“Mental torment behind a brave face“

“The jovial, cheerful, humorous people who love peace and are distressed by argument or quarrel, to avoid which they will agree to give up much. Though generally they have troubles and are tormented and restless and worried in mind or in body, they hide their cares behind their humor and are considered very good friends to know. They often take alcohol or drugs in excess, to stimulate them and help themselves bear their trials with cheerfulness.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Remedy action: restores the ability to express one’s true feelings and emotions, promotes ease of expression, leading to feelings of real inner harmony and peace.

“For those who do not know how to say NO – Cinderella syndrome”

“Kind, quiet, gentle people who are over-anxious to serve others. They overtax their strength in their endeavors. Their wish so grows upon them that they become more servants than willing helpers. Their good nature leads them to do more than their own share of work, and in so doing they may neglect their own particular mission in life” – Dr. Edward Bach

Those in need of Centaury have a misplaced sense of service and believe that they must put others’ needs before their own. They appear to lack the willpower to say ‘no’ and are easily dominated and open to being taken advantage of by those with stronger personalities. As a consequence, they often wear themselves out in service to others and do not develop their own individuality or creativity. They are weak-willed, bullied, unable to say no, imposed on, lack energy, tired, timid, passive, and quiet.

Remedy action: restores the qualities of inner strength & self-determination.

“Keeps repeating the same mistake, doesn’t learn from past mistakes”

“For those who do not take full advantage of observation and experience, and who take a longer time than others to learn the lessons of daily life. Whereas one experience would be enough for some, such people find it necessary to have more, sometimes several, before the lesson is learned. Therefore, to their regret, they find themselves having to make the same error on different occasions when once would have been enough, or observation of others could have spared them even that one fault.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Remedy action: a helpful remedy for anyone who finds it difficult to take in information in any form.

“Disgust me“

“This is the remedy of cleansing. For those who feel as if they have something not quite clean about themselves. Often it is something of apparently little importance, in others, there may be a more serious disease that is almost disregarded compared to the one thing on which they concentrate. In both types, they are anxious to be free from the one particular thing which is greatest in their minds and which seems so essential to them that it should be cured. They become despondent if treatment fails. Being a cleanser, this remedy purifies wounds if the patient has reason to believe that some poison has entered which must be drawn out.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Crab Apple aids purification at all levels. Those in need of Crab Apple have temporarily lost sight of their own innate purity and carry underlying feelings of uncleanness, dirtiness or lack of purity, which in extreme states can manifest as obsessions related to housework or bodily cleanliness. They can be fussy, easily upset and have a tendency to make mountains out of molehills when in a negative state. Other indications for these remedies are skin eruptions or compulsive, obsessional behavior of any sort.

Remedy action: helps people who feel unclean or have a hard time accepting his/her own self-image.

“Lost case – the feeling of extreme hopelessness and despair“

“Very great hopelessness, they have given up belief that more can be done for them. Under persuasion or to please others, they may try different treatments, at the same time assuring those around that there is so little hope of relief.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Gorse is the remedy for those who suffer great uncertainty in the process of life, causing them to experience feelings of hopelessness and despair. This is a state sometimes found in those with a long-term illness who have lost all hope of recovery or in those whose experiences have caused them to view life ‘as a lost cause’. When this state is very deep-rooted a person may have dark rings under the eyes or be prone to sigh a lot.

Remedy action: help to dispel dark feelings and promote new hope and vision for the future.

“The good old days – homesickness, nostalgia“

“Those who live much in the past, perhaps a time of great happiness, or memories of a lost friend, or ambitions which have not come true. They do not expect further happiness such as they have had.” – Dr. Edward Bach

It’s the remedy for those who live in the past, mourning for times past, nostalgia, over-attachment to past memories good or bad, and can’t let go of the past. They are often locked into past happier times which they feel can never return, leaving them with feelings of nostalgia, sadness, or regret. This is an excellent remedy for anyone experiencing difficulty with homesickness, bereavement, divorce, or unaccepted change of all kinds.

Remedy action: helps to dissolve these difficult feelings bringing greater acceptance of the past and hope for the future.

*Honeysuckle, Star of Bethlehem, and Walnut used in combination are particularly valuable support for anyone coming to terms with a loss of any kind.

“Everyone else is better than me – lack of self-confidence, inferiority complex, discouraged“

“For those who do not consider themselves as good or capable as those around them, who expect failure, who feel that they will never be a success, and so do not venture or make a strong enough attempt to succeed.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Those in need of Larch have such an inbuilt unconscious certainty of failure that they never attempt new things in life and so never discover their true potential. They automatically feel inferior to others and will stand back, allowing those that they feel are better able than themselves to take up life’s opportunities.

