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The Flower Essences were discovered in the 1930's by respected surgeon, bacteriologist and homeopath Dr Edward Bach (of the Bach Flower Remedies and Rescue Remedy™), and have been used for over 80 years by people throughout the world.
Flower Essence literature suggests that these natural, gentle products can be used alongside other treatments and have no known side effects. |
Image: © Copyright Creature Comforters® Ltd
Dr Edward Bach
M.B., B.S., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., D.H.P. (Camb.)
The man who discovered the Flower Remedies
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Flower Remedies/Essences are a simple and natural method of healing through the personality, by means of the essence of wild flowers. This method was discovered in the 1930s by Edward Bach (correctly pronounced 'batch' or, idiomatically, 'baych'). Dr Bach is now perhaps most famous for his Rescue Remedy™. This method of treatment and the thirty-eight remedies which comprise its pharmacopoeia were discovered by Bach, a renowned physician, who practiced for over twenty years in London as a Harley Street consultant and bacteriologist.
He studied medicine at the University College Hospital, London, where he was a surgeon. Despite the success of his work with orthodox medicine he felt dissatisfied with the way doctors were expected to concentrate on diseases and ignore the people who were suffering them. He was inspired by his work with homeopathy but wanted to find remedies that would be simpler and solely to treat emotional states. So in 1930 he gave up his lucrative Harley Street practice and left London, determined to devote the rest of his life to the new system of medicine that he was sure could be found in nature. Abandoning the scientific methods he had previously used, he relied instead on his natural gifts as a healer, and used his intuition to guide him through the meadows and lanes of the British countryside including Wales, Oxfordshire and Norfolk. He would suffer the emotional state that he needed to cure and then try various plants and flowers until he found the one single plant that could help him. One by one he found the remedies he wanted, each aimed at a particular mental state or emotion. He found that when he treated the personalities and feelings of his patients their unhappiness and physical distress would be alleviated as the natural healing potential in their bodies was unblocked and allowed to work once more. In this way, through great personal suffering and sacrifice, he completed his life's work. Dr Bach spent much of his time studying the Flower Remedies while living in the English seaside town of Cromer in Norfolk, where he discovered many of his remedies on the Cromer cliffs. (Cromer is also the home town of the English Flower Essence Company Creature Comforters). Dr Bach's wish was that everyone, whether medically trained or not, would have the means to use his healing system of Flower Remedies. He was also keen to develop a straightforward pharmacopoeia and simple method of production so that they could actually be made by anyone too (by following his precise instructions). Therefore, it is well known, by Dr Bach literarys, that he would have commended - nay celebrated, the situation we have now, over seventy years after his death, where there are hundreds of small, independent Flower Essence Companies, all over the world, making and selling the remedies ~ just like Creature Comforters UK. This is said to have been precisely Dr Bach's wish. Dr Bach passed away on the evening of November 27th, 1936. He was only 50 years old, but has left behind him a lifetime's experience and dedication, and a highly respected system of medicine that is now used all over the world. He also gave us the, now famous, Rescue Remedy which is used by many throughout the world including actors, musicians, politicians, 'celebrities', the military, doctors, vets, Olympic sports men and women and members of the Royal family! © Creature Comforters 2009 References 1. P. Chancellor (1971) The Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. Hillman Printers 2. Bach Directory (2004) |
Image: © Copyright Creature Comforters® Ltd
Image: © Copyright Creature Comforters® Ltd
Image: © Copyright Creature Comforters® Ltd
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Image: © Copyright Creature Comforters® Ltd
The 38 Bach Flower ESSENCES, AND THEIR USES...
