Use of flower essences as possible resistance enhancing agents vs infectious conditions - Letter to the Editor

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, June, 2002

Editor:

Many advocates of vibrational medicine (including myself) believe that flower essences can be successfully used to alleviate negative psychological patterns; many of us believe that these negative psychological patterns can inhibit optimal neuroendocrine and immune responses to all types of stressors, including microbic challenges. Many of us believe that by alleviating negative psychological patterns with specifically indicated remedies, an individual's response (resistance) to stresses (including infectious organisms) will be enhanced. The following indications and suggestions for use of several of the flower essences may be of interest to those concerned with enhancing resistance to communicable infections:

Pre-Exposure Protocol

Basic remedy is Amaranthus essence (fear or worry re: to contagion, being infected, etc.), plus 1 or 2 or 3 of the following essences most specifically relevant to the psychological state present:

* suppressed emotions, inability to express feelings or concerns: Snapdragon essence

* general state of restlessness, hard to relax: combination of Chaparral essence + White Chestnut essence

* lethargic (Without apparent cause): Khat essence

* doubting, skeptical attitude: Jasmine essence

* low self esteem: Jasmine essence

* high stress, emotional extremes (also grief): Hawthorne essence

* great negativity: Pansy essence

* sense of frustration: Chaparral essence

* moodiness, mood swings: Sugar Beet flower essence

* oversensitivity (all levels): Star Tulip essence

* "free floating" anxiety: Aspen essence

* sense of exhaustion (more intense than "lethargy"): Elm essence

* feelings of anger, rage, loathing, hatred: Holly essence

* depression as if in a black cloud, fog or mist: Mustard essence (compare Pansy essence)

* "workaholic" compulsion: combination of Oak essence + Vervain essence

* guilt feelings: Pine essence

* obsessive thoughts about possible catastrophe (to self or loved ones): Red Chestnut essence

* withdrawn, stays in, keeps apart from surroundings, "hides," etc.: Water Violet essence

* aggressive, controlling, must dominate: Vine essence

* bitter, whining, feels ill-fated, always complaining (both to self and to others): Willow essence

Use: combine equal stock bottle amounts of the indicated essences into a clean dropper bottle (do not dilute) and take 5 drops a.m. + p.m. daily (more often if condition is more intense); alternatively, put 15 drops of the combined essences into a 12 or 16 ounce bottle of water (Evian, etc.) and consume over the course of the day and evening, making up a fresh bottle each day. 15 drops of the combined essences can also be added to the bath in addition to oral ingestion. As the psychological state improves, the essences may be tapered off and ultimately discontinued; if new expressions of the psychological state arise during the course of taking the essences, change the current essence to the newly-indicated essence.

Actual Exposure Protocol

Basic two remedies are Amaranthus essence + Crab Apple essence (sense of contamination) plus if indicated, select the most specifically appropriate of the following:

* if sense of shock (at having actually been exposed): Star of Bethlehem essence

* obsessive thoughts and extremely worried about the exposure: Corn (sweet) flower essence

* sense of total physical and emotional exhaustion (exhaustion of "vital force"): Olive essence

* mental agony on inside but smiles, says "not bothered" on outside: combination of Agrimony essence + Snapdragon essence

* feels as if will lose control because of concern about coming down with the active disease: Cherry Plum essence

* becomes gloomy, pessimistic, depressed because of having been exposed: Gentian essence

* becomes hyperactive following exposure: Impatiens essence

* becomes very fearful of developing the disease and of its consequences: Mimulus essence

* develops panic fear after exposure: Rock Rose essence (often best to combine with Star of Bethlehem)

[Note: the Rock Rose fear state is more intense than found in Mimulus and Cherry Plum, above]

* develops despair and sense of doom and hopelessness after exposure: Sweet Chestnut essence

[Note: a more intense state than found in Gentian, above]

Use: combine equal stock bottle amounts of the indicated essences into a clean dropper bottle (do not dilute) and take 3 to 5 drops every 2 to 3 hours until it becomes clear that the period of time for the infection to become active has passed.

Richard L. Farr

Lecturer in Homeotherapeutics

American University of Complementary Medicine

Los Angeles, California USA