Healing Herbs

12/11/2025

“We have much to discover, but we must not be afraid of the task.”

Although Mimulus will grow on damp, marshy ground it is more commonly seen where the water flows swift and clear. When sitting by the plant, preparing an essence, the most striking perception is often the noise: the sound of water as it streams over rocks. The water must be crystal clear for Mimulus to grow happily.

These two things, sound and the purity of water, combine to show the first aspect of the Mimulus essence. In his earliest description, Bach spoke of Mimulus types as having ‘a marked desire for quietness, aversion to talking and to being questioned’. Later he mentioned ‘fear of…crowds, of noise, of talking of being alone’. This has been extended to indicate a generally nervous disposition and a desire for tranquillity. Mimulus people are hypersensitive to their environment, and avoid conflict. Their delicacy and sensitivity lead them to shy away from the rough and tumble of life. We might picture a child covering its ears and running away from fireworks, seeking protection. They are delicate flowers we might say. Yet here we have a plant which lives in mountain streams, often overhanging the water, on the edge of rocks, or tumbling down a rock face. Perhaps it is driven to the edge.

As much as anything it is this fact that Mimulus lives dangerously which speaks of the inner nature of the plant. Other plants, with less of a firm hold on life, might be swept away by the flooding stream in winter. Other plants choose to live securely in the hedge or shelter safely at the edge of a wood; not Mimulus. It can be found clinging, precariously to a ledge in the water-shoot of a mill wheel, where the driving force of the millstream pours constantly across its roots, splashing the stems and flowers. The roaring of the cascade ever present.”

Extract from Form & Function by Julian Barnard

https://www.bachflowerlearning.com/the-language-of-plants/mimulus/

05/11/2025

What drew Dr Bach to particular flowers to make the essences?

There are many clues in his writings and from what Nora Weeks shared about his discoveries. What is clear is that Bach felt a connection to the plant when focused on or aware of particular personality states.

“All living things possess resonance; they vibrate with a particular pattern of energy, Any two bodies which carry the same vibratory pattern resonate together (like the acoustic resonance of a violin will pick up the vibration of another instrument played at the same pitch)..

We have an account of this process in action when Nora Weeks described the moment when Bach found another remedy plant, Water Violet. That was in June 1931 when he was completing the set of the first twelves remedies which he called The Twelve Healers. Her account opens with the statement that Bach ‘was shown’ the remedy. But how was he shown it? During that morning, he had behaved in a Water Violet way (quiet, aloof, withdrawn) and then announced that there were going to find the flower which would help such a person. He said he had the person in mind very strongly. He was resonating with the emotional state of this particular woman. Weeks goes on to describe her temperament. Then they went out together, found the Water Violet growing in a stream and Bach ‘gently placed his hand’ over the plant. Contact with the plant eased his state of mind, bringing a sense of peace, calmness and humility.”

Extract from Form and Function, Julian Barnard p36

"Form and Function" by Julian Barnard. Julian looks at the complex ways in which the remedy plants grow and how this makes them so effective. Available to buy in paperback.

29/10/2025

Bach flower essences are far from prescriptive in their application. Bach firmly believed that every single person responds differently to disease and that the solution was equally individual.

This ethos reinforces the need not only for self-awareness but self-compassion too. The path of healing asks for rigorous investigation without judgement, so that space is available to process. If we can show ourselves compassion, we can begin to live with more compassion generally. This highlights the subtle and intricate webs that support well being in every aspect of life.

As people have learnt and worked with Bach’s system, an equally diverse approach to using the essences has emerged.

In a Journey into Healing, we explore the history of the essences and how they can be used. Featuring many practitioners offering different viewpoints, this film offers practical insight into the world of Bach flower essences.

https://www.bachflowerlearning.com/diagnostics/a-journey-into-healing/

22/10/2025

“To find the herb that will help us we must find the object of our life, what we are striving to do, and also understand the difficulties in our path.” Free Thyself, Collected Writings of Edward Bach p.127

Clematis seed heads are blowing in the autumn breezes amongst the hedgerows.

Unlike many plants that release their seeds easily, Clematis holds tightly onto these, wind-dispersed, seeds through many autumn storms.

Bach said of these seeds that they “are always longing to be blown away”. In this he saw a lack of interest in the present, a dreamy state contrasted with a will to hold on.

The flowers are white meaning they reflect the whole colour spectrum back and absorb nothing. This speaks of the dream state of the Clematis type. The flowers are without petals which speaks to a lack of direction, something seen in Wild Oat and Scleranthus too.

It is no surprise then that Clematis is within the emotional group for Insufficient interest in present circumstances. Yet the will to persist speaks of a deeper purpose and vision that can emerge if given space.

In this video, Julian Barnard investigates how the form of Clematis brings insight to those seeking the object of their life. https://www.bachflowerlearning.com/the-language-of-plants/clematis/

15/10/2025

Is it a symptom or a root cause?