Essence Name |
Negative Emotion causing unhappiness |
Positive Emotion encouraged by the Essence |
Visit our page dedicated to this Essence |
AGRIMONY |
Inner turmoil / 'Putting on a brave face' |
Inner peace / Ability to express one's feelings |
|
ASPEN |
Unfounded fears / Panic / 'Haunted' / Apprehensive |
Trusting the unknown / Calm |
|
BEECH |
Intolerance / Perfectionism / Arrogance / Judgemental |
Tolerance / Leniency / Understanding |
|
CENTAURY |
Serviel / Dominated / Subservient / Compliant / Bullied |
Assertive / Strength |
|
CERATO |
Uncertainty / Seeks advice / Exploited / Weak identity |
Intuition / Self-belief |
|
CHERRY PLUM |
Fear of losing control / Irrational / Explosive |
Composure / Secure / Self-control |
|
CHESTNUT BUD |
Unobservant / Failure to learn from experience |
Perceptive / Observant |
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CHICORY |
Smothering / Possessive / Selfish / Clingy (craves love and attention) |
Secure / Selfless / Unconditional love |
|
CLEMATIS |
Inattentive / Day dreaming / Absentminded / Clumsy |
Focussed / Interested / Engaged / Creative |
|
CRAB APPLE |
Self-loathing / Obsessive / Compulsive / 'feeling Contaminated' |
Self-love / Cleansed / Purity |
|
ELM |
Overwhelmed by responsibilities / Despondent |
Capable / Inner reliability / Restored dependability |
|
GENTIAN |
Pessimistic / Sceptical / Negative attitude/outlook |
Optimistic / Enthusiastic / Positive Attitude/outlook |
|
GORSE |
Disheartening / 'Given up hope or pursuit of change of improvement' |
Renewed hope / Faith |
|
HEATHER |
Self-absorbed / Lonely / Needy / Obsessed with one's own problems |
Good listener / Perspective / Comforted / Altruistic |
|
HOLLY |
Anger / Jealousy / Revenge / Hostility |
Acceptance / Love / Forgiveness |
|
HONEYSUCKLE |
Wistful / Longing / Nostalgic / Stuck in the past / Bereaved |
Contented / Interested in the present |
|
HORNBEAM |
Mental fatigue / Apathy / Over burdened |
Clarity / Lucidity / Revitalised |
|
IMPATIENS |
Impatience / Irritability / Frustration / Pain |
Patience / Tolerance / Ease |
|
LARCH |
Lacking Confidence / Inadequacy / Expect failure |
Confidence / Self-assured / Self-esteem |
|
MIMULUS |
Timid / Shy / Known anxieties / Phobias |
Courage / Safety / Security / Calm |
|
MUSTARD |
Periodical gloom ('like a dark cloud descending, then leaving') / Malaise |
Lightness / Joy / Optimistic for change |
|
OAK |
Overworked / Tired / Serious / Brave struggle / 'Workaholic' |
Strength / Recharged / Endurance / Lighthearted |
|
OLIVE |
Extreme exhaustion (e.g. following illness, trauma etc) |
Vitality / Zest |
|
PINE |
Guilt / Over-conscientious / Unworthy |
Self-forgiveness / Self-worth (objectivity) |
|
RED CHESTNUT |
Extreme worry for others / Anxious predictions |
Trust / Positive thinking / Letting go |
|
ROCK ROSE |
Terror |
Secure / Brave |
|
ROCK WATER |
Rigidity / Martyrdom / Self-sacrifice/persecution / 'Hard on one's self |
Flexible / Fun / Gentle / 'Easy going' |
|
SCLERANTHUS |
Indecisive / Fickle / Unbalanced / 'Dizzy' |
Decisive / Stable / Authoritative / Balanced |
|
STAR OF BETHLEHEM |
Deep emotional trauma (past or present) / Distress |
Balance / Comfort / Solace |
|
SWEET CHESTNUT |
Despair / Desolation / Deep anguish of the heart |
Comfort / Light / Support / Hope |
|
VERVAIN |
Stressed / Fanatical / Intense / Highly strung |
Relaxed / Mellow / Tranquil / (Objectivity) |
|
VINE |
Tyrannical / Wilful / Ruthless / Hard hearted |
Compassion / Respect (positive leadership) |
|
WALNUT |
Upheaval / Vulnerable / Difficulty accepting transitions or change |
Adaptable / Protected |
|
WATER VIOLET |
Isolated / Detached / Aloof / Grief / Independent |
Connected / Warmth / Communicative |
|
WHITE CHESTNUT |
Incessant, unwanted, troubling thoughts |
Clear / Still / Peace of mind |
|
WILD OAT |
Directionless / Dissatisfied / Uncertain / Aimless |
Purposeful / Focussed / Satisfied / Conviction |
|
WILD ROSE |
Resigned / Apathetic / Bored (yet stoic and uncomplaining) |
Enthusiasm / Interest / Curiosity |
|
Willow |
Resentment / Bitterness / Self-pity / Hurt |
Responsibility for one's own actions / Humour / Forgiveness |
|
Comforter Essence |
Stressed / Crisis / Traumas |
Rescue / Calm / Stability / Balance / Serenity / Solace |
Flower Essences are intended to complement and not replace the benefits of traditional medical practices.