Remedy action: helps to restore confidence in one’s own abilities.

“I won’t give up – strong, capable people struggling to overcome the limits of their strength“

“For those who are struggling and fighting strongly to get well, or in connection with the affairs of their daily life. They will go on trying one thing after another, though their case may seem hopeless. They will fight on. They are discontented with themselves if illness interferes with their duties or helping others. They are brave people, fighting against great difficulties, without loss of hope of effort.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Those in need of Oak tend to struggle to endure all things long after others would have given up. They possess great strength and courage and like the mighty Oak tree itself often provide shelter and nourishment for others. However, this is often done at great cost to themselves and can lead to the despairing feeling of being suddenly and completely lacking in the strength to carry on. Often a great weariness comes over them.

Remedy action: help to restore strength, endurance, and fortitude so that they can carry on.

“I’m worried about you – fear and worry that something bad could happen to a loved one or someone close“

“For those who find it difficult not to be anxious for other people. Often they have ceased to worry about themselves, but for those of.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Red Chestnut helps those who are fearful for the safety of others. Those in need of Red Chestnut worry for the safety of others, particularly those close to them. When things do not happen as anticipated they will immediately fear the worst, imagining that some harm has befallen their loved ones; ‘they must have had an accident.

Remedy action: helps to restore optimism and trust in the Divine Plan bringing the recognition that everyone has their own path and is divinely looked after no matter what happens to them.

“Indecision, inability to choose, imbalance, uncertainty, dizziness”

“Those who suffer much from being unable to decide between two things, the first one seeming right than the other. They are usually quiet people, and bear their difficulty alone, as they are not inclined to discuss it with others.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Those in need of Scleranthus can be gripped by crippling indecision when faced with a choice between two things. In this situation, they will usually weigh things up and ‘um & ah’ for a long time. Emotionally they can swing from one extreme to another very easily and may become quickly tearful. Mentally they can have a tendency to respond to outside stimuli rather like a grasshopper, making it hard for them to concentrate in the negative state.

Remedy action: helps to restore one’s inner point of balance creating a greater connection with the Soul and one’s own inner direction.

“Over enthusiasm, perfectionism, hyper-activity”

“Those with fixed principles and ideas, which they are confident are right, and which they very rarely change. They have a great wish to convert all around them to their own views of life. They are strong of will and have much courage when they are convinced of those things that they wish to teach. In illness, they struggle on long after many would have given up their duties.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Vervain is a remedy for idealists, overpowered by their excessive enthusiasm, over-sensitive to the injustice in the world; and always ready to „swim against the tide“, and „to right wrongs“. Those in need of Vervain have very high principles and ideals that they seek to convert others to, by the sheer force of their will and enthusiasm. They are perfectionists who tend to overwork, driving themselves way past what is reasonable, often becoming wound up & highly strung as a result. In the acute state, they can be fanatical, overzealous, and incensed by injustice.

Remedy action: helps to restore balance to the unconscious belief that it is their responsibility to take care of everything around them.

“Proud, aloof, lonely, anti-social, disdainful, condescending, self-reliant, private”

“For those who in health or illness like to be alone. Very quiet people, who move about without noise, are aloof, leave people alone, and go their own way. Often clever and talented. Their peace and calmness is a blessing to those around them.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Those in need of Water Violet often have much valuable wisdom and insight to share but due to their gentle, sensitive natures find it hard to communicate this to others. They have a tendency to withdraw into their own space and can sometimes appear to be aloof and unapproachable or perhaps slightly superior or proud, all aspects of personality that contribute to their sense of isolation from others.

Remedy action: helps to restore the soul qualities of humility and wisdom, and helps to remember the oneness of all things and to dissolve the barriers around the heart chakra that this state creates, promoting the ability to socialize easily and to share their integrity, wisdom, and knowledge.

“Apathy, resignation, lack of enthusiasm, motivation, and ambition”

“Those who without apparently sufficient reason become resigned to all that happens, and just glide through life, take them as it is, without any effort to improve things and find some joy. They have surrendered to the struggle of life without complaint.” – Dr. Edward Bach

Those in need of Wild Rose experience a state of apathetic resignation, which can bring with it feelings of boredom or tiredness. In an acute state, they appear to have given up, completely lacking the motivation and enthusiasm necessary to function normally in life. Some people experience this during a long-term illness, having been told to resign themselves to the fact they may never be fully well again.

Remedy action: helps to restore the qualities of enthusiasm and joy in the process of life and to bring back the enthusiasm to find joy in life whatever the circumstances.