Bach Flower Remedies are a system of holistic natural healing that
grew up out of homeopathic medicine. Flower Remedies are to the emotional body
what homeopathics are to the physical body. Each of
the 38 Remedies correlates to an emotional state such as fear, self doubt or
worry. The Flower Remedies act as a catalyst so that an animal's own system can
achieve balance after being in a state of imbalance due to the stress of a
period of strong emotion. These strong emotions scientists have found to be the
seed of most physical disease. It, therefore, is logical to say if you achieve
an emotional balance you also will affect the physical dysfunction.
The Flower Remedies are an approved Food and Drug
Administration over the counter remedy and available to anyone without a prescription.
They have no side effects, can be taken with any homeopathic remedy or
allopathic drug and overdose is impossible.
Note: Please substitute the word ANIMAL for any species
listed below (such as horse).
In the early 1930's the noted British physician and scientist, Dr.
Edward Bach, observed that many of his patients would display emotional and
psychological difficulties such as apprehension, worry, loneliness, boredom,
depression, uncertainty, hopelessness or fear prior to the onset of physical
illness. He also noted these same difficulties inhibited the body's natural
healing ability to prevent and/or overcome disease. Leaving his lucrative
Unlike standard medical approaches which treat physical
symptoms, Bach believed the only way to truly prevent or deal with an illness,
once manifested, was to address the underlying emotional causes. Concerned over
the misusage and side- effects of most chemical
drugs, Bach believed a safe, gentle treatment could be found in nature.
After many years of research and testing, Bach discovered
that the preparation of 38 flowering plants, trees and special waters
alleviated a broad range of emotional and psychological difficulties. Bach also
developed a highly effective combination emergency rescue formula for the
relief of stress during acute stressful situations. "Rescue Remedy"
is regarded as the panacea Remedy, having the ability to calm and distress any
situation especially, those created by traumatic incidents where an animal was
terrorized, injured, or abused.
But, how does one know what emotions animals are
experiencing? You would be surprised as to how easy it is to "read"
an animal. All it takes is some observation and a little insight. You might
discover that animals take less effort than humans!
The Flower Remedies come in small stock bottles. Cost is
anywhere from $16 (10 ml) -$25 (20ml). This concentrate is used to make
a dilution of a formula just for you or your horse. Four to six drops are added
along with a teaspoon of brandy or apple cider vinegar to a 1 ounce dropper
bottle. Fill the rest of the way with spring water and shake vigorously up and
down.
The Remedies can be taken directly from the stock bottle or
from the personal dilution bottle by placing 2 - 4 drops in your horse's feed
or water. The Remedies are easy and convenient to use with varied methods of
application that can be selected to suit an individual's specific needs. The
most common forms of administering the Remedies are placing them into the
animal's food or water; dropping them directly into the animal's mouth; or
rubbing the needed remedies on one's hands before petting them. Another
innovative method for stalled horses is to place the Remedies into an automatic misting units such as fly repellent units.
In acute or emergency situations, you can apply the Remedies
every few seconds until a change is noticed, then every 5 minutes until another
change is noticed, and then every fifteen minutes. By this time, your horse
should be calm and restored to an acceptable level of homeostasis. Normally
giving the Remedy 4 - 8 times daily is acceptable, especially immediately upon
rising and before retiring.
There is no improper or wrong method of applying the Bach
Remedies. It is truly not necessary to be precise in counting the number of
drops in any of the dilution methods. The suggestions given, herein, are merely
to offer a reasonable parameter of accepted dilution methods. Follow your own
judgment and insights. Remember, you cannot overdose the Remedies for they are
non-toxic.
The following is a description of the Flower Remedies that
make up Rescue Remedy, the most commonly used Bach
Flower Remedy. Rescue Remedy is not a Flower Essence in itself but a
combination of five of original Remedies. Once these five remedies are
combined, the Rescue becomes an essence unto itself. It is different combined,
than its individual essences.
Clematis
- Increases attention span and ability to focus on the training lesson
at hand.
- When the animal is comatose or unconscious for any reason;
returning the animal to consciousness.
- After any surgery to increase recovery alterness
time.
Impatiens
- For the very nervous animal.
a. Any form of nervous difficulties, especially those that have the
nervous shakes.
