Flower Essences & Homeopathy (Part 1 of 2)
Posted by GreaterWellbeing on Apr 6, 2009
By Peggy Malnati, Donna Cunningham, MSW and Deborah Bier, PhD
Editors’ Note: As part of our theme “The Wide, Weird, Wonderful Web,” we offer this three-way email conversation below. The authors were in Massachusetts, Oregon and Minnesota and communicated entirely by email within a day’s time.
Peggy Malnati: I have a question, something I’ve asked for years and no one has ever been able to answer for me. If you can shed light on this, I’d be very appreciative.
There’s a great similarity between flower essences and homeopathic remedies. However, with homeopathic preparations, we’re always warned against taking them while also ingesting mint or garlic (and many other strong spices). No homeopathic practitioner I’ve ever asked has been able to tell me why mint or garlic cancel out (“antidote”) homeopathic remedies, but they insist they do so.
On the other hand, given their similar vibrational nature, I’ve asked lots of flower essence people if there is a prohibition to using mint or garlic while taking flower essences and gem elixirs, and have always been told there are no issues at all.
What I’m wondering is why that is: given how similarly preparations are made in both modalities, why is there a food prohibition for homeopathic remedies and not for flower essences? Have you ever seen any of your clients “antidote” a flower essence with some other substance? Even the nonbelievers seem to get relief, and I’d think the mind was a far greater “antidoter” than another natural substance, but it is a really interesting concept, since vibrational “medicines” work in non-Newtonian ways.
Donna Cunningham: I’d say that the whole issue about antidoting homeopathic remedies with minor stimulants like toothpaste, coffee, or oil of bergamot is much exaggerated, though I have seen them antidote with major physical intrusions like deep dental work. And I think people can be suggested into antidoting. But if there really is a difference, I think it would be because of the potencies, like with homeopathy it can be 30 or 200 or even 1000 dilutions, whereas with flower essences, the number of dilutions may only be one or, in the case of the Bach remedies, six.
Myself, I drink whatever caffeine I please, Starbucks, Earl Grey, you name it, and it doesn’t seem to antidote anything. (I’ve been a homeopathic patient for more than 20 years.) I do feel that I have to be a bit more careful of a “virgin” remedy — i.e. one that I’m taking for the first time — than I do of one that’s already locked into my system. In fact, if it’s a remedy I’ve had a number of times, about all that has to happen is that someone suggests it and and I agree to take it. Right away, it starts working. When I first read Vithoulkas at age 28, I resonated to it right away and “like cures like” became one of my models in astrological work as well. (If you’ve got a Saturn problem, do a Saturn thing—not a Neptune thing.)
And no, I’ve never seen those things antidote a flower remedy or other vibrational remedy (gem elixirs, environmental essences, etc). The one thing that I do feel interferes is heavy duty psychotropics, including prescription psychiatric drugs. I’ve worked with people on powerful antidepressants who made no progress whatsoever in as long as a year.
Peggy: I’ve never heard about bergamot (there goes Earl Grey tea) or caffeine being on the restricted list. I’m not sure I’d function at all without my caffeine!
I agree. In all my decades of using and making essences/elixirs, I’ve never experienced anything antidoting them myself. I have also used homeopathics for several decades and occasionally messed up with mint or garlic (why would anyone want food without garlic, LOL), and yet the remedy worked fine… although I can’t say if it took longer to work.
I never knew about caffeine being an issue. I do agree about psychotropics. I also feel that anesthesia can be a challenge as can uncontrolled pain. But I think it’s as much because those chemicals (and even severe pain or the trauma that led to it) can poke holes in the etheric field, causing energy leakages, as anything else. Of course, if a remedy would otherwise counteract an experience that goes against Divine Will or the will of the soul, that too often keeps it from working. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find out all these restrictions are not necessary… or maybe not necessary anymore given all the energetic changes on the planet.
Curious in Catalina…
Deborah Bier: Oh, I hadn’t heard about garlic being a problem! And here I practically am married to it, and getting benefit from homeopathy for decades. Damn. There must be something wrong with me!
Much of the homeopathic antidoting terror is just silliness in my book. In Hannaman’s day, they used to say that strong libidinous thoughts and feelings could antidote a remedy. You don’t hear about that anymore, do you? Some of these things have fallen out of fashion, so they can’t really be true, can they?…
(Part 2 of 2 can be found here…)
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Peggy Malnati is a writer, healer, lightworker, ceremonialist, and minister in the Church of Tzaddi. She regularly performs sacerdotal services for her community, has led several spiritual circles, works in many energy-based healing modalities, teaches classes about metaphysical topics, provides spiritual counseling, and offers ceremonies to heal individuals, communities, and the planet. Find her blog at http://walksoftly2.wordpress.com/
Donna Cunningham, MSW, is the co-editor of Vibration, ands an internationally-respected author of books, articles, and columns about astrology, flower essences and other metaphysical topics. Her insights reflect her dual background in astrology and psychotherapy. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University and over 40 years of experience. Her ebooks can be found at Moon Maven Publications. Visit her blog at http://www.skywriter.wordpress.com.
