FLOWER ESSENCE FAQS
What is a flower essence? Is that the same as a tincture?
A flower essence is very different from a tincture. A tincture is a potent alcohol extract of fresh or dried plants whereas a flower essence is a diluted cold water infusion of fresh flowers meant for homeopathic use. Flower essence therapy was developed by Doctor Edward Bach in the early 1900s to help sensitive people with emotional pain such as fear, uncertainty, loneliness, overstimulation, burnout, sadness, and trauma.
We sell flower essences as 30 ml stock bottles. A stock bottle is simply 50% best brandy and 50% aquifer water. Three drops of a flower’s mother essence are put into this stock bottle and we ship it to you ready for use. The mother essence is the pure cold water infusion of the fresh flowers which are harvested ritually, prayed over, and infused in the morning sun for a couple hours before straining and using to make stock bottles. The finished flower essence you receive is a diluted version of this mother essence preserved with the alcohol. There are only three drops of a mother essence in each bottle of our flower essences.
Are flower essences made from poisonous flowers like nightshades safe?
Flower essences made from poisonous plants are safe to ingest as the amount of the mother essence ingested even from the stock bottle is less than a microdose. Some of the flowers in our essences are very toxic and long-term use of large quantities of our essences is not recommended. If you wish to use an essence daily for a long-term period we recommend creating dosage bottles.
What is a dosage bottle and how do I make one?
A dosage bottle is what you call any additional bottles of flower essence you make using the same 50/50 alcohol and spring water base and three drops from your stock bottle.
To make a dosage bottle you need one 15-30 ml (0.5-1 fl.oz) dropper bottle and fill it half with spring water and half with the alcohol of your choice as long as it is 40% alcohol or higher. This is because you need the final alcohol content to be 20% or above for to preserve the flower essence long-term. When your bottle is ready add three drops of the stock bottle you to this new bottle. Ta da, it is now a dosage bottle for everyday use.
How do I use a flower essence?
Flower essences can be taken right from the dropper on or under the tongue or alternately dropped into your tea, coffee, juice, or water. For our nightshade flower essences we suggest doing everything in threes – take three drops three times a day for three, six, nine days or months etc. Flower essences are meant to be ingested with intention and mindfulness as part of a daily ritual. Think about what healing you hope to gain from the plant spirit and focus on your goal while it is on your tongue.
Incorporate them into group communion rituals of sharing a cup, add into a tea ceremony, a daily divination reading, a ritual bath, or your recurring moon rituals. For more ideas on how to use them, read up on the kala prayer drinking rite of Victor Anderson and check out this great article on How to Use Flower Essences for Emotional Support by the Herbal Academy.
I avoid alcohol, can I use them without ingesting?
Yes! Flower essences are essentially the bottled “essence” of a plant spirit. They can be used for external anointing for spiritually cleansing people, objects, or places as well as aiding in divination, magical rituals, and plant spirit communion. Anoint your forehead, ritual tools, objects that need cleansing, or even add to a ritual bath –especially repeated spiritual cleansing baths to help with uncrossing and letting go.