Bach Flower Essences made the traditional way - direct from the Mother Essence Tincture
The 38 Bach Flower Pages
Click on the image below to enter the page for that Bach Flower.
Images: © Copyright Creature Comforters® Ltd
Images: © Copyright Creature Comforters® Ltd
Bach's CromerWhere it all began...
By Jane Stevenson, Flower Essence Practitioner and owner of Creature Comforters®
and A Digby, deputy manager of Creature Comforters® |
Dr Edward Bach
(1886-1936)
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4 Brunswick Terrace, Cromer, England.
The dwelling to the right of the cream coloured house was Dr Bach’s residence in the 1930s |
By a steep, cobbled slipway that leads to the beach, sits a row of tall Victorian terraces inhabited by artists, holidaymakers and fishermen. Nestled amid the row is an unremarkable dwelling with a dark green, iron door. There seems nothing extraordinary about this house except that, unknown to most, it was once, during the 1930s, the residence of a very special man. A man who has influenced thousands worldwide; someone who has inspired hundreds of books, written in many different languages, and myriad websites, articles, leaflets, brochures and journals. An inspirational, some say visionary, doctor, homeopath and surgeon who - through great personal sacrifice and dedication - pioneered a new, alternative system of treatment that went-on to be revered around the world by those seeking a different, natural way to heal emotional problems.
His name was and is Edward Bach and, whilst living here in the Norfolk coastal town of Cromer, he began his ‘journey of research’ into what became known as The Bach Flower Remedies. 
Having used, made and prescribed Flower Remedies, for the larger part of my life, I feel extremely privileged to live just a 15-minute walk from Dr Bach’s former residence and in the town he inhabited when discovering many of his Remedies. A quaint, traditional seaside town; to the casual observer there’s nothing particularly remarkable about Cromer. It has the obligatory pier, a modest promenade and a few (formerly) grand hotels. In wintertime it’s quiet, sleepy and windswept (or gale-swept), in the summer it’s all ice cream, windbreaks and holidaying families, probably just as it was in the 1930s when Bach lived here.
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Happy Valley, Cromer - on a stormy day. Image: © Copyright Creature Comforters® Ltd
There are some fine places to be found in and around this town, on the wild, sandy cliffs and grassy green hills. Places that Dr Bach himself walked whilst looking for plants and flowers to add to his growing range of remedies. I’d like to take you to one of those places, a special one, just over the way from my home...
The delightfully named ‘Happy Valley’ (see photo above) is an area of mown park and wild scrubland, watched-over by an elegant lighthouse and bordered by the open sea to one side and woodland to the other. A favourite place for dog-walkers, it’s where I take my dog, Simba, early each morning. If you climb the steep ridge, out of the valley, you’ll be met by a wonderful view overlooking a wide expanse of sea. Sometimes the sea is bluey green – tropical looking, other times it’s dark, rough and angry. But it is here, during the late summer, that the cliffs are blanketed in a profusion of Gorse, as far as you can see. There’s a nicely positioned bench nearby and a perilous long, windy path, cut out of the cliffs, leading to the beach. So, although this is a public place, this little patch still feels secret and special – the flowers positively inviting you to make a remedy from them.
It is well documented that Bach made his very first Remedies in and around Cromer and that his Clematis Remedy was made from the flowers on these banks, but could this be the precise spot? Perhaps, back in the 1930s, this is where the first ever Clematis Flower Remedy was made? Perhaps those very plants I use to make my Clematis are the descendents of those that Bach himself used? It’s impossible to know, but it’s nice to wonder or even daydream; as those requiring Clematis are prone!
