One of our common native trees, the humble Bottlebrush, has strong healing qualities when taken as an Australian Bush Flower Essence.

On an emotional level it is very good for helping us with the process of letting go. Letting go of old outdated habits, addictions, emotions, people and things. Look around your home – are you a hoarder? If you are having difficulty releasing anything at all, try taking some Bottlebrush as a flower essence.

On a physical level, difficulty with letting go can translate into sluggish bowels. If you regularly suffer with constipation (or even from time to time), ask yourself whether there is something your are not letting go of emotionally.

The doctrine of signatures (clues to the healing qualities of a plant from its appearance and habitat) is very strong with this plant. The red colour of the flower indicates a lot of energy and the ability to stimulate movement. As the name suggests, the shape of the flower strongly resembles a bottle brush and so is perfect for cleaning the tube-like structure of the large intestine. Fortunately this doesn’t have to be in a literal sense! Taking 7 drops of the essence under your tongue twice a day for a fortnight will achieve the same result.

Faeces left sitting in the bowel too long can start to break down the mucosal lining and lead to leaky gut, where toxins begin to be reabsorbed into the body rather than being eliminated as intended. In women, an early sign that this may be happening can be the appearance of fibrocystic lumps in the breast. Many of these lumps spontaneously resolve when Bottlebrush is taken.

Another application of this essence is with breastfeeding. If a baby is having trouble attaching to the breast or with suckling in any way, Bottlebrush is of enormous help in establishing a strong suck reflex, allowing the baby to go on to successfully breastfeed.

Further, if a baby doesn’t go on the breast within 6 hours of birth, the bonding process with its mother can be disrupted. Many mothers and children who have experienced this describe a sense of distance within their relationship.

The children often do not feel as close to their mother compared to their peers. Their mothers feel they should be more connected to these children, and notice a distinct difference between the bond they share with the child they were unable to breastfeed immediately and the children they did breastfeed within six hours of birth.

Both mother and child will express their strong love for each other but also a feeling of distance. This pattern can continue into adulthood. There are many case histories on file of Bottlebrush helping to heal this mother-child bond (even many years later), bringing a sense and strength of connection and a feeling of ‘rightness’ that has previously been lacking.

