Bach flower remedies

[[File:Agrimonia.jpg|thumb|right|165px|''Agrimonia'': the remedy for unmasking]]
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Biofield flower therapy]] or the composer {{wpl|Johann Sebastian Bach||.}}}}
{{bronze}}{{altmed}}
The '''Bach flower remedies''' are a system of remedies put together by Dr Edward Bach (pronounced "batch") (1886-1936), each aimed at a particular mental state or emotion. They are not quite [[homeopathy]], though are still moderately silly. Nonetheless, Bach was very much a homeopath and dabbled in spiritual writing.

==Origin==
Bach was a medical doctor working in general practice. Dissatisfied with this work, and recovering from [[cancer]], he turned to more [[holistic]] methods of treatment. As his official biography puts it:<ref name=bio>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160403024447/http://www.bachcentre.com/centre/drbach.htm Our founder, Dr Edward Bach.] ''Bach Centre''. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016.</ref>

{{quotebox|Just as he had abandoned his home, office and work, Dr Bach began to abandon the [[scientific method]] and its reliance on laboratories and [[reductionism]]. He fell back instead on his natural gifts as a healer, and more and more allowed his [[intuition]] to guide him to the right plants.}}

He came up with 38 remedies that he believed covered the full gamut of negative emotion.

==Theory==
The [[woo|theory]] is that the flowers have [[subtle energy]] at a particular frequency, which has the same energy as a specific negative human emotion. It cancels out this emotion and the patient's [[life force]] flows freely again and the body can heal itself.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071001164934/http://www.reikihealingpower.com/Bach%20Flower.htm Bach Flower Remedies.] reikihealingpower.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007.</ref>

The way the flowers were ''actually'' chosen was that Bach wandered the hills of Oxfordshire, [[England]] seeing how the dew from particular flowers made him feel. That's it.<ref name=bio/>

==Preparation==
[[File:Ornamental_cherry_plum_flower.JPG|thumb|For irrationality. Works ''really'' well.]]
You pick flowers and steep them in a bowl of 50:50 [[water]] and [[Alcohol|brandy]] under sunlight. If this is impractical, 
the brandy and water may be drunk
 the flowers may be boiled. This makes the "mother essence", which is then diluted at 2 drops per 15mL into "stock bottles," which are further diluted at 5-7 drops of stock per 30mL "dosage bottles" which are sold to the [[sucker]].

For those who can't be asked to declare their chief complaint, an all-purpose mixture is available, sold as "Rescue Remedy" containing equal amounts of:

* Rock Rose (family Cistaceae) &mdash; for terror and panic
* Impatiens (genus ''Impatiens'') &mdash; for irritation and impatience
* Clematis (genus ''Clematis'') &mdash; for inattentiveness and to counteract faintness
* Star of Bethlehem (genus ''Ornithogalum'') &mdash; for shock
* Cherry Plum (''Prunus cerasifera'') &mdash; for [[irrational]] thoughts and lack of self-control

It's not quite homeopathy because there's no [[succussion]] step and the preparation might actually contain detectable molecules from the flower.

==Effectiveness==
[[File:Bach flower remedies.jpg|thumb|right|Bach Rescue Remedy: Help!]]
None,<ref>[[Edzard Ernst|Ernst E]] (2002). ""Flower remedies": a systematic review of the clinical evidence". ''Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift'' '''114''' (23-24): 963–966. PMID 12635462.</ref><ref>Thaler K, Kaminski A, Chapman A, Langley T, Gartlehner G (2009-05-26). [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2695424 "Bach Flower Remedies for psychological problems and pain: a systematic review."] ''BMC Complement Altern Med'' '''9''' (16): 16. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-9-16. PMID 19470153.</ref><ref>[[Edzard Ernst|Ernst E]] (2010). "Bach flower remedies: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials". ''Swiss medical weekly'' '''140''' (w13079). PMID 20734279</ref> though the brandy on its own has been known to be effective in making the user feel better.

Author Philip K. Dick used them in the ''Valis'' trilogy to propose that the actual purpose of the flower remedies is to foster discussion between medical practitioners and their patients, allowing mental health care practitioners to make more accurate diagnoses and better provide their patients with real aid. (It's worth noting that Dick believed that most of [[history]] was an illusion, that the original [[Roman Empire]] still existed, and that [[Nixon]] was the current emperor. The fact that even he found the Bach remedies too far-fetched should tell you something.)

==Legal status==
In the UK, Bach flower remedies are regulated as a foodstuff, not a medicine. Legally, sellers ''could'' still make [[European Union|EU]]-permitted substantiable health or nutritional claims,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160712021740/http://ec.europa.eu/nuhclaims/?event=search&CFID=877015&CFTOKEN=1c002fdb8c7136e6-DED3FD47-0790-6C30-561D7D426C1126AF&jsessionid=93123e14399f33e90daa1d23531680263417TR Food.] ''European Commission''. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016.</ref><ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/labellingnutrition/claims/community_register/nutrition_claims_en.htm Nutrition Claims.] ''European Commission''.</ref> but the [[Advertising Standards Authority]] has ruled that such claims cannot be made about those Bach remedies with a high alcohol content (most of them: 25%-40% by volume).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140322212020/http://www.cap.org.uk/Advice-Training-on-the-rules/Advice-Online-Database/Therapies-Bach-and-other-flower-remedies.aspx Therapies: Bach and other flower remedies.] ''CAP''. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014.</ref><ref>[https://feelbach.com/faq.asp?qid=5344790&act=bq Do your essences contain alcohol? If so, can this be harmful? Can I order alcohol-free essences?] feelbach.com</ref>

==See also==
*[[Biofield flower therapy]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Alternative medicine]]

Categories: Alternative medicine