The delightfully named ‘Happy Valley’ (see photo above) is an area of mown park and wild scrubland, watched-over by an elegant lighthouse and bordered by the open sea to one side and woodland to the other. A favourite place for dog-walkers, it’s where I take my dog, Simba, early each morning. If you climb the steep ridge, out of the valley, you’ll be met by a wonderful view overlooking a wide expanse of sea. Sometimes the sea is bluey green – tropical looking, other times it’s dark, rough and angry. But it is here, during the late summer, that the cliffs are blanketed in a profusion of Gorse, as far as you can see. There’s a nicely positioned bench nearby and a perilous long, windy path, cut out of the cliffs, leading to the beach. So, although this is a public place, this little patch still feels secret and special – the flowers positively inviting you to make a remedy from them.
It is well documented that Bach made his very first Remedies in and around Cromer and that his Clematis Remedy was made from the flowers on these banks, but could this be the precise spot? Perhaps, back in the 1930s, this is where the first ever Clematis Flower Remedy was made? Perhaps those very plants I use to make my Clematis are the descendents of those that Bach himself used? It’s impossible to know, but it’s nice to wonder or even daydream; as those requiring Clematis are prone!
The Birth of Bach's Rescue Remedy™Being that Bach's home was situated at a good vantage point overlooking the sea and lifeboat station, he, like his neighbours, would often have seen the boat going out to rescue those in peril. The story goes that one stormy day, during the winter of 1933, the lifeboat went out to rescue a man who, for over five hours, had been clinging to the mast of a wreckage. When the boat returned the man was delirious; foaming at the mouth; almost frozen "his life despaired of". With that, Edward rushed to his kitchen and hastily mixed a concoction of his newly discovered remedies which he dabbed on the “helpless” man as he was being carried up the slipway. Before the man had been stripped of his clothing and wrapped in warm blankets he was sitting up, in his right mind, and asking for a cigarette. It is said that that seemingly impromptu concoction was the birth of the now famous Rescue Remedy. Seventy five years later that little bottle of magic - Rescue RemedyTM (yes, now with trade-mark symbol) – is advertised in glossy magazines; is on sale around the country in Boots the chemist; is espoused by celebrities who exclaim: “I can’t be without my Rescue Remedy”; and is even used as the answer to general-knowledge questions on TV quiz shows! Quite remarkable when you think how it came into being.
This otherwise fairly ordinary town of Cromer is a place that inspires me like it inspired Edward. A place where many of the first discoveries were made, and the sequence of unplanned events happened, that helped enable Edward Bach to create something very special – a gift to the world. © Copyright 2010 J Stevenson and A Digby |
Bach’s Cromer.
Clockwise from left: 1. The Red Lion, where Bach would drink ale; 2. Brunswick Terrace; 3. The view from Bach’s house; 4. Cromer pier; 5. Number 4 - Bach’s home
Cromer today
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Image: © Copyright Creature Comforters® Ltd
Pet Blends for Animals
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Solar Blends for People
made with Flower Essences
Chill Out, Solar Blend
£8.33
​For any emotionally taxing, tense or crisis situation.
Blended to help gently aid a naturally calming and soothing process.
Suggested for: Exams, Interviews, Traumas, Stress, Tension, Stage fright, Family and work pressures. MORE...
50ml blend of Flower Essences in naturally sweet drops.
Simple to use:
Instructions for use: A) Take 7 drops under tongue/in water, as needed. Or B) Take 7 drops 3 x daily.
Sweet Dreams, Solar Blend
£8.33
For restlessness - to help establish regular body rhythms.
Blended to help gently aid a naturally settling process.
Suggested for: Sleep, Restlessness, Agitation, Erratic body rhythms. MORE...
​50ml blend of Flower Essences in naturally sweet drops.
Simple to use:
Instructions for use: Take 7 drops under tongue/in water 3 x daily until normal body rhythms are established.
Rise & Shine Solar Blend
£8.33
For when feeling emotionally low, unmotivated or despondent.
Also for apathy and a general lack of 'get up and go'. Blended to help gently aid a naturally uplifting process.
Suggested for: Melancholy, Sadness, Apathy, Low energy, Despondent, Lethargy. MORE...
