What are Flower Essences? Use of them during Pregnancy

*What are flower essences?

Flower essences are liquid energy. They contain the energetic imprint of flowers in pure water, and are bottled with a proportion of brandy or vodka to act as a preservative and antibacterial agent (some essence producers use alternatives to alcohol such as vinegar).

*Are they just another ‘new age’ therapy?

Far from it!

Flower essences are not new. They are ancient in origin, being made and used by indigenous cultures for thousands of years to enhance emotional well-being and all round balance. These peoples were more in touch with the wisdom of the earth and balance of nature than most of our society is today. They understood the subtleties of nature very well, believing each and every element on the Earth was imbued with life-giving energy. This energy vibrates at frequencies beyond the human visual spectrum, so not readily seen, more often sensed.

They used this life-giving energy to create essences to promote balanced emotional, mental and spiritual health, which they understood to have a connection to physical well-being. This concept was later expressed through the work of Paracelcus, Hypocrates, Hahnemaan, Bach and Steiner, all pioneers of the concept of mind – body – emotional well-being, who likewise believed the subtle life giving energy within nature was the ultimate healing force, and available to all to benefit from.

Dr Edward Bach began developing the first modern flower essences in the 1920s, the famous Bach Flower Remedies, (of which Rescue Remedy is most well known). Now there are producers creating ranges from all over the world. Regarded as being at the cutting edge of energy medicine, essences are becoming more widely accepted and used, and have an ever-increasing retail presence, largely due to the popularity of Rescue Remedy and the full Bach Flower range. Essences are increasingly used alongside Western medical treatment (especially in hospitals in Australia and Brazil) and many holistic therapies.

Explore our links section to discover many other ranges and the in-depth knowledge and experience available in this field of health and well-being.

* Are essences only made from flowers?

No. Although the majority of essences available today are made from the subtle energetic imprint of flowers, other essences hold the energetic imprint of crystals, animals, sacred locations, even environmental energies such as ‘Typhoon’ from the Alaskan Essences range (an essence to sweep away anything in life that is not grounded in your best interests and most positive expression of yourself).

Our mother & baby essences include the energetic imprints of flowers, crystals and other elements of nature such as stones from places of high energy (e.g. Sedona, USA) and wood from trees with known healing qualities.

* How are they made?

Essences are made today in the same time honoured traditions as those followed in ancient times. Some producers use the sunprint method, with others adapting the process to attune with nature and invoke energies to imprint into water. All methods follow an intuitive process just as in ancient times, always with a deep respect for nature. Click on making the essences for more in-depth information on both methods.

mother & baby essences were made by attuning with the elements present and invoking their energies to imprint in to a bowl of pure spring water. They are all hand blended and hand bottled.

*What can essences do for us?

Essences influence overall well-being by targeting health at the emotional, mental and spiritual level, recognising the link between mind, body, emotions and spirit.

They are helpful in moments of crisis, for acute situations or as part of an ongoing journey of personal development. Natural, holistic and safe for all the family at any time of life, they act as catalysts to create sustainable change. By helping to gain deeper insights into life situations, essences encourage us to move from feeling a victim of circumstance to being responsible for our actions, empowering us to live according to our highest potential.

They are a great support when facing challenging times, helping us restore emotional balance and gain the clarity and courage to move forward.

In our society it is sometimes hard to ‘live outside the box’. Essences can support us to be ourselves especially when feeling pressure from external sources to conform or tow the line.

*Are they safe to use in pregnancy?

Yes, mother & baby essences – and all essences – are safe to use in pregnancy. Essences are energetic in nature, containing only the energetic imprint of elements of Nature, including flowers and crystals. Physical ingredients are pure spring water and a small percentage of alcohol (organic vodka in our essences). See our ingredients in our about the essences section.

Essences are safe to use at any stage of life and alongside any other treatment, including allopathic medicine. Essences are free from side effects and self-adjusting in nature, introducing change at your pace.