Deborah Bier, PhD, is also the co-editor of Vibration Magazine, and a holistic healthcare practitioner in private practice in Concord, MA. This is an excerpt from her newly published book/ebook Flower Essence Practice: For Students, Essence Practitioners & Other Healing Professionals (Windfall, 2008). She is also the author of Healthy Connections: Flower Essences for Better Family, Friend and Work Relationships; The Encyclopedia of Vibrational Essences, and Learning About Vibrational Essences (find all these titles here). She is the maker of Whole Energy Essences. She is available for private consultations.
Hi, Tereza — thanks for writing!
How do we know that a remedy’s vibrational emission is actually reduced, as opposed to it being reduced according to theory? I’m not trying to be disrespectful of what you know, but we are often taught and come to believe things that we take on faith — sometimes correctly, and sometimes not.
I eat garlic most days and am highly sensitive and reactive to both types of remedies. Additionally, I find that garlic increases a person’s vital force, making it more likely that they will respond to the remedy in a clear and strong way. (I have less experience with mint and don’t have much I can say [yet] about it.)
I think what we’re saying here is that we must go beyond theory. Both homeopathy and flower essences are driven by direct observation and empirical data gathering (the former moreso), and we need to approach the experiences we have with clear eyes when it comes to antidotes as well.
best,
Deborah
like homeopath and flower essence terapist(FES practitioner), i`d like to say that mint and garlic had an aromatic chain(called in chemistry), and this interfere on our vibrational field,reducing the remedy vibrational emission.
When I first was introduced to homeopathic remedies, I was told that I was to refrain from coffee as it would antidote the remedy. My homeopath was very clear that it was something in the coffee aside from caffeine that would cause the antidote effect. She said I could drink tea of any type. (I was also instructed to refrain from mint and other strong, aromatic oils.) I did experience some antidoting when I went back to drinking coffee too soon after a course of remedy and had to “do over” a bit — don’t know if that was mind over matter.
Being most specific is the best way to cure a person through our vibrtional essences. Since we accept that ours is energy based than energies do have force of attraction and negation. Hence we should exercise caution in use of coffee, raw garlic, raw onion and scents. this is my opinion and view.
Tereza,
I do understand that both garlic and mint contain aromatic (ring-structure, often very-active) molecules, as do all essential oils and many of our healing herbs and foods. And I certainly accept that these active/aromatic molecules AFFECT / CHANGE our energy field, but I would not say that they interfere (which carries a negative connotation) with it unless someone is allergic to the food/substance in question. On the contrary, my experience is that they support / strengthen our field as is evidenced by how powerfully foods/substances containing them strengthen our immune system, reduce emotional stress, kill off pathogens, and generally lead to a greater sense of well-being. That is not to say that these substances do not interfere / alter the vibrational field / signature of flower essences, gem elixirs, and homeopathics, which is what started this conversation in the first place.
I would just say that my experience over several decades (the closest thing I have to empirical evidence) has shown me that no food / aromatic substance seems to affect flower essences / gem elixirs when I’m taking them (although prolonged contact with certain substances can affect the mother essences – e.g. a plastic bottle or dropper). That’s what made me wonder why homeopathic preparations, which seem to carry a lot of DON’T TAKE WITH… rules, were affected if essences and elixirs were not since they are both vibrational and made in similar methods.
Anyway, it’s an interesting thread and I have been curious to hear of other people’s experiences. Thank you for sharing your views.
Peggy
I’ve been a flower essence producer and practitioner for 15 years and my approach has always been that flower essences are the ‘friendliest’ energetic substances in the field. They work with almost anything a person is taking, though I do agree that street drugs and pharmaceuticals make the ‘conversation’ more challenging. I have a sister living in New Zealand who is a highly-skilled homeopath, a leader in her field. We’ve had many discussion about the complementarity of flower essences and homeopathy. She sees no problem in using them together, where it feels appropriate and she also disagrees with peppermint, coffee, alcohol, and garlic as an antidote to homeopathic remedies. I wonder, and this is highly subjective, whether breaking a habit of taking caffeine, makes one more open to the subtle effects of the remedies. This may be the value more than the ‘negative’ antidoting effect. But I defer to others wisdom on this score.