50ml blend of Flower Essences in naturally sweet drops.
Simple to use:
Instructions for use: A) Take 7 drops under tongue/in water, as needed. Or B) Take 7 drops 3 x daily.
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Dr Bach categorised his 38 Bach Flower Remedies under 'The 7 Helpers', 'The 12 Healers', and the remaining: 'The 2nd Nineteen'.
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Research...
Flower Essence Research
A randomised double-blind, placebo controlled trial of Bach Flower Remedy. Armstrong and Ernst, 1999
| flower_essence_research_pdf_bfvea_2015_08.pdf |
Water
"Dr Bernard Grad (1920-2010) of McGill University discovered in the 1960s that if water was subjected to a small magnetic field or to light the atomic bonding in the water gets altered and there is also a reduction in surface tension. He went on to show that a person can emit enough of a magnetic field to alter the atomic bonds of water. Indeed when someone focused positive intent into the water and that water subsequently was used to water plants it resulted in strong growth of the plants. The effect of water focused on by someone who was upset or disturbed was shown to produce little or no additional growth in plants.
More recent research, first published in English in 2005 by Professor Bernd Kröplin from the University of Stuttgart has looked at the mechanisms by which water collects, stores and disseminates information. He showed that even the temporary influence of weak energy fields can cause changes in water structure. He showed that the effect on the water was influenced by the experimenter, so the phenomenon cannot be reproduced independent of an observer. In effect any work on water structure cannot ever be objective. The observer is inescapably part of the experiment and whatever their mood is added to the effect on the water. This last sentence is very important as it may well explain some of the failures by other researchers to reproduce Jacques Benveniste’s experiments in 1988.
Kröplin and his team took the work further. They looked at what happens when a single drop of water dries on a glass slide and is then observed through a dark-field lens. (The use of ‘dark field’ excludes the un-scattered beams of light from the image. This leaves the image on a black background). It was observed that distilled water left no trace. Different homeopathic potencies produced different, distinct patterns, distinctly different from water. Minnie Hein, a member of the research team was familiar with essences. She calls them ‘informed’ water as they have not been serially diluted and succussed. Water drops from the same essence dried by her and a colleague appeared slightly different from each other, though the basic characteristics remained the same. This also suggested that the experimenter was influencing the structure of the drops in some way. Even the same experimenter on different days using the same essence resulted in dried drops that varied slightly.
Minnie Hein, one of the experimenters, came to the conclusion that the dried drop was a joint picture of experimenter and ‘informed’ water. Over time this experiment was repeated again and again with different people, showing slightly varied drops. Experiments continued using human saliva. Two samples were collected by several experimenters. One was collected before people anchored their personal energies to the planet (being grounded) and calmed themselves (being centred), and the second taken after they had done so. Not only were the drops more coherent after each person was grounded and centred, but the drops taken by the each experimenters also had their own characteristics.
The team also looked at the dried drops of saliva when subjected to electromagnetic fields, like those produced by mobile phones. The subjected drops showed structures that were more rigid and less diverse.
Research has also been conducted by several people into how water flowing in certain ways affects the surface tension – in effect making it ‘wetter’. The most well know of these researchers was Vicktor Schauberger. (1855-1958). He discovered that if flowing water was made to pass through a vortex that spins the water anticlockwise towards the apex, it affected the surface tension of the water. By drinking water that has been ‘spun’ the body seems to heal quicker and become stronger.
Several studies have been carried out on the physical propertied of homeopathic potentised water. Wursumser (1948), Gay and Boiron (1953), Stephenson (1955) investigated the way light is absorbed by various potencies of chemicals like sodium chloride. They showed that anomalies in the light absorption of the various potencies could be measured and plotted to reflect the dilutions. Ansaloni and Vecchi in 1989 did similar work with water that had been potentised by healers.
Water responds to sound and can produce surface wave patterns when subjected to music (Hans Jenny (1904-1972) and Alexander Lauterwasser (1951-). The more popular work by Masaru Emoto (1943 - 2015) has shown that ice crystals reflect the coherence of the music that the liquid was subjected to before it was frozen.