- For the overly anxious animal.
a. At feeding times
b. Before a race
c. For animals that have epileptic type fits especially when
agitated by being overly excited or upset.
Impatiens is for any form of pain.
Rock Rose
- For any form of terror and panic
a. After an accident, injury, fire or any
terrifying event.
b. For the overly fearful animal that
possibly was terrified sometime in their life. Fear does not dissolve
naturally.
- Rock Rose is for dauntless courage.
a. For animals that are used in service
to mankind such as police work.
- For the courageous animal to accentuate their already innate
abilities.
Cherry Plum
- For the animal that looses control, becoming wild and crazed.
a. for vicious animals that become
dangerous when provoked.
b. For the high strung animal, including horses, that lose control
easily.
c. for the animal that is destructive,
losing control.
d. Losing control when seeing another animal enter
into their territory.
e. To help retain control during mating season for both sexes.
- To remain in control when:
a. In competition when stressed by strange people, noises, animals.
b. Training animals not to react to gun fire.
- For the animal that becomes frantic when travelling such as
horses that spook when being placed in trailers.
- For the animal that suffers from:
a. Seizures or anxiety attacks
- The animal who chews himself
a. Allergies to grasses
b. Staying away from stitches after
surgery.
Star of Bethlehem
- Star of
a. For the emotional trauma from the loss
of a loved master or mate.
b. Physical trauma after an injury of any kind.
c. Birthing trauma
d. Traumatized from extreme cold or heat.
- Star of
b. For an injured or ill animal who is required to remain at a
veterinary clinic, during which one time their owners are there with them.
NOTE: Rescue Remedy is not meant to take the place of
emergency medical treatment. In serious conditions or situations requiring
medical attention, a veterinarian should be notified immediately.
Agrimony
- Agrimony is for the animal that never
complains, even when it is obvious that the animal is in pain.
- Useful for any kind of skin infestation or irritation that
causes the animal to chew themselves raw: biting ticks, fleas and flies,
parasites, mange, eczema.
- For the restless animal that roams from place to place. For
the animal that paces back and forth - stall weaving in horses.
-
- For use when a horse is anxious for some unknown reason and
refuses to enter certain stalls.
Beech
- Beech cures those picky eaters, who of course, prefer only the
most expensive foods.
- When intolerant of grasses, insects, dampness, light or
dark, heat or humidity or cold.
- For travelling long distances.
Centaury
- For the timid horse that gets easily pushed around in the pasture.
- Increases an animal's will to live when fighting an
illness, after an accident or during a difficult delivery for a mare and foal.
- For horses used in the military or police service.
Cerato
- For the "air head" or inattentive horse that appears
too stupid to learn or learns very slowly.
- Cerato keeps animals "on
track". Therefore, it is ideal to administer before and during a training
session and during competitive events.
Chestnut Bud
- To break bad habits such as: horses that won't leave the barn or
trailer.
- During any new training session to increase memory retention.
- To break old habits taught by other trainers.
- Enables horses to be more sure-footed on mountain trails - more
keenly aware of their surroundings.
Chicory
- For the animals who thinks they "own" their master.
- Use at weaning time to help mare and foal to separate.
- The key word for Chicory is "congestion". If an animal
has organic, congestive symptoms such as in the lungs, bowels, heart or nasal
passages and the animal is desirous of attention, then, chicory could be
indicated.
Crab Apple
- To cleanse all wounds, abrasions, or rashes.
- To rid animal and surroundings of any annoying odors.
- To help diminish their scent when in season.
Elm
- Anytime an animal is overwhelmed by rigors of travelling, such as
horses travelling in trailers or airplanes.
- For being overwhelmed by something. Horses
being shod, too many strangers in their space, being placed in unfamiliar
territory.
- for easily-overwhelmed, high strung
horses.
Genetian
- For set backs of any kind, such as being relocated, sold or given
again and again.
- For long illnesses or when there is a relapse.
- Depression resulting from the set back experienced by an animal
when, for example, it's baby dies.
- For horses that have had a bad experience due to injury or an
abusive trainer and now has little initiative to re-begin a training routine.
Gorse
- Gorse is indicated when there is a challenging situation where
there are signs that the animal has given up or feels that the condition is
hopeless. For example: A horse badly abused or abandoned needing to have their
hope of living restored; a critical injury or surgery, for a horse that has
been severely neglected.
