The Healing Power of Flowers

by Atava Garcia Swiecicki

If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like a flower,

and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.

Thich Nhat Hahn

Falling in Love with Flower Essences

Flower essences were my first love on my path as an herbalist. Shortly after I attended my first herbal gathering in the summer of 1994, a friend of mine gifted me for my birthday with The Flower Essence Repertory by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz of the California Flower Essence Society. I had never heard about flower essences before and I eagerly devoured the book. Since the authors were based in Northern California, The Flower Essence Repertory focused on the healing power California wildflowers. The book began with a description of flower essences and how they differ from mechanistic or scientific based medical paradigms. Kaminski and Katz wrote that flower essences are a type of energy medicine, which work by harmonizing our life force energy. The Flower Essence Repertory had a comprehensive index that listed all the issues that could be addressed with flower essences and included a full-page description of each flower essence and its healing benefits.

My mind was blown to learn how powerful a simple medicine made from flowers could be. I discovered that flower remedies could be wonderful allies to support emotional healing. I learned that flower essences are excellent remedies to help with what in curanderismo we call los aires, or the emotional winds. My maestra (teacher) of curanderismo, Estela Roman, identified thirteen primary aires that affect us as humans, which include anger, fear, jealousy, resentment, shame and sadness.

What are these magical remedies we call flower essences? They have been called “nature’s tuning forks,” “tools of transformation,” or “agents of consciousness”. I personally like to call them “flower fairies in a bottle”. Flower essences are made from the fresh blooming flowers of a plant and contain the energetic or vibrational imprint of its flower. Each essence contains the unique life force and healing properties of the flower from which it is made.

Flower essences are a form of vibrational medicine, similar to homeopathy, which influence the etheric or energetic body, which some call the aura. Our etheric bodies are the parts of ourselves that don’t have physical form. This includes our thoughts, our feelings, our memories, our dreams and our spiritual beliefs. A flower essence contains the energetic imprint of a flower, and this imprint interacts with our own energetic bodies. When we take a flower essence, our entire being is infused with the vibration of the color, shape and aroma of that flower. It is like bathing in the wonderful, magical medicina of the flower. The flower essence attunes us to the vibrations of Mother Earth Tonantzin, which helps to harmonize our own energy. As our energy is harmonized, what is challenging us, such as our aires (difficult emotions), challenging behaviors (such as addictions), past traumas, and negative thought patterns naturally begin to shift and dissolve. Flower essences help awaken our awareness to our patterns of imbalance and provide us with the energetic support to make positive changes. Dr. Edward Bach, the founder of modern flower essence therapy writes:

“They cure, not by attacking the disease but by flooding our bodies with the beautiful vibrations of our Higher Nature, in the presence of which, disease melts away as snow in the sunshine.”

Edward Bach MD, Heal Thyself

As “nature’s tuning forks,” flower essences harmonize our thoughts and emotions and can be used to address a broad range of issues. I have worked with them to support people dealing with depression, anxiety, grief, loss, trauma and transition. They are incredible allies to support people facing addictions or breaking unhealthy habits. Flower essences can help spark our creativity and support our spiritual development. I have witnessed flower essences help heal relationships and even help open people’s hearts to find love. I regularly use flower essences for myself and recommend them to all my clients, students, friends and family. Flower essences work great for children, animals and plants as well. My cat regularly (albeit reluctantly) is dosed with flower essences.

Unlike herbal medicine, flower essences do not work directly on the physical body. A flower essence is a purely vibrational remedy, which does not contain any phytochemicals that could interact with our own biochemistry. Instead, they support our physical body and healing from physical illness more indirectly. As the flower essence helps to shift our energy, they can bring us in touch with the emotional or energetic roots of physical illness. In this way, flower essences can catalyze healing on a physical level by harmonizing and releasing the energetic causes of the illness or imbalance.