In conclusion it can be clearly seen that there has been a significant body of research into the phenomenon we call water and to how it holds energy patterns. Serial dilution and succussion has been shown to change how water reacts. The popular media and its pundits are always keen to trash homeopathy and the ‘fanciful’ idea that water has memory on the premise that there is no scientific evidence, even when there is plenty of replicable work done by brave researchers who are prepared to see for themselves, refusing to be confined to what they have been taught, or by the expectations and results of their peers." (Excerpt from 'The Essence Practitioner' by Sue Lilly, Singing Dragon 2014)
More recent research, first published in English in 2005 by Professor Bernd Kröplin from the University of Stuttgart has looked at the mechanisms by which water collects, stores and disseminates information. He showed that even the temporary influence of weak energy fields can cause changes in water structure. He showed that the effect on the water was influenced by the experimenter, so the phenomenon cannot be reproduced independent of an observer. In effect any work on water structure cannot ever be objective. The observer is inescapably part of the experiment and whatever their mood is added to the effect on the water. This last sentence is very important as it may well explain some of the failures by other researchers to reproduce Jacques Benveniste’s experiments in 1988.
Kröplin and his team took the work further. They looked at what happens when a single drop of water dries on a glass slide and is then observed through a dark-field lens. (The use of ‘dark field’ excludes the un-scattered beams of light from the image. This leaves the image on a black background). It was observed that distilled water left no trace. Different homeopathic potencies produced different, distinct patterns, distinctly different from water. Minnie Hein, a member of the research team was familiar with essences. She calls them ‘informed’ water as they have not been serially diluted and succussed. Water drops from the same essence dried by her and a colleague appeared slightly different from each other, though the basic characteristics remained the same. This also suggested that the experimenter was influencing the structure of the drops in some way. Even the same experimenter on different days using the same essence resulted in dried drops that varied slightly.
Minnie Hein, one of the experimenters, came to the conclusion that the dried drop was a joint picture of experimenter and ‘informed’ water. Over time this experiment was repeated again and again with different people, showing slightly varied drops. Experiments continued using human saliva. Two samples were collected by several experimenters. One was collected before people anchored their personal energies to the planet (being grounded) and calmed themselves (being centred), and the second taken after they had done so. Not only were the drops more coherent after each person was grounded and centred, but the drops taken by the each experimenters also had their own characteristics.
The team also looked at the dried drops of saliva when subjected to electromagnetic fields, like those produced by mobile phones. The subjected drops showed structures that were more rigid and less diverse.
Research has also been conducted by several people into how water flowing in certain ways affects the surface tension – in effect making it ‘wetter’. The most well know of these researchers was Vicktor Schauberger. (1855-1958). He discovered that if flowing water was made to pass through a vortex that spins the water anticlockwise towards the apex, it affected the surface tension of the water. By drinking water that has been ‘spun’ the body seems to heal quicker and become stronger.
Several studies have been carried out on the physical propertied of homeopathic potentised water. Wursumser (1948), Gay and Boiron (1953), Stephenson (1955) investigated the way light is absorbed by various potencies of chemicals like sodium chloride. They showed that anomalies in the light absorption of the various potencies could be measured and plotted to reflect the dilutions. Ansaloni and Vecchi in 1989 did similar work with water that had been potentised by healers.
Water responds to sound and can produce surface wave patterns when subjected to music (Hans Jenny (1904-1972) and Alexander Lauterwasser (1951-). The more popular work by Masaru Emoto (1943 - 2015) has shown that ice crystals reflect the coherence of the music that the liquid was subjected to before it was frozen.
In conclusion it can be clearly seen that there has been a significant body of research into the phenomenon we call water and to how it holds energy patterns. Serial dilution and succussion has been shown to change how water reacts. The popular media and its pundits are always keen to trash homeopathy and the ‘fanciful’ idea that water has memory on the premise that there is no scientific evidence, even when there is plenty of replicable work done by brave researchers who are prepared to see for themselves, refusing to be confined to what they have been taught, or by the expectations and results of their peers." (Excerpt from 'The Essence Practitioner' by Sue Lilly, Singing Dragon 2014)
| list_of_bach_flower_essences_remedies.pdf |