We are required to mention that you discuss the use of essences with your midwife or healthcare professional during pregnancy and birth. We have been in touch with the Royal College of Midwives who request that all complementary health options are discussed with your midwife to ensure that you are getting the best support possible. Naturally, it is your choice what support you use – we simply want to make you aware of, and honour, their request.

Please be aware that the amount of alcohol intake in each daily dose of mother & baby essences is kept to a minimum, with for example, a 30ml dropper bottle containing 15% by volume organic vodka. On the recommended daily dose this bottle size lasts an average of 4-6 weeks.

Drops can be diluted in a glass of water and sipped (as recommended on our labels). It is also possible to add drops to hot water to evaporate the alcohol, drinking the water when cold. The five mother & baby essences relating to pregnancy, birth and nursing are also available as 10ml pulse point roll-on bottles to be used topically rather than ingested.

* How will I feel when taking essences?

Some people notice a rapid change in their feelings whilst others experience a more gradual change. Sometimes when using essences, people become aware of an intensity of emotion, usually relating to something which has been suppressed or ignored for a long time. This intensity usually passes quickly, leaving people feeling refreshed and revitalised. Feelings of greater confidence and a connection to inner peace often result, bringing greater clarity about life situations and the changes necessary to become happier in the moment.

Essence therapy makes no claims to heal or cure. Essences empower people to access their own healing potential, to become responsible for their well-being, working with the concept that good emotional health influences balanced physical health.

The work of scientists such as Dr Candace Pert and her ground breaking research into the role of emotions and the mind-body connection gives further support to the influence that our emotions have on our overall level of well-being (visit www.candacepert.com).

*How do flowers have energy?

If you are new to essences, the description of essences can invite questions like: How do flowers have energy? How is energy imprinted to make an essence? And how can this liquid energy have anything to do with personal well-being?

The dictionary definition of ‘essence’ is given as “intrinsic nature, indispensable quality, underlying reality”. People of ancient times believed in and worked with the concept of every element of nature having such a hidden quality which could be used to enhance well-being. Yet the dominating view in our society is to only believe something when we can see it.

We rely on science to prove that things beyond our normal field of vision, and beyond our comfort zone of understanding, do actually exist. And if they exist, they are real, and we can then interact with a ‘real’ object.

Due to the developing field of quantum physics, science is now reaching into areas which before would have been classed as mystical or unreal. And scientific equipment is becoming more and more sensitive to the finer vibrations of nature.

For example, aura imaging photography and Kirlian photography are both methods which demonstrate the presence of a subtle field of energy around all living things – including humans, and flowers.

And with recent research from Dr Emoto (www.masaru-emoto.net), and previously, French immuno-biologist, Dr Jacques Benveniste who showed that water can hold the vibrational memory of a substance without any physical trace being present, the world of essences is becoming more and more acknowledged in traditional fields.

With increasing support from many leading figures in the medical world, such as Dr Richard Gerber author of “Vibrational Medicine in the 21st Century”, Dr George Lewith of the BCMA (British Complementary Medicine Association) and Dr Andrew Tressider (GP, author and teacher of vibrational medicine), essences are becoming more widely accepted as a valuable, if not essential, companion on any healing journey.

* How is energy imprinted to make an essence?

To explore the ‘imprinting bit’, we’d like to invite you to review the work of Japanese scientist, Dr Masaru Emoto and his ‘Messages from Water’ research www.masaru-emoto.net.

This pioneering research demonstrates how thoughts and emotions can influence the physical structure of water crystals. For example, the words ‘you make me sick’ create distortions to the crystal, whereas the word ‘love’ manifests a magnificent structure.

And as water is the universal medium to sustain all life – the human body being 70% water, for example – he suggests there is no need to differentiate between the way in which the subtle energy of thought and emotion can influence his water crystals to the way our own body water can be influenced by the subtle energy of our own thoughts and emotions.

