what are flower essences?

Flower essences as a concept may sound familiar, but many people get them confused with other healing modalities. So what exactly are they?

The short version is they’re the energetic signature of flowers (but may also be essences of gemstones or even places) instilled into water. They are broad in their action, which means they can often help even if you don’t pick the exactly perfect one. It takes very little plant matter to make them (none of which ends up in the final product), which makes them terrifically sustainable. They’re used a few drops at a time, and making them both long lasting and cost-efficient. And because they are dilute from the get go, essences are truly safe and don’t interfere with other medications, including homeopathics.

These are not the same thing as essential oils, although the name similarities confuse many people. Essential oils are made from aromatic plants, using heat or other methods to extract the fragrant compounds. These are exactly the opposite of flower essences! Essential oils are highly concentrated plant medicines, and so strong that even relatively small amounts make some people sick. Making oils requires vast quantities of plant matter. It takes six pounds of lavender flowers to make one ounce of lavender essential oil. It takes 300 pounds of rose petals to make one ounce of rose essential oil. Not surprisingly, true rose essential oil is breathtakingly expensive. And while some essential oils improve with age, many lose some of their best qualities in less than a year.

On the other hand, the dilute nature of flower essences leads some folks to confuse them with homeopathy.


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