As a practitioner, I’ve sometimes encountered clients whose homeopathic doctors will not let them use any other energetic remedies while they are on a specific regime. I always respect this, but it is not the way I choose to work. I prefer a more egalitarian, inclusive approach, but again, that’s more my nature than a precise and regimented protocol.
How subjective is all of this in the long run? How much does intent, intuition, and deep respect for the plant-spirit medicine we are all so interested in create a synergistic experience that is far more complex than simple rules can codify.
Such a good discussion, and thank you for starting the ball rolling.
Finally, I love to encourage clients to develop their own relationship with the essences so that they can honor and deepen their intuitive, energetic relationship with Nature, their bodies, and the subtle energies of the plants. When we make ‘rules’, we take back the old power-ethic that, in my opinion, is simply not part of the spirit of the plant kingdom. In my experience, nothing surpasses the utter generosity of the plants!
Andrea
dear friends
first of all,excuse my english fluency,I´m brasilian.
I´m so happy about this chat about vibrational issues.Maybe, by being a doctor,I need to borrow the scientific knowdledge and cope with our experience to obtain good answers.Of couse,as we know,all the mint families plants increase our imune defense or protect us.This is a property of their aromatic ring,that is a biomagnetical signal.Einstein on his healing paradigma affirm that the cellular matrix of the physical body is a complex pattern of energies interference….So at this level, and we are talking here about etheric field,there are an interaction of vibrational fields.If the signal has a similar frequency it will increase the system order,but if the signal is distinct it can promote the disorder.Of course that this interference occurs if you take the homeopathy or flower essence almost at the same moment.
thanks
best wishes,
Tereza Guimarães
I am writing in response to Andrea, regarding the request that patients take no other remedies while they are being treated homeopathically. In other modalities where I have seen this, is because if other modalities are being used at the same time, how does the doctor or the practitioner know what brought about the changes? Are they a result of the homeopathic (in this instance) or other work or remedies?
Hi – I had never heard that the flower essences antidote homoepathics, only that certain ESSENTIAL OILS, may antidote certain remedies eg peppermint EO and the various eucalyptus EO’s; NOT essences, which are purely vibrational (as is homeopathy, but, as another blogger said, the CHEMISTRY of certain EOs MAY antidote certain remedies for certain individuals. This got translated to a blanket ban, in some homoepathic circles; its perhaps less difficult to remember a blanket ban (particularly if people are self-prescribing, than narrow it down to specific remedies and specific individuals
Thank you for such an interesting thread. I too have wondered about this for some time but never had the forum to discuss it. Thank you for providing a great forum!
Firstly, I have essences which clear anaesthesia and other chemicals post-operatively which have been used very successfully by many clients all around the world. However I agree that allopathic psychiatric meds do affect subtle energy medicine vibrations. As do psychotropics – but is this because the user may be on an ego trip and therefore in a space of disrespect to the energies s/he is using?
Secondly how can essential oils affect essences when we combine both successfully in spray mists, creams and lotions etc?
For myself when taken homeopathics,I have slipped up with mint occasionally but it has not affected the efficacy of the treatment. (I don’t drink coffee and only drink green tea or herb teas so do not know if coffee is inhibitive or not).
Again, I think it is more a mind thing. Work with whatever remedy you are taking in a positive, co-creative and respectful way, and you will always get a successful outcome.
Spring Blessings y’all!
The comments are interesting. My experience? I have been using and working with homeopathic remedies for more than 25 years. Though not a professional I have a profound interest in these, as wella s in many other potentila healing substcances, such as herbs. I have taught meditaion for longer close to 45 years also. That said, here are some observations: It is the coffee, not the caffeine that is the issue. Not all remedies are antidoted by it, however my husband experienced an immediate antidoting of his constitutinal remedy upon taking coffee at a church social. A friend of mine experienced the same with eucalyptus, when she had taken a flu remedy, almost immediately coming down with the flu. I once took a remedy for a bee sting, then almost immediately drank some water. This antidoted the remedy and the sting that had started to subside reurned in full force. So ingesting anything right away certainly interferes! A Homeopathic materia Medica is a great source for potential antdotes. I do think the pungency of the antidote might affect remedies. I have never had any trouble with garlic or onion and I consume quantities, nor has my husband. Flower essences are certainly a wonderful adjunct to homeopathic remedies and I sue both happily. There is this also, that coffea is a remedy for restlessness. That alone does make it potential antidote to other remedies that might be inimical to it. This is an enjoyable discussion and I look forward to reading more. Blessings and Best Regards,