“Ultimately, we can view flower essence therapy as an extraordinary form of communion, one in which we receive not simply physical nourishment from the substances of the Earth, but where we allow ourselves to consciously absorb soul qualities from the Earth’s living being. “

Richard Katz and Patricia Kaminski, The Flower Essence Repertory

Rose Flower Essence

The Medicina of Flowers

Since the beginning of time, flowers have been used for healing, ceremony and ritual in cultures around the world. For example, for the Mexican and Mexican-American tradition of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), we decorate our ofrenda (altar) with the bright orange and yellow blossoms of cempohualxochitl (Tagetes erecta). The cheerful blossoms of cempohualxochitl surround images of our beloved Muertos (loved ones who have passed). On the ofrenda, the flowers are not just decorative, but they also are medicina for our grieving hearts. Both their vibrant color and pungent aroma bring us comfort as we face all of the emotions that arise when we think about those we have lost.

In curanderismo, flowers are also part of the medicina of the limpia. A limpia is an energetic cleansing ritual to help a person release old, stagnant energies and emotions. A limpia can also serve as a blessing to mark a rite of passage like graduation or marriage.A curandera will use many tools in her limpia, but one of the primary instruments we use is a bundle of fresh herbs and flowers. We use this bundle like a broom to sweep across the body to brush away unwanted energy. The herbs and flowers also gift us with their medicina and healing through their aromas and colors.

Each curanderx has certain flowers that they may work with in the limpia. I tend to use the flowers I have fresh and available in my garden. Sometimes I am working with vibrant purple and red zinnias, golden sunflowers and orange marigolds. Other times of the year the only flowers blooming are the tiny red blossoms of mirto (Salvia gregii or Autumn sage). During the winter I will buy flowers from the store to use in my limpias, but I prefer to work with flowers that I have been able to gather myself as medicina. When I gather them, I am doing so with prayer and offerings, and I know that the flowers are now willing participants in the healing. My curandera friend and colleague Brenda Salgado works exclusively with roses in her limpias to help heal the emotions and to bring self-love to the person receiving the limpia.

Another way we work with flowers in curanderismo is in the ritual of the baño, or herbal and floral bath. To create a baño, gather flowers and herbs to add to your bath. If fresh flowers are available, I will add those to the water. In the growing season, I save and dry my roses and cempohaulxochitl so that I have petals to add to my baths during the winter months. These are the two primary flowers I work with in baños. Pink and red roses bring strength and healing to the heart and help with sadness and depression. White roses can be good for energetic cleansing. Added to a baño, cempohualxochitl brings comfort to people who are grieving and also lifts the heavy clouds of depression. Flowers can be combined in the baño to bring multiple healing energies to the bath.

These are a few examples of how we work with flowers in curanderismo. Similar examples of incorporating flowers into healing ceremonies can be found in cultures across the globe. Even in modernized society, people still use flowers to express affection, to console, to celebrate and to honor. We bring colorful bouquets of flowers to birthdays, weddings, graduations and funerals. The deep connection of flowers to our human psyche persists in these customs.

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Wild Rose

Dr. Edward Bach: Flower Essence Visionary

Although flowers have been used as medicine for ages, what is today known as flower essence therapy was born in the 1930’s in England. An English physician named Edward Bach was the one who gave birth to this visionary system of healing. Bach began as a physician and worked as a medic in World War I but began to become disillusioned with the practices of modern medicine. Bach was critical of the highly reductionist and materialistic ways of practicing medicine that was standard in England in the early 1900’s. He disagreed with the unnecessary complexity of modern medicine and the way it was disconnected from the true source of healing, which is Nature.

Bach also had a strong spiritual calling, and he could see that the way that medicine was practiced at that time did very little to care for the soul of the individual. He was living through a turbulent time in Europe, one of war, disease and industrialization. As a healer, he was concerned about how the unmet needs of the human soul could lead to disease. He also theorized that much sickness in humans originated in our disconnection from God and Nature.

Bach left his practice of medicine and began to study homeopathy. Through his understanding of homeopathy, Bach was guided to start creating homeopathic-like remedies from fresh flower blossoms. He designed an offering of thirty-eight flower remedies from wild flowers of the English countryside, which addressed a broad range of conditions of the human soul. In many ways, Bach was way ahead of his time in western culture in the study of mind-body medicine.

He wrote:

“No science, no knowledge is necessary, apart from the simple methods described herein; and they who will obtain the greatest benefit from this God-sent gift will be those who keep it pure as it is; free from science, free from theories, for everything in Nature is simple.”

Edward Bach, Heal Thyself.