The process of finding the origin of a problem inevitably involves peeling back many layers of symptoms before we can reach the original cause.

We may have to move through many different reactions to reach habituated behaviours. Behind these will be the origin of the issue. This is why we recommend creating a blend of essences from the 3 groups of essences (see our website for our essence selector tool).

The Second 19 are the essences that support us with emotional responses to triggers and trauma, in the moment.

The Seven Helpers are the essences that support us in overcoming habituated emotional conditions.

The Twelve Healers support us with the root causes of imbalance that create a cascade of effects. These essences address conditions related to what Bach referred to as Soul Types.

In this video, Mike Booth discusses how Bach’s ideas about the soul and essences link to psychotherapy and peeling back the layers of self to explore the origins of imbalance.

Mike Booth discusses how Dr Bach’s ideas about the soul, and his use of the essences, relate to the practice of psychotheraphy today

08/10/2025

In summer, Mustard flowers bring cheerful colour the landscape. The sudden appearance of the bright yellow flowers mimics the sudden and apparently unexplained appearance of a deep gloom.

It may seem to have no origin or known cause. It simply appears.

Mustard seeds are widespread in the soil seed bank but they only germinate when the ground is disturbed. And this too is the pattern of the Mustard state. A disruption to our equilibrium that brings to the surface old trauma prompting a state of “unexplained” gloom.

The Second Nineteen essences all point to triggered responses. In the case of Mustard, potentially some deeply hidden past trauma.

Mustard essence reflects the energy of the bright yellow flowers allowing you to find joy in life that will dispel the gloom.

https://www.bachflowerlearning.com/the-language-of-plants/mustard/

01/10/2025

An update from our educational partners in Brazil at the Beth Bruno project, who have been sharing Dr Bach’s work widely for years.

Bach flower essences have become increasingly prominent among therapists. This growth is especially evident in communities such as Santa Clara in Monte Alegre, where therapist Maria Cleuci Silva de Oliveira shares that flower remedies have become the first therapeutic resource used in community care.

Cases of stress, insomnia, grief, and depression are treated with floral essences, which are also applied to animals such as chickens and cats. Demand has grown so much that people from neighbouring—and even distant—areas now seek treatment, recognising the benefits of this practice that has transformed the community.

In Altamira, therapist Maria Nely Picinini Ficagna, a trained nurse with over 20 years of experience in public health, describes a profound personal and professional transformation after joining the project. Bach flower essences became part of her therapeutic approach alongside other practices such as herbal medicine, bioenergetics, and auriculotherapy. Even the most sceptical patients began to acknowledge the positive effects of the “miraculous little drops”.

In Santarém, Regina Bento da Cruz works as a therapist in her clinic and volunteers at the Bem-Viver Space. She emphasises the role of flower remedies in building trust and emotional security. Edward Bach’s welcoming philosophy brought lightness and hope to those marked by suffering. For this reason, the remedies are affectionately called “drops from heaven”, as they promote well-being, self-esteem, and joy in life.

Regina shares stories of resilience, such as a woman who overcame anxiety and a child who improved concentration at school. She also treated individuals who conquered their fear of driving with the help of the Mimulus remedy.
Maria Cleuci, Noemi, and Regina all agree that Bach flower essences are more than therapeutic essences. According to the three therapists, they are tools of care, balance, and transformation, working holistically to support emotional, spiritual, and community health, fostering well-being and strengthening bonds in their daily practice.

Many thanks to our partners in Brazil for this update. We hope you agree that this is a fantastic achievement.

https://www.twelvehealerstrust.com/2023/06/01/brazil/

24/09/2025

Autumn Gentian is one of Bach’s flowers that is struggling in our rapidly changing environment.

It's a low growing plant that only opens its flowers in strong sunshine, which makes finding it hard unless you have a regular location as we do.

This year the UK has seen months without any real rainfall. For Gentian this presents a problem as it likes moist, but not wet, well drained calcareous soil. It needs consistent rain to be able to thrive and we simply haven’t had sufficient for the plants to be healthy enough for essence making.

To make an essence we have to use plants that are healthy within a clean environment. Weather plays a huge role in their health and we are always at its mercy. But climate change is accelerating the challenges we face.

In the past, having unbroken sunshine has been a big challenge. This year we have had plenty of sunshine but not enough rain. In previous years too much rain and not enough sun has been our challenge. Flowering times are no longer as consistent as they were and we have to monitor the plants closely. Making essences enables us to witness the impacts of climate change in real time.

Thankfully we maintain good supplies of our mother essences to see us through the ups and downs of weather but this does not lessen our concern for the plants and environment.

https://www.bachflowerlearning.com/the-language-of-plants/gentian/

17/09/2025

From the very beginning Healing Herbs has focused as much attention on education and community as it has making Bach Flower Essences.
We have supported many wonderful projects across the globe. One of the longest running is the Beth Bruno project in Brazil.

