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Woman browsing a shelf containing Bach flower remedies

Bach flower remedies (BFRs) are solutions of brandy and water—the water containing extreme dilutions of flower material developed by Edward Bach, an English medical doctor, in the 1910s. Bach stated that the dew found on flower petals retains the supposed healing properties of that plant.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The hypothesis that flower remedies are associated with effects beyond a placebo response is not supported by data from rigorous clinical trials.<ref name="Thaler2009">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Ernst2002" />

DescriptionEdit

The Bach flower remedy solutions contain a 50:50 mix of water and brandy, and are called mother tincture.<ref> The full making process is described in detail in Bach Flower Remedies: Illustrations and Preparations by Nora Weeks and Victor Bullen, The CW Daniel Co, 2nd edition 1990. Template:ISBN.</ref> The solutions do not have a characteristic scent or taste of the plant because of dilution. The dilution process results in the statistical likelihood that little more than a single molecule may remain; it is claimed that the remedies contain "energetic" or "vibrational" nature of the flower and that this can be transmitted to the user.<ref name="Thaler2009"/>

EffectivenessEdit

In a 2002 database review of randomized trials Edzard Ernst concluded:<ref name="Ernst2002">Template:Cite journal</ref>

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All randomized double-blind studies, whether finding for or against the solutions, have suffered from small cohort sizes, but the studies using the best methods found no effect over placebo.<ref name="Ernst2002"/><ref name="Thaler2009" /> The probable means of action for flower remedies is as placebos, enhanced by introspection on the patient's emotional state, or being listened to by the practitioner. The act of selecting and taking a remedy may act as a calming ritual.<ref name="Ernst2002" />

A systematic review in 2009 concluded:<ref name="Thaler2009" /> Template:Quote

A newer systematic review published in 2010 by Ernst concluded:<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Template:Quote

Flower remedies are sometimes promoted as being capable of boosting the immune system, but "there is no scientific evidence to prove that flower remedies can control, cure or prevent any type of disease, including cancer".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

UseEdit

Each solution is used alone or in conjunction with other solutions, and each flower is said by advocates to impart specific qualities. Remedies are usually taken orally.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The best known solution product is the Rescue Remedy combination,<ref name="RescueRemedy"> Template:Cite book</ref> which contains an equal amount each of rock rose, impatiens, clematis, star of Bethlehem, and cherry plum remedies. Rescue Remedy is a trademark, and other companies produce the same formula under other names, such as Five Flower Remedy.<ref> Template:Cite book</ref>

PhilosophyEdit

Bach believed that illness resulted from a conflict between the purposes of the soul and the personality's actions and outlook. According to Bach, this internal war leads to negative moods and "energy blocking", thought to cause a lack of "harmony", causing physical diseases.<ref>Template:Cite bookTemplate:Verify source</ref><ref name="The Bach flower remedies">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp

Bach derived his solutions intuitively<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and based on his perceived psychic connections to the plants, rather than using research based on scientific methods.<ref name=Vitalism>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp If Bach felt a negative emotion, he would hold his hand over different plants, and if one alleviated the emotion, he would ascribe the power to heal that emotional problem to that plant. He imagined that early-morning sunlight passing through dewdrops on flower petals transferred the healing power of the flower onto the water,<ref name=Xtian> Template:Cite book</ref> so he would collect the dew drops from the plants and preserve the dew with an equal amount of brandy to produce a mother tincture which would be further diluted before use.<ref> Template:Cite book</ref> Later, he found that the amount of dew he could collect was not sufficient, so he would suspend flowers in spring water and allow the sun's rays to pass through them.<ref name=Xtian /> If this was impractical because of lack of sunlight or other reasons, he wrote that the flowers may be boiled. The result of this process Bach termed the "mother tincture", which is then further diluted before sale or use.

Bach was satisfied with the method, because of its simplicity, and because it involved a process of combination of the four elements:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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By his death in 1936 at 50 years of age, Bach had created a system of 38 different flower remedies and their corresponding theories of ailments.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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