Dr. Bach Rescue Remedy

♣Doubting the miracle♣

It was around this time last year that my airplane phobia increased to an intolerable level. We were visiting my boyfriend’s family for Christmas – and I simply could not face the plane journey back. His mother kindly told me that I needed to “snap out of it” and handed me a little yellow box with Bach’s Rescue Remedy. I eyed it suspiciously. I never believed in such herbal miracles. But I took the ...
...a bit of this product to calm my nerves. I honestly do not remember if it worked at the time, but I did make it back home somehow – didn’t I? The bottle then disappeared in a draw, not to be remembered until …

… I next encountered the Rescue Remedy when I left my somewhat quiet job for a hectic city job. A colleague handed me a leaving present in a blue bag containing all the necessary things that one would need to be ready for the ... more

♣Doubting the miracle♣

It was around this time last year that my airplane phobia increased to an intolerable level. We were visiting my boyfriend’s family for Christmas – and I simply could not face the plane journey back. His mother kindly told me that I needed to “snap out of it” and handed me a little yellow box with Bach’s Rescue Remedy. I eyed it suspiciously. I never believed in such herbal miracles. But I took the box and sitting at the airport, I remember taking quite a bit of this product to calm my nerves. I honestly do not remember if it worked at the time, but I did make it back home somehow – didn’t I? The bottle then disappeared in a draw, not to be remembered until …

… I next encountered the Rescue Remedy when I left my somewhat quiet job for a hectic city job. A colleague handed me a leaving present in a blue bag containing all the necessary things that one would need to be ready for the stress of a city job: headache pills, Pro Plus, chocolate and … Rescue Remedy?

I remember that at the time I felt like she had wasted her money on this and for ages this little bottle sat in the gift bag on the kitchen counter. But then I truly developed sleeping problems. I could not sleep all night, and would develop migraines and spots as a result. I went to the pharmacy and was recommended Nytol. But I never dared to take it, as the pharmacist told me I needed to make sure I would get at least 8 hours of sleep when taking these. I never get 8 hours of sleep!

It was then that my boyfriend recommended to try the Rescue Remedy. It made sense – the worst that could happen was that it would not work.

♣So who is this Bach dude – I thought he wrote music? ♣

Dr Edward Bach studied medicine at the University College Hospital, London. He was a GP in Harley Street, London as well as a bacteriologist. As a pathologist he also worked on developing vaccines.

He was very successful with traditional medicine, but he was the type of person who never understood how doctor’s were more concerned with diseases rather than human beings. In the 1930s he gave up traditional practice and scientific methods of practicing medicine. Instead he started to focus on more natural remedies. He studied and experimented with various plants and flowers and developed a series of homeopathic remedies that are now used all over the world.

♣The most famous homeopathetic remedy: Rescue Remedy♣

Rescue Remedy is Dr Bach’s most famous remedy. The product comes in a yellow rectangular box. On one side you can see the Bach logo and below the writing “Original Flower Remedies – Rescue Remedy – to comfort and reassure”. Another side informs you that the product us supposed to help you cope with “life’s ups and downs” and that it provides “support at times of emotional demand, such as before a driving test, interview, exam or flight or when you simply need a little help.”

The bottle is dark brown with a yellow label and contains 10 ml of product. The cap is black has eight sides and has an integrated glass pipette with which you can conveniently measure out the remedy in accordance with its instructions.
The product is apparently suitable for the whole family. I have even read that some people give these two their dogs, cats and rabbits to calm them down!

Rescue Remedy is a homeopathetic mixture containing five different plants: Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impaties, Rock Rose and Star of Bethelehem. These are contained in a grape alcohol solution. The combination of these five natural extracts is supposed to help people to deal with the daily stresses of life, give comfort and reassurance and help individuals regain a more positive outlook on life.

But what do these individual plant extracts do exactly?

►Cherry Plum – This is the extract that is supposed to help individuals to deal with fear. It also is supposed to help those who feel like they have lost control over life.

►Clematis – This is the extract that is supposed to help those people who have lost a little touch with reality, those who are in a dreamlike or drowsy state and those who do not have much of an interest in life. It equally helps those who live in the future rather than the present, dreaming of happier times rather than actually doing anything about it.

►Impatiens – This is the extract that is supposed to cure impatience, frustration and irritability. It is especially helpful for people like me, who live in a constant rush. The remedy helps to calm down people like me and make them more relaxed with themselves and others. It helps calm down agitated thoughts and feelings.

►Rock Rose – This is the extract that is supposed to help against those haunted by feelings of terror, panic and inability to make decisions. The remedy is supposed to calm and provide courage and strength to deal with the situation at hand.