The Beth Bruno Project was created in 2010 with the purpose of disseminating integrative and supplementary practices to healthcare providers working in indigenous villages, quilombola people riverside people and people who live in poor areas in the outskirts of cities.

It was first launched in Santarém, in the State of Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon, an area in Brazil that is known, among others, by poverty, lack of infrastructure, few healthcare professionals and poor access to medications.

At first, the healthcare agents were trained in four natural therapies: Bach flower essences, popular homeopathy, phytotherapy and biomagnetism. The interest and enthusiasm of the participants aroused by the results made them desire to expand their knowledge, and, at their request, new natural therapies were included in the training courses: Reiki, meditation, auriculotherapy and family constellations are some of the therapeutic approaches that have become part of their services.

In 2017 a new project was established to develop the participants to work on agroecology and to stimulate healthier, more respectful and humane technologies for dealing with plants, water, earth and animals. This way, small farmers learned techniques to produce natural fertilizers, to use homeopathy to prevent diseases and to use radiesthesia to map the land so as to better use the soil and the water.

Since 2010, the Beth Bruno Project has been disseminating its therapeutic approaches to other Brazilian states: healthcare agents from the States of Roraima, Maranhão, Amazonas and Piauí were trained and today they work to promote integral healthcare approaches in their communities.

In July a 15th anniversary event was held to celebrate the extraordinary impact of the project. The event brought together health agents, partners, and local communities to celebrate achievements, strengthen bonds, and renew commitments. As part of the celebration, health agents completed their training in community-based homeopathy after two years of study and practice, reaffirming the power of shared knowledge and integrative therapies in community care.

We are proud to have supported such a wonderful project whose impact continues to grow.

https://www.twelvehealerstrust.com/2023/06/01/brazil/

10/09/2025

Unlike allopathic remedies, Bach Flower Essences are not chemical compounds that alter us at a physiological level.

They offer a direct line of communication from plant to person that allow each individual to respond in subtle ways to adjust their inner balance.

Because of this unique relationship between person and essence, it is vital to maintain the purity of the message through careful adherence to Bach’s instructions.

For example, when making essences it is absolutely critical to ensure that your shadow does not fall across the bowl containing the flowers. This would interfere with the patterning of the water and affect the quality of the final essence.

Whilst the essence making process is driven by human action, it is imperative to minimise the influence of the essence maker on the process by which the flower shares information with the water.

Julian Barnard explores this topic in depth in Bach Flower Essences and the Patterning of Water.

https://www.healingherbs.co.uk/product/bach-flower-essences-the-patterning-of-water/

03/09/2025

We might well envy Dr Bach’s freedom to wander in nature communing with plants and discovering their language of healing.

Life today makes it hard to slow down and find peace. Noise and technology make their way into every nook and cranny of solitude and peace.

Perhaps this lack of true peace is why society is becoming less patient and why tolerance for different views can be so hard to come by.

And perhaps this makes Impatiens increasingly important as an essence for our times.

Impatiens brings peace and gentleness, which is quite in contrast to its behaviour.

Impatiens grows at tremendous speed. Over the space of a couple of months the early germinating seedlings will go from a few millimetres to 6 feet or more. This is a plant focused on taking action for itself and not being deeply rooted in the ground. The explosive growth will shade out other plants as Impatiens races to flower.

As the seed heads form, tension builds up until the slightest touch causes them to explode shooting seeds out far from the parent plant.

The balance to all of this can be seen in the way the flowers hang in delicate balance on the stem. The message of the pale mauve flowers selected to make the essence is to have a little more patience and awareness of the needs of others.

Impatiens is an essence of patience and compassion, understanding that there is space for all if we just come back home to ourselves.

https://www.bachflowerlearning.com/the-language-of-plants/impatiens/

27/08/2025

Above ground, Chicory sports flowers of celestial blue. The flowers are light, airy, delicate and open for all to witness. Below ground, the plant has an incredibly deep tap root that anchors it in place.

Chicory is an essence of lineage and ancestry, the unbroken line from the past that can determine how we behave and think in the present.

Out of balance, the Chicory state is controlling. In balance, it creates unconditional love and a readiness to give that is unencumbered with expectations, as can be seen in the contrast between Chicory above and below ground.

As we progress through life, we are constantly creating the new. Each hiatus and break with normality is an opportunity to gain nourishment from our roots to seek new possibilities. Should we cling to our roots too firmly, perhaps we will miss the opportunities to build a better future for ourselves and others.

The delicate flowers suggest gentleness and the roots bring strength of resolve – Chicory shows us that harmony in life comes from balancing flower and root.

https://www.bachflowerlearning.com/the-language-of-plants/chicory/