Bleeding Heart

Bleeding Heart

Bleeding heart is a remedy for the loving dimensions of the heart, relationships and freedom. It is a common wild flower and garden ornamental, it thrives in cool, moist conditions and it prefers light to medium shade.  The flowers occur in a variety of colors from pink, to white to yellow.  The flower essence of bleeding heart is made from the pink variety and is made by FES, who have conducted research on this essence. 

The flowers hang open and exposed, free with nothing to hide. This speaks of the action of this essence to encourage an open loving heart free from attachment. The concept of non-attachment is very much a Buddhist concept and when applied to the realm of love it offers us a depth of experience and feeling that is uncommon.  To love another freely without attachment.

Often out of romantic misgivings love can turn to possessiveness and related emotions and conduct. Which leads us further away from the experience of love in the heart and into constriction, fear and apprehension as our heart begins to close at the thought of love going sour.  These feelings and misgivings often proceed the ending of a relationship. When we learn to love with more openness and freedom we can actually begin to attract the love we want into our lives. This essence helps to address feelings of anxiety that surface when we are in relationship.

.

Bleeding Heart Flower Essence is a very powerful heart cleanser and strengthener for those who must learn the deeper spiritual lessons of love and freedom. Those needing this remedy suffer enormous pain and broken-heartedness because their feelings have been poured out so completely into another soul who is no longer present. Perhaps this happens because a loved one has died, or a cherished friend or family member has moved away.

More frequently, such anguish arises in personal relationships which have dissolved or in relationships that are greatly afflicted. Although love for another may have many genuine aspects, very often the Bleeding Heart type has made the error of living too extensively outside the boundaries of its own Self. This intense desire for connection is often felt by the partner as emotional dependence, causing the partner to fill a need for distance. Such a co-dependent relationship is devoid of real freedom and a balanced exchange of heart energies.

The loss and pain which are constantly felt by those in need of Bleeding Heart are therefore necessary experiences, when viewed from a larger perspective. Through Bleeding Heart flower essence, the soul learns to fill itself from within with strong spiritual forces, so that the capacity to love another is based on the ability to honor and nourish the Self.*



*The pink photo of bleeding heart is courtesy of FES. The last 3 paragraphs are from the Flower Essence Repertory by FES the photo of white bleeding heart is from my collection.

Curb Your Anxiety

Flower Essence Remedies for treating acute anxiety as well as understanding anxiety in our life.

Flower Essence Remedies for treating anxiety:

Aspen: for anxiety that descend for unknown reason

Blueberry Cactus: for treating anxiety that leads to sleep disturbances

Blue Vervain:for treating anxiety from overwork, being leaders and role models

Golden Yarrow: helpful with performance anxiety, when felt in the stomach region.

Larch: anxiety related to fear of failure.

Lemon Balm: this remedy helps calm the mind and allows for deeper emotional exploration.

Mimulus: this treats anxiety related to everyday situations, being afraid of everyday situations.

Rescue Remedy: an all around remedy for acute anxiety, stage fright, test taking and so on.


A few other strategic essences that may be helpful in the sense that they help to corral mental energy and encourage focus.

Indian Pink: this remedy is managing stress during times of intense activity.

Madia: this remedy is for those who are easily distracted.

Rabbitbrush: useful when feeling overwhelmed by details.

Shasta Daisy: this remedy helps us find the whole among bits and pieces of information.

White Chestnut: helps us find inner calm, treats the "chattering" mind: this essence is good to use when an over active mind keeps us from sleeping.

Anxiety of a more distinct emotional origin i.e.. death of a loved one/pet, recent break up or anxiety surrounding love.

Bleeding Heart: this remedy is excellent when for when a relationship has ended.

Borage: this essence facilitates a buoyant heart helping to uplift any heaviness.

Butterfly Weed: this essence is for "love" addiction when anxiety develops from the initial feelings of "falling in love" begin to shift.

Holly: a great remedy to treat jealousy and anxiety with regards to relationships.

Pink Amaranthus: this remedy treats anxiety when in love.

Pretty Face: for anxiety around beauty and physical appearance.