Unfortunately, Bach died an early death in 1936 at the age of only 50. Before he died, he destroyed much of his writings and research notes. He was afraid that his work would land in the hands of the wrong people, who would exploit it for profit. His groundbreaking work was forgotten for decades, until years later people around the world began to rediscover his work in the 1970’s and 1980’s. During this time, interest in mind-body medicine began to grow in the western world and as people discovered Bach’s work they began to continue his research on flower essences. People in different places began to make flower essences from the flowers in their bioregion. For example, the authors of the Flower Essence Repertory began to work with flowers growing near their home of Nevada City, California. Organizations such as the Flower Essence Society were born.

Making Flower Essences

For me, making flower essences is both a ritual and a meditation with the plant and flower. I take time to quiet my mind, be still and sit with the plant. I closely observe the plant and patiently wait and listen to its messages for me. The steps of making a flower essence are quite simple. All you need is a glass vessel, water, the flower and sunlight. A flower essence is basically a flower tea made of the blossoms infused into water in full sunlight. After we make our flower tea, the water is diluted down to a homeopathic level, and preserved with alcohol or vinegar to be shelf stable. If you’re interested in learning how to make your own flower essences, I outline the process in my book, The Curanderx Toolkit.

I love making flower essences because with just a few flowers we can make medicine for hundreds of people! I started making flower essences in 1996 and I still have and use the Mother Essences of yarrow, buttercup and sticky monkeyflower that I made back then. As long as the essences are well-preserved they can last decades.

Using Flower Essences

Flower essences are easy to incorporate into your daily life. They can be taken internally, used topically or added to misters to spray over the body or in a room. Flower essences work by shifting our vibrational field and their effects can be subtle but build over time. When you are working with a flower essence, I recommend taking it at least three times throughout the day. To increase their benefits, you don’t need higher doses (more than 4 drops at a time). To amplify their medicina, you can take them more frequently. For acute situations, such as crisis or emergency, you can take them every 20 minutes to one hour. One essence I use this way is Bach’s famous Rescue Remedy, which is a formula to help stabilize and support during times of crisis.

Always shake the flower essence bottle first. Shaking helps activate the energy of the flower essence. As I like to say, shaking the bottle wakes up the sleeping flower fairies. Dear flower fairies, please wake up, it’s time for work! A common way to take flower essences is directly from the bottle. Take the drops directly into the mouth or mix with water, tea or other liquid. A standard dosage is to take 4 drops 4 times per day. To achieve this dosage, I recommend adding 16 drops to a large water bottle and sipping the water throughout the day.

Another way to use flower essences is to add a few drops into a mister bottle. Fill the mister (spray) bottle with distilled water and add your essences. We can use misters to infuse our home or office environment with our flower essences. Misters are an excellent way to clear space in situations where we can’t burn medicine as smudge. Flower essence misters are helpful to use in classrooms, workspaces and medical offices. When we spray our environment, the people around us are also affected. Essences can be used to create boundaries protect us from toxic people whom we may be working with or living with. I have used them in hospitals and while travelling. Flower essences may be combined with essential oils to make a nice smelling essence spray.

Flower essences can also be applied topically to the skin anywhere on the body, such as pulse points, heart center, navel, or temples. A few drops can be added to body care products, such as creams, lotions, or massage oils. A dropperful of flower essences can be added to baths or baños.

Flower essences are safe and effective for adults, children, infants, animals and plants. Since they have no measurable amount of phytochemicals, they have no contraindications and do not interact with any pharmaceutical medicines. Animals and children are especially sensitive to the healing energies of flower essences. For children, add 1-4 drops of flower essences to juice or water or apply them topically to the skin. For animals, add 1-4 drops to their food or drinking water. My cats will rebel and avoid any water or food in which I put their essences. In this case, I apply their essences directly to their fur. I like to drop some essences on my palm and stroke my hand down my kitty’s back (although she still runs from me when I pick up the bottle to dose her). To dose plants, add flower essences to the water you give them or mist them with water infused with the essences. Diseased or injured plants, as well as transplants all benefit from flower essences.

Borage Flower Essence

Flower Essence Meditation

To connect more mindfully with a flower essence, take it before your meditation or prayer practice. You can also take them before bed and invite their healing energy into your dreams. Taking a flower essence can be a basis for a meditation. Here are some suggestions for meditating with your flower essence:

• Create space for your meditation where you won’t be interrupted or distracted. Silence your phone. Have your flower remedy nearby.
• Take a few moments of conscious breathing. Close your eyes and inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Any number of conscious breaths are good. In curanderismo we work with the number 13 to activate our higher consciousness, so you might want to try 13 breaths.
• Take a moment to scan and observe your physical body. How do you feel in your body? Do you notice areas of discomfort, pain or blockage? Do you notice areas of ease? Are you in your body? Do you feel grounded?
• Check in with your emotional heart. How are you feeling? Where do you feel your emotions on your body?
• Notice your mind and your thoughts. What are you thinking about? Are you ruminating about the past? Are your thoughts jumping into the future? Are your thoughts looping? How do your thoughts effect your emotions and physical body?
• Notice the energy body beyond your physical body, what some might call the aura. Does it have a color? A vibration? A sound?
• After you have checked in with yourself, invite the flower essence into your energy field. Ask the flower essence to show you some of its medicina. You can speak these words in your mind or say them out loud.
• Shake the bottle and take 4 drops in your mouth. Or you can choose to apply the drops to your body. The crown of your head, your third eye or the middle of your chest are good areas to put the essences.
• Take time to observe the essence as it mingles with your energy field. Notice what you feel in your physical body, in your heart and in your mind. Observe any changes in your energy. Some people see colors, shapes, or beings. Others hear messages. Sometimes the essences bring emotions to the surface or memories may arise. Certain people or situations may come to mind. All that comes relates to how the medicine of this essence is working with you, your energy field and your consciousness.
• When you feel complete thank the essence for what it has revealed to you.
• After you have finished the meditation, take time to write down what you observed.

Flower Essence Therapy

Flower essences can be taken individually or in combination with other flower essences or herbs. I advise that flower essence formulas have no more than about seven essences. Each essence is like a different instrument tuning the body and too many could cause a cacophony and feelings of chaos or overwhelm.

Many flower essences are gentle and feel supportive. These supportive essences we can take several times a day over a long period of time. Other flower essences are more of what I call “kick ass essences”. These kick ass essences can catalyze a strong healing reaction. They may bring up old memories to the surface or they may show us our shadow material that we have been successfully hiding from ourselves. We may experience a flare up of physical symptoms or may feel a flood of emotions. These kick ass essences may elicit an effect that feels uncomfortable and sometimes overwhelming.

If any essence that you are taking feels too strong, I recommend taking it less frequently. Instead of three times a day, try taking your remedy once a day, or every other day. Try taking it at night before bed so your healing process happens while you sleep and dream.

Favorite Flower Essences

As someone with a collection of hundreds of essences, I have many that I use regularly. Here are a few that I use most often and can be helpful for most people. I consider these all gentle essences and are unlikely to elicit a strong healing reaction.

• White Yarrow helps with boundaries. It is protective and strengthens our auric field. It protects us from absorbing outside energies from people and from the environment. Yarrow is an excellent remedy for highly sensitive people. To me it feels like a psychic shield and when I take it, I feel cocooned in its protective bubble.
• Self-heal helps us to connect with our inner healer, our inner curanderx. Self-heal guides us to make choices that support our well-being. It gives us the discipline to take action or make changes to support our wellness. I give this essence to almost all my herbal clients when they initially see me for an herbal consultation.
• Wild Rose helps heal and nourish the emotional heart. It helps to reenergize a heart that has closed due to hurt, loss or grief. Wild rose awakens our heart energy and helps us engage with the beauty around us.
• Tobacco flower essence connects us to the Sacred. It aligns us with our higher purpose and shows us our interconnectedness with all beings. Tobacco is also protective and can bring us spiritual guidance.

Flower essences have endless applications for personal development and healing. I recommend that you start by working with one essence that you feel really drawn to and take time to engage with it and notice its effect. Alternatively, you can reach out to a flower essence practitioner like myself if you prefer to work under the guidance of a healer.

Enjoy the magical word of flower medicine! May they bless you with endless healing, guidance and support as we navigate these challenging times.