This kind of research gives support to the idea that the subtle energy of flowers and other elements, can influence the medium of water and ultimately ourselves, when ingested or applied.

* How can essences as liquid energy have anything to do with personal well-being?

We are one and the same as Nature. It makes sense that flowers and their energy can uplift and influence our own. Just being in Nature has the effect of refreshing the senses, uplifting the spirit, and revitalising us. But what is going on ‘behind the scenes’ to create such an influence?

To explore this, let us briefly talk about energy – or vibrational – medicine, of which flower essences are a constituent.

Energy medicine – a lesser well known field in Western society, but more fully explored and integrated into cultures in the East, such as Chinese Medicine and acupuncture with a history of over 5,000 years – views the body as a manifestation of layers of energy which all interact and influence one another.

The physical body is the densest layer of energy (dense in terms of vibration, or energetic frequency). Surrounding the physical body are layers of energy which vibrate at finer and finer frequencies. The energy medicine model takes into account our emotional and mental ‘self’, and also our spiritual essence, and sees that these aspects exist in the finer vibrating energy fields around the physical body.

Energy medicine also refers to a free flowing exchange of energy between these layers – the denser physical and the finer emotional, mental and other layers. If energy becomes blocked (for instance, if you are not expressing or acting on what you are feeling on an emotional level) and cannot flow between all layers, imbalance occurs which may ultimately affect the physical level of being.

The subtle vibrations of essences act on our subtle emotional, mental and spiritual levels, rebalancing and re-patterning energy flow. Sometimes this works to prevent ill health manifesting, by re-establishing energetic balance and the free flow of energy between all levels.

This contrasts the traditional medical model which views the body as a mechanism comprised of various working parts which can be ‘fixed’, replaced or manipulated. In the traditional model these parts are not necessarily connected either.

Flower essences complement the traditional medical model of health. As they are purely energetic in nature, they do not ‘interrupt’ other treatments only support them by targeting our energy systems directly to influence well-being at this level.

World authorities such as Dr Deepak Chopra (www.chopra.com), Dr Candace Pert (www.candacepert.com) and Dr Christiane Northrup (www.drnorthrup.com) have dedicated their life work to exploring the concept of mind – body – emotion – health and the role of spirit, so don’t just take our word for it!

And Dr Edward Bach himself believed that essences do not give us anything which we don’t already have. Essences bring forth the positive qualities which reside deep inside every one of us. By taking flower essences we are introducing the subtle vibrations of Nature into our own energy field which cause our discordant energy (represented as destructive emotional patterns and beliefs) to repattern and resonate at the higher frequency being introduced, reminding our own energy field what is like to resonate at this frequency of well-being.

To quote Dr Bach:

Essences heal not by attacking disease but by flooding our bodies with beautiful vibrations of our higher nature in the presence of which disease melts as snow in the sunshine. What do mother & baby essences do?

They encourage each family member to be true to their inner most instincts. mother & baby essences empower you to make clear choices and create life enhancing change when facing challenging times. They will help in short term situations to restore balance, or help you navigate your way out of a longer term self destructive pattern, working always in your highest interest.

They help parents or guardians prepare for the transition to parenthood, as well as providing support to those who already have or are connected with children.

Being a parent can be very different for everyone. Sometimes deep emotions are stirred or behavioural patterns activated which were instilled during your own childhood, not necessarily beneficial to reflect to your own children. mother & baby essences help you steer your way out of an unhelpful habit or way of thinking. They simply affirm your confidence, natural ability and wisdom to embrace the role of parent/guardian. Promoting a balanced perspective, these essences encourage each family member to be true to their nurturing instincts making it easier to develop a supportive family unit that enables a child to grow up being comfortable and happy with whom they are.

See our selection of Purely Essences Flower Essences for Pregnancy and Motherhood.

Reproduced with kind permission of Purely Essences.

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