Bach flower remedies find their roots in the work of the English physician Edward Bach, who believed that negative emotional states reduce the body’s natural resistance to disease. While the mechanisms that connect the mind and body remain under intense study by the scientific community, clinical studies have confirmed that a person’s emotional state influences numerous bodily processes through the stimulation or suppression of immune cell activity, adrenal gland hormones, and neurotransmitters. After determining the reason for the patient’s emotional discord, the practitioner administers a liquid flower essence, usually placed under the patient’s tongue, though the remedy concentrates may be administered in a variety of ways.
Flower remedies do not directly treat a physical condition, but they focus on the patient’s emotional state and seek to eliminate the psychological stresses that inhibit the body’s internal healing processes. Flower remedies are used to heal a wide variety of emotional problems and are often used in conjunction with other treatment therapies.