Heather
- For the horse that has to be the center of
attention.
Holly
- For horses who are known to be mean and dangerous.
- When the horse is performing unacceptably. Being dangerous, or a horse causing other horses to react.
- To be taken when mare rejects her foal.
- For the surrogate mother and adopted baby to accept each other.
- When there is a need for more love such as in abused and
neglected horses.
Honeysuckle
- for the sulking horse that is lamenting the loss of their master,
mate or baby caused by death or separation.
- For horses that have been over-exerted or exhausted.
- For horses that do not perform well when away from home.
Hornbeam
- For the horse that appears mentally lethargic and tired during
riding but when it is freed it jumps about with plenty of energy to spare. Or,
for the horse that peps up when near the barn.
- For race horses to face the race and jump out of the shoot first.
Larch
- To increase confidence. For the horse that has
had their confidence beaten out of them, or for the horse that performs better
in pairs.
Mimulus
- For known fears such as thunder and lightning, crossing water, of
strange noises, of strange objects. - For the shy, timid, fearful, or
abused horse.
Mustard
- For the horse that is experiencing very deep depression.
- For the horse that has personality changes when "in
season".
Oak
- For the horse that is a hard worker yet seems to be over
burdened, needing to struggle with the task at hand.
- to rebuild the strength of horses that have been starved or mal-nutritioned, over bred, over worked, over exposed to
weather extremes.
- Take Oak in preparation for strenuous times ahead.
Olive
- For exhaustion from an especially long ordeal, as in the case of
long term pain or abuse caused by the elements, an illness, man's cruelty or
predators.
- If plagued with allergies that cause the adrenal system to become
exhausted.
Pine
- Pine is the suffering remedy. The Pine type will take it upon
themselves their master's pain or illness.
Red Chestnut
- For use when an animal sense impending danger such as: tornadoes,
earthquakes, hurricanes, being taken away to the vet or being put to death.
Rock Water
- Increases flexibility for animals that have stiff joints and muscles.
Massage topically into stiff sore joints and muscles. Will
achieve a more fluid gait.
- For the stubborn or cantankerous horse who refuses to flow with
when forced to adhere to a new set of rules. Is
uncompromising and inflexible.
Scleranthus
- For the horse that has equilibrium difficulties. For
horse that are clumsy.
- for neurological confusion - such as
might happen with some kinds of seizures.
- For mares with "yo-yo" hormones that often cause
"yo-yo" emotions.
- For horses that suddenly buck or bite.
Sweet Chestnut
- Give Sweet Chestnut during competitive events when the horse
shows sign of fatigue that indicate it might not finish the event. Sweet
Chestnut strengthens them mentally so that they can perform well physically.
- Sweet Chestnut is for endurance energy and therefore, ideal to
tap hidden reservoirs of energy before a physically taxing event.
- To prevent burn out.
Vervain
- For the very intense, hyperactive, high energy horse. This
type of horse appears to have inexhaustible energy. This type is anxious to
learn but is often difficult to teach because it has its own way of achieving a
lesson's objective.
Vine
- For the horse that thinks he is the "master" and rules
the barn, stall or pasture.
Walnut
- Walnut protects against outside influences such as insecticides,
pollution and sensitivities to pollens and grasses.
- Protects by insulating the horse due to changes in its
environment - new owners, new barn or when travelling.
- Walnut eases hormonal cycles.
Water Violet
- Water Violet is indicated for the horse that prefers to be left
alone, especially when ill.
- For horses that never receive attention and are forgotten by
their owners, rarely being released from their stall.
White Chestnut
- White Chestnut works to quiet and still an animal's mind during
training sessions or competitive events, enabling them to listen only for their
master's command.
Wild Oat
- For the horse that appears depressed, possibly because it is idle and
not doing what it was trained to do.
- To create more opportunities to win competitive events.
Wild Rose
- Wild Rose remedies apathy as its virtuous action evokes the
happiness and jubilation for life necessary for: horses confined to stalls and
never let out, helping old and grouchy horses to have more fun, for horses that
have lost their spirit.
Willow
- Willow is basically for resentment which is caused by feeling
victimized by an abuser.
Copyright 2002 Linda Arndt, Blackwatch Danes. DogLogic. All rights reserved.