The Wisdon of Dr Edward Bach
“I am hungry, I will go and pull a lettuce from the garden for my tea; I am frightened and ill, I will take a dose of Mimulus.” Dr Edward Bach
When Dr Edward Bach created his flower remedies in the 1930s, he wanted them to be simple enough for anyone to use. He believed that understanding our emotions should be as natural as recognising when we’re hungry, thirsty or tired. This lovely quote beautifully captures that philosophy, and his passion for helping people to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.
The Lettuce and the Mimulus
It’s easy to imagine Edward Bach in his garden, picking lettuce for his tea. And this quote illustrates how easy he felt it would be for people to understand his new remedies. Each of the 38 individual Bach flower remedies are associated with a particular emotion, thought or feeling, so using them is in many ways as simple as ‘I feel frightened, I will take some Mimulus’, or ‘I feel guilt about something that has happened, I’ll take some Pine’.
It Starts With How You’re Feeling
From his many years of work and research, Edward Bach came to believe that our emotions provided important clues about what is happening within us, and that it was these that we needed to focus on, rather than the symptoms that we are experiencing. So when you come to look at which Bach Flower Remedies will be the most helpful for you, it’s a simple process of self-reflection and observation:
- How am I really feeling?
- What thoughts keep returning?
- What emotions are asking for my attention right now?
The answers to these questions often point us towards the remedies that can help restore balance and harmony.
The Bach Flowers are very much working at an emotional level, supporting harmony between mind, body and emotion, and the foundation of Bach’s understandings were that no matter what the issue that you’re facing, you are simply looking for the remedies that will help you bring greater balance to how you’re thinking and feeling.
Mimulus for Known Fears & Worries
It is interesting that Edward Bach chose Mimulus for this example. Mimulus is the remedy for fears and worries with a known cause, the everyday concerns that most of us experience from time to time. Fear about health, money, relationships, work, change or speaking in public are all classic Mimulus states.
In many ways Mimulus represents one of the most universal human experiences: the tendency to worry about things we know and can name. Perhaps that is why Bach chose it as his example, maybe it was something that he was experiencing himself at the time? It was something that almost everyone could recognise in themselves.
So next time you have lettuce for your tea and it reminds you that you’re feeling a little bit of fear and worry, why not take a dose of Mimulus to help!
The Five Bach Remedies for Fear
Dr Bach recognised that fear does not always appear in the same way. Sometimes it is a specific worry, sometimes a sudden terror, sometimes a vague anxiety that cannot be explained. To help with these different experiences he created five remedies for fear, which he put together is the Fear group.
These are:
- Mimulus – for known fears and worries
- Rock Rose – for stronger, terror fears
- Aspen – for fears of the unknown
- Red Chesnut – fear and worry for others
- Cherry Plum – fear of losing your mind
Nourishment for Your Soul
Perhaps that is the real beauty of Bach’s lettuce and Mimulus analogy. Just as we instinctively know when we need nourishment for the body, Bach believed we could learn to recognise when we need support for our emotional wellbeing too.
By paying attention to our thoughts and feelings, we begin to understand ourselves more deeply. The Bach Flower Remedies then become companions on that journey, helping us move towards greater peace of mind, emotional balance and inner happiness.
As Dr Bach wrote: "There is no true healing unless there is a change in outlook, peace of mind, and inner happiness."
The Bach Flower Remedies were created to support this journey towards greater harmony, emotional balance and a deeper connection with our true selves.
Sam is a director at Crystal Herbs and has been with us since 1996. He is passionate about all aspects of Flower & Vibrational Essences, from making and developing them, to using them for personal and spiritual growth. Sam is a trained essence practitioner, energy healer and teacher and loves sharing knowledge and information about Essences and any other tools that help us to re-connect with our hearts and the true essence of who we are. Sam is also currently treasurer for the British Association of Flower Essence producers.