►Star of Bethlehem – This is the extract that is supposed to help deal with the after effects of any shock. It is also supposed to remedy the feeling of emptiness that may be associated with a shocking event by providing comfort and reassurance.

♣How to take♣

The instructions provide that you can either put 4 drops of the remedy in water and sip it at intervals or put 4 drops directly on the tongue. As an alternative, you can add the remedy to a 30 ml mixing bottle containing still spring water and take 4 drops thereof a minimum of 4 times a day.

♣Price and availability♣

The remedy is available at various chemists across the United Kingdom. My first bottle came form Bairds Chemists in Northern Ireland at cost £3.95. I am not sure what my second bottle cost, as it was a gift – but you should expect to spend about £4 for the 10 ml bottle.

♣My experience♣

As I said above, I cannot recall whether this product really helped my airplane phobia, so my suspicion is that it did have any miracle effects at the time. I would have remembered that clearly.

The first time I used to combat my sleeplessness, I squeezed the plastic top of the pipette and unscrewed the bottle carefully. I saw that the liquid in the pipette was almost clear, with a slightly yellowish tint.

I sniffed the remedy and was immediately greeted by a strong alcoholic smell. Not being a drinker myself, it is hard to describe, but it seems to have a whisky or brandy undertone to it, which slightly burns your nostrils when sniffing it.

I lifted the pipette to my mouth and, as directed, squeezed 4 drops onto my tongue. My taste buds were not to pleased with the experience, as I generally loathe the taste of alcohol. The tasted like a watered-down whisky containing a mixture of cherry and plum undertones. The remedy slightly burns on your tongue the second it meets it. This burning sensation disappears quite quickly, but your mouth is left with a slightly bitter after taste.

Another word of warning: You might want to think twice about using these drops at work, as my boyfriend commented that my breathe smelled as if I had just drunk alcohol. That is perhaps of no surprise, as the remedy is alcohol-based. However, it is hard to believe that 4 little drops could have such a powerful effect.

I have never tried the remedy with water, which is the other method of use. This is mainly a mixture of laziness and convenience. If you are the type of person who will carry the bottle around, water will not always be to hand.

So – does this remedy actually work? You will probably be disappointed to know that I do not have a conclusive answer to this question. I use this remedy every night – although I do now use about 4 pipettes of the stuff, rather than 4 drops. Hopefully there are no side effects for overdosing on herbal remedies!

Some nights I will have a restful sleep when using the remedy, and other nights I will not. However, this is largely dependent on the conditions of the room I am sleeping in at the time. If it is too warm or to hot, if the sheets are not freshly washed or if my boyfriend is having a restless night – no amount of these drops will help me sleep through the night.

But I have noticed that the remedy has had an effect on my mental state. It seems as if using this remedy helps me to forget about my daily worries. I am a person who stresses naturally – and if I am worried about my next working day, then I will not sleep properly. I also will not sleep properly if I am worried about having to wake up in a couple of hours or about missing a train. In that sense, I feel that these worries have been severely lessened by me taking Rescue Remedy at bed time. When looking at the contents of the remedy, I suppose this is what a combination of Cherry Plum, Rock Rose and Impatiens is supposed to do.

I have been using my first bottle of Rescue Remedy for 3 weeks now. As I mentioned, I have been overdosing s-l-i-g-h-t-l-y, but despite this, I still have half a bottle left.

♣The verdict♣

As much as I doubt herbal remedies, I do recommend Rescue Remedy. In a funny way, it seems to be doing exactly what it promises for me: It comforts and reassures me. It puts my mind at ease. I am not sure whether it is the remedy itself or my mind that is helping me in this situation. Maybe the ingredients work miracles. But maybe, just maybe, my mind associates the taking of Rescue Remedy as an act that puts my mind to rest. Maybe I have just persuaded myself that this is the solution to my sleeping problems.

I will take this with me when I am going on vacation in January – and will update you all whether it works to ease my fears of flying this time.

Do I recommend it? Yes, I do recommend it, especially to those who easily persuade themselves that miracle cures exist. I think it would work for you. I am not sure, however, if it will work on those people who have firm beliefs against this kind of stuff. It seems to be the kind of remedy where you have to keep an open mind.

Try it – and let me know if it works for you. After all, it is not a huge waste of money if it does not work. Personally, I would gladly try anything that has the potential to put my mind at ease and stop be stressing, especially if the cost is so low.

♣Further information♣

Bach Flower Remedies Ltd
Oxfordshire
OX14 5JX

♣Acknowledgments♣

Information on individual flower remedies taken from www.bachcentre.com
 

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