These remedies are presented as starting points to dealing with anxiety. But ultimately the anxiety needs to rooted out and just treated. The basis for anxiety is fear whether conscious or unconscious. Anxiety results when the mental body attempts to suppress information from the emotional body. When parts escape and overwhelms the mind anxiety manifests.

If you are prone to anxiety it is wise to deal with it by gradually uncovering the underlying fear(s), take it slow be kind to yourself. I caution against anti anxiety drugs due to their addictive nature and non therapeutic way of masking anxiety. One cannot simply drug themselves into a healthy state of being.

There are many herbs available to assist with anxiousness two good ones wild oats and lavender. Wild oat is nutritive; enriching the nervous system with calcium. Lavender essential oil is widely known to be very calming and soothing for stress and nervousness.

If your anxiety is due to an over abundance of caffeine then it would by wise to cut down on this drug. Try green tea instead of coffee, tea contains the amino acid theanine which acts as a calming agent. With that said I have found it remarkable how flower essences can even assist caffeine induced anxiety. For this Rescue Remedy is good as well as Lemon Balm and Blueberry Cactus.

Bouncing Bet - A Tool for Releasing Discontent

Discontent is an insidious feeling, subtle and overt at times; it can be mild or wildly disruptive to our lives. Especially when our discontent is connected to the mundane: the routine of job and/or responsibility. Over time it becomes a sort of baseline feeling that runs through our day. The fact that it is not so overt but part of daily routine is its worst eroding quality.

The erosion happens in a way that is almost unrecognizable because it is so common. We loss interest, the world is not as bright; we are cut off from a feeling and we forgot when and where that happened. A schism has occurred and we participate in it actually give it fodder by continuing the patterns that led to the feeling of discontent. But a sense of responsibility keeps us plodding on and resolution seems out of reach. This kind of feeling eventually will wear on our health, relationships and piece of mind.

Recently I have come across a flower essence to help with this all too common feeling; Bouncing Bet. It works with alleviating the feeling of discontent that comes along with the “inevitable” aspects of our life; such as going to work in the morning. It has a soothing quality on the mind which helps one find the kernels of brightness and find more contentment in life and routine.

This essence works mainly on the mental body; by helping us to release feelings of discontent. Also our uplifted and content mind will have an equal effect on our emotions. A calmer more content mind will ultimately lead to a more enriching emotional life. Releasing these feelings of discontent opens space up within us that allows for more healthy energy to flow in our system. This benefits us in many ways, as this renewal gives us the strength to create more opportunities in our lives. Opportunities to change and create more of the life we want.

Understanding how flower essences are made and used

The initial process of making a flower essence involves clean fresh water, usually spring although some people choose to use distilled water. The choosen water is then placed in a clean clear glass bowl in direct sunlight. Then fresh pick blossoms from the plant species is placed in the bowl of water in full sunlight for a minimum of 3 hours. After 3 hours the water is decanted into an amber glass jar with an equal amount of brandy. The brandy serves to stabilize the vibration of the essence and prevent the growth of bacteria in the now highly charged water. Now you have a mother essence, from the mother essence stock bottles are prepared.

To make a stock bottle a few drops of mother essence are added to a neutral solution of water and brandy. Stock bottles are usually prepared in 1 to 1/4 ounce bottles. When you buy flower essences in the store or on line you are purchasing flower essences at the stock level. Stock bottles are sometimes used directly, though if you are using a few essences at a time it is best to combine your stock essences into a dosage bottle.

Dosage bottles are the perfect way to administer and use a variety essences at one time without having to unscrew the cap a few stock bottles a few times a day. To make a dosage bottle add 2-4 drops of essences from the stock bottles to a neutral solution of water and brandy, usually in 1/2-1 ounce amber glass bottle. I personally prefer 1/2 bottles as they last 4 weeks when used 3-4 times a day. The 4 week period is a good cycle when using flower remedies, after 4 weeks it is time to re-evaluate the formula and decide if you still need the essences. When administering essences always keep the pipette clean, don't touch it with your fingers, mouth, tongue or teeth. Preventing contamination keeps the integrity of the essence at its most potent vibration.

One of the goals of Essence Alchemy is provide people with the flower remedies they need to make a dosage bottle. The retail cost of stock bottles range from $8 to $12 a bottle and if you need 5 essences this can start adding up. Essence Alchemy is designed in a user friendly way to help you find the flower remedies you need to design your own dosage bottle for a fraction of the cost if you were to purchase each remedy individually.

I have included 6 major brands of flower essences as they cover a wide range of issues and are all well researched remedies. The brands include the original 38 Bach Flower Remedies, Flower Essence Society (FES), Delta Gardens medicinal herb set and Woodland Essence forrest floor, shrub, tree and at risk plant flower essences. I also have the complete set of Australian Bush Essences and a partial set of Alaskan flower essences, gem essences and environmental essences.

Bach Rescue Remedy and Variations

There are a number of pre-made flower essence combination remedies available on the market. The most recognized being Edward Bach's original formula known as Rescue Remedy also referred to as Five Flower Formula*. This formula was originally designed to be you used acutely in times of shock, stress or trauma. It works well when used in this manner.

Rescue Remedy consists of the following flowers Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose and Star of Bethlehem. From this original formula one can make variations on the theme to address more specific concerns. Below are some examples of other possible uses for Rescue Remedy.

Rescue Remedy + Crab Apple: Useful for upset stomach and discomfort from food poisoning, it can also be used topically on the skin for rashes/ hives or other inflammation related skin issues.

Rescue Remedy + Olive: This formula is useful for states of exhaustion it is great for general use.

Rescue Remedy + White Chestnut: This formula is useful for an over anxious mind with it being most helpful when the mind is keeping one from sleeping.

Rescue Remedy +Larch and Mimulus: This formula is useful for stage fright/performance anxiety.

Rescue Remedy + Pomegranate: This formula is excellent for the discomforts associated with PMS and menstrual cramping. Pomegranate is available from FES.

These are just a few examples of how one can get creative with the basic Five Flower Rescue Remedy Formula. There are many stressful situations that can be aided by Rescue Remedy and going off this original formula one can tailor a mixture to best suit their needs.


*Note, Rescue Remedy is a trademark of the Nelson Bach company. In Dr. Bach's lifetime he never made any effort to trademark or patent any of his work, he felt it was a gift to be used freely. Five Flower Formula is the name given to Bach's emergency formula by Healing Herbs Ltd.

Alaskan Environmental Essences

Within the world of vibrational medicine of which flower remedies are a part of there have been many innovations and advances since Bach made his first flower remedies. One particular innovation are environmental essences, The Alaskan Flower Essence Project has co-created twelve unique essences of various environments. The Alaskan Environmental remedies carry potent healing elemental vibrations, that are different from flower essences yet work in tandem at the core level to affect change.

I have been using the environmental essences for a number of years and have found them to be a unique and nice compliment to flower essences. They are particularly beneficial when living in an urban environment. They flood the body and energy system with pristine qualities of nature We are currently making available twelve environmental essences from the Alaskan Flower Essence Project.

Easy Self Treatment with Flower Essences

Flower essences are amazing tools to assist with personal development and knowing how to use them can greatly enhance your experience. A simple method for getting the most out of flower essences in a therapeutic way when choosing self treatment is to focus on one area at a time. Since most people turn to essences in a time of crisis, it is suggested to start with strengthening essences.

The key here is to use them for grounded perspective so you can easily work with the situation at hand. Some strengthening essences are borage, mimulus, larch, mountain pride, california fuschi, yarrow, st. john's wort, walnut, pine, sunflower and red cedar.

It is also recommended to add some catalysing essence to help move energy. Some catalysts include horseradish, cayenne, habanero and goldenseal. These essences can help move stuck energy and 'psychic debris' from the mind and emotions. This benefits the whole strengthening process and it is easier to catalyse movement when feeling strong.

Another nice group of essences to include in the initial strengthening process are softening/soothing essences. The benefits of strength and softness are like a balm to the soul and healing process. Some essences that are useful with soothing and uplifting the spirit include star jasmine, white chestnut, impatiens, marshmallow, cherry plum, angelica and elderberry.

Self treatment is a great introduction to flower essences as it gets you familiar with the flower essence healing process. I suggest starting with a few essences at first use them consistently until the bottle is done. For a more in depth experience choosing a personal consultation with someone familiar with flower essences.