The flower remedies of Edward Bach are the best known flower essences in the world. Thousands of individuals possess the complete set of 38 remedies. In the set there are some remedies that are used a great deal and some that are used infrequently. Within my own set I can pick out the five remedies of the rescue formula (Impatiens, Rock Rose, Clematis, Star of Bethlehem and Cherry Plum) as ones I have to top up regularly. Others in the set that also require frequent refilling are Mimulus (for fear) Gorse (for despair) Crab Apple (for cleansing) and Olive (for fatigue).
At the other end of the spectrum are those that do not get used very often and the least used remedy in the everyone’s set is, undoubtedly, Vine. Vine is the remedy for the tyrants and bullies of the world. It is for those who seek to enforce their will through force and coercion. They want to be in control and will stop at little to achieve and maintain this ambition. One reason I can think of to explain why the Vine bottle is rarely opened is that those who display these traits are least likely to seek help from the flowers. Another is, I imagine, that there are not that many of these folk around. Bach made this remedy back in 1933 when many of his elderly patients would have been parents during the Victorian era. Many would have suffered corporal punishment at a young age, or in the very least experienced the intense fear of its threat. Those that were bullied in turn became the bullies and it was perfectly acceptable, even actively encouraged, to behave towards children in a manner that nowadays would lead to a prison sentence. Perhaps Vine is a remedy for a breed of people that has more or less died out for we now live in a civil society that thankfully no longer promotes this side of our human nature.
The 38 remedies of Bach can be divided into three subsections: the Twelve Healers, the Seven Helpers and the Second Nineteen. These subsections relate to the three distinct chronological phases Dr. Bach’s discoveries went through. After he had used the original Twelve Healers on his patients, he discovered that some were not responding to treatment and went on to make more remedies, which he called the Seven Helpers. These seven remedies were originally used on those with chronic conditions who did not respond to one of the Twelve Healers. Vine is one of these seven. He saw the ‘Victorian Parent’ in some of his patients who were suffering from chronic, long term illnesses and this prompted him to seek a flower remedy that matched this state of consciousness.
Of late, however, I have found my bottle of Vine emptying much quicker. The reason for this is its inclusion in a flower essence combination called 12 Flower Amplify. This remedy is formulated to kick start the healing process if it has become stuck, sluggish or even hasn’t begun. It contains all the Seven Helpers, so alongside Vine there is Olive, Wild Oat, Gorse, Rock Water, Heather and Oak. Furthermore, five of our own remedies have been added, Margarita, Mullein, Bougainvillaea, Hibiscus and Pepper Tree. While the Seven Helpers allow the healing qualities of the flowers to sink deep into the dysfunctional patterns that are causing ill health, the Aquarius remedies bring other dimensions into the equation: Bougainvillaea works with the Seven Helpers on long term illness; Margarita and Mullein are opening and expansive, allowing fresh and new healing impulses to be assimilated; and Hibiscus and Pepper Tree are invigorating, stimulating the inner healer into action.
The conventional way of boxing the 38 Bach remedies is in 4 boxes of ten. 2 Rescue remedies are included in the set to make up the numbers to 40. In our set we include only one Rescue remedy, the 40th. is a bottle of 12 Flower Amp.
Case history report which includes the use of 12 Flower Amp.
