and may develop
obsessive traits, expressed in the conscientiousness about trifles and quick
annoyance at minor mishaps. Also subjected to resentment, as well as remorse
and self-blame.
Plat.: virgins with obsession of being married
Sulph.: Work/Hobby
Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressum