Bach® Flower Remedies For Chakra Balancing

Bach® Flower Remedies are 38 elixirs containing just the essence of the flowers of various plants and trees, developed by Dr. Edward Bach for eliminating negative psychological states.

Bach’s elixirs contain no physical plant material. Rather, they are concocted from infusing the “energetic imprint” of flowers into a mixture of purified water with an added preservative.

Then the elixirs are strained, diluted, and bottled for taking internally via an eye dropper. And each Bach® Flower Remedy instructs taking a prescribed number of drops on the tongue several times per day for achieving the remedy’s desired effect.

Note: Flower essence elixirs are safe because they are totally benign. First, they contain no plant material. Second, they’re diluted to the point that they won’t harm or conflict with any medication one may be taking.

Backstory of Dr. Bach’s Flower Remedies

The late Dr. Edward Bach, a London Physician and Homeopath, gave up his medical practice in the 1930s after studying the healing effects of plants to restore vitality of the human mind, body, and spirit. He then devoted the rest of his life to developing effective remedies made from the energetics extracted from flowers.

Bach’s guiding principle was his strong belief in Homeopathy, which dictates that “like cures like.” Similarly, taking in more of “the hair of the dog that bit you” is said to cure a hangover.

Furthermore, Bach observed that there are seven specific psychological states, if sustained, eventually cause people emotional pain and suffering. And as a Homeopath, he believed he need only find viable natural plant substances that would evoke his seven identified negative mental/emotional states. And by evoking these unwanted states, these substances would serve to heal them.

In his early research days, Dr. Bach was fascinated while watching bees and insects gathering dew nectar from flower petals heated by the morning sun. From his observations, he determined that flowers were imprinting important energetic nutrients vital to insects into dew drops via heat from sunrays.

Subsequently, Bach developed his own method of extracting energetic imprints released by flowers submerged in purified water heated by the sun. And later, for mass production purposes, this process evolved into artificial heating of his flower and water solutions.

Bach’s Identified 7 Negative Psychological States

Interestingly, Dr. Bach, a very energy sensitive and intuitive man, tested each flower petal’s effect on himself, by laying an individual petal on his tongue. If he felt a specific negative state of mind, he then knew what negative mental/emotional state a remedy made from that flower would heal.

After much trial and error, Bach initially formulated 38 original flower elixirs each to heal at least one of his observed seven negative psychological states listed below:

Fear
Uncertainty (insecurity)
Lack of interest in present circumstances
Loneliness
Over-sensitivity to outside influence and ideas
Despondency or Despair (depression)
Over-concern (worry) for the welfare of others

It’s important to note that, as true homeopathic remedies, Bach’s Flower Essences do indeed strengthen the negative emotional states one wishes to eliminate. However, this phenomenon only lasts for a day or two and then the emotional state should begin to wane and disappear over the course of taking it.

38 Original Bach® Flower Remedies

In the below list of Bach® Flower Remedies, the word in quotes is the positive opposite of the negative state in parentheses which, according to Dr. Bach, the flower essence evokes.

Although counter-intuitive, one will ingest the flower essence that actually evokes the state one wishes to eliminate.

Agrimony – “Communicate your truth openly” – (evokes inner torture behind a cheerful face)

Aspen – “Be secure” – (evokes fear of unknown things)

Beech – “Be tolerate” – (evokes intolerance)

Centaury – “Be assertive” – (evokes the inability to say ‘no’)

Cerato – “Trust your intuition” – (evokes lack of trust in one’s own decisions)

Cherry Plum – “Be in control” – (evokes fear of the mind giving way)

Chestnut Bud – “Learn from mistakes” – (evokes failure to learn from mistakes)

Chicory – “Love unconditionally” – (evokes selfish, possessive love)

Clematis – “Be grounded and focused” – (evokes day dreaming of the future without actual work in the present)

Crab Apple – “Accept imperfection” – (evokes feeling unclean or not liking something about oneself)

Elm – “Be efficient” – (evokes overwhelmed by responsibility)

Gentian – “Accept setbacks” – (evokes discouragement after a setback)

Gorse – “Have hope” – (evokes hopelessness and despair)

Heather – “Have empathy and listen to others” – (evokes talkative self-concern and being self-centered)

Holly – “Goodwill toward others” – (evokes hatred, envy and jealousy)

Honeysuckle – “Embrace the now” – (evokes living in the past)

Hornbeam – “Procrastinate less” – (evokes tiredness at the thought of doing something)

Impatiens – “Have patience” – (evokes impatience)

Larch – “Have confidence’ – (evokes lack of confidence)

Mimulus – “Face your fears” – (evokes fear of known things)

Mustard – “Be joyful” – (evokes deep gloom for no reason)

Oak – “Restore endurance” – (evokes consistently going past the point of exhaustion)

Olive – “Restore energy” – (evokes exhaustion following mental or physical effort)

Pine – “Have Self-respect” – (evokes guilt)

Red Chestnut – “Peace of Mind” – (evokes over-concern for the welfare of loved ones)

Rock Rose – “Have courage” – (evokes terror and fright)

Rock Water – “Be flexible” – (evokes self-denial, rigidity, and self-repression)

Scleranthus – “Be decisive” – (evokes inability to choose between alternatives)

Star of Bethlehem – “Neutralize Grief” – (evokes shock)

Sweet Chestnut – “Be optimistic” – (evokes extreme mental anguish, when everything has been tried and there is no solution)

Vervain – “Relax and Calm” – (evokes frenzied over-enthusiasm)

Vine – “Motivate not dominate” – (evokes dominance and inflexibility)

Walnut – “Adapt to change” – (evokes resistance to change and unwanted influences)

Water Violet – “Connect to others” – (evokes quiet self-reliance leading to isolation)

White Chestnut – “Calm your mind” – (evokes unwanted thoughts and mental arguments)

Wild Oat – “Decide your path” – (evokes uncertainty over one’s direction in life)

Wild Rose – “Show enthusiasm” – (evokes drifting, resignation, apathy)

Willow – “Forgive and forget” – (evokes self-pity and resentment)

Dr. Bach’s Rescue Remedy

Additionally, Dr. Bach went on to create his Rescue Remedy as a quick acting tonic for emergency states of anxiety and/or shock by blending 5 of his original 38 remedies. His Rescue Remedy contains a proprietary blend of Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose, and Star of Bethlehem.

Bach® Flower Remedies for Chakra Balancing

Each Chakra (body’s energy center), along with specific physical organs and systems, has corresponding mental and emotional states. Consequently, an excessive Chakra will cause over-expression of its related mental/emotional states. Alternately, a deficient Chakra will cause under-expression of its related mental/emotional states. For more on Chakras, see our April, 2017 blog post, Importance of the 7 Major Chakras.

Many methods can be used in Chakra balancing e.g., crystals, color, sound, tuning forks, Yoga asanas, herbs, essential oils, etc. Since these methods have a sustained stimulating effect, they are used only for deficient Chakras. For stimulation will worsen an excessive Chakra’s symptoms.

However, Bach® Flower Remedies only stimulate a Chakra’s mental/emotional state temporarily. Then with the “like cures like” phenomenon, they produce the opposite effect of the mental/emotional state they initially evoke.

Therefore, Bach® Flower Remedies can be used for deficient Chakras and excessive Chakras that express either too much or too little of a particular mental/emotional states related to them.

Note: Reiki energy will also either tonify or sedate a Chakra, depending on the need.

Which Bach® Flower Remedy Balances a Specific Chakra?

The below list notes several possible Bach® Flower Remedies useful for eliminating deficient or excessive emotional/mental aspects related to each Chakra.

Root Chakra – Earth Element – relates to survival, security, safety, immunity, grounded in reality, and tribal energies.

Aspen – for feeling secure with the unknown
Clematis – for grounding and focus on reality
Rock Rose – for having courage
Walnut – for adapting to change for survival

Sacral Chakra – Water Element – relates to emotionality, sensuality, sexuality, enthusiasm, tangible creativity, going with the flow of life, emotional guidance system, and passion for physical and emotional experiences.

Honeysuckle – for releasing the past and living in the now
Hornbeam – for releasing procrastination and moving forward
Mustard – for joyfulness
Vervain – for relaxation and calm
Wild Rose – for enthusiasm and interest

Solar Plexus Chakra – Fire Element – relates to life-force energy, will-power, individuality, self-confidence, self-worth, self-control, self-motivation, and personal power and boundaries.

Centaury – for assertiveness
Cherry Plum – for being in control
Elm – for efficiency
Holly – for goodwill toward others
Hornbeam – for releasing procrastination and moving forward
Impatiens – for patience
Larch – for having self-confidence
Mimulus – for facing fears and shyness
Oak – for endurance
Olive – for energy
Pine – for self-respect
Scleranthus – for decisiveness
Water Violet – for connection to others
Wild Oat – for deciding one’s life path
Willow – for forgiving and forgetting

Heart Chakra – Air Element – relates to unconditional love. compassion, empathy, tolerance, humanitarianism, and other centeredness.

Beech – for tolerance of others
Chicory – for unconditional love
Holly – for goodwill toward others
Red Chestnut – for peace from releasing overconcern for others
Star of Bethlehem – for neutralizing grief and shock
Willow – for forgiving and forgetting

Throat Chakra – Sound Element – relates to communication, self-expression, intellectual creativity, and speaking one’s truth.

Agrimony – for communicating one’s truth
Heather – for more listening and less talking
Mimulus – for overcoming shyness and stammering in communication

3^rd Eye Chakra – Light Element – relates to intuition, discernment, good-judgement, perception, knowledge, imagination, visualization, and self-image.

Cerato – for trusting one’s intuition and decisions
Crab Apple – for accepting imperfection in one’s self-image
Walnut – for being open to intuitive guidance from one’s Guides

Crown Chakra – Etheric Element – relates to spirituality, religiosity, spiritual life path, wisdom, understanding the meaning of events, and seeing the big picture.

Chestnut Bud – for learning from past mistakes
Wild Oat – for finding one’s spiritual path

Summing Up

Bach’s Rescue Remedy, along with the original 38 remedies. have enjoyed steady popularity among clients and Homeopaths over the last 100 years. They’ve also been adapted for use on animals.

Furthermore, the Bach® Flower Remedies have proven themselves to be safe and effective by those who’ve taken them. And 100 years of empirical evidence has shown these remedies can be used safely as a complement to western medicine without interference or contra-indications. Dr. Bach has truly done a great service for the world’s citizenry with his extensive research and development of his Bach® Flower Remedies.

For more on Dr. Bach’s philosophical writings, see his two seminal works at this Amazon affiliate link, The Essential Writings of Dr. Edward Bach: The Twelve Healers and Heal Thyself (Vermilion, July 2005). Disclosure: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made via Amazon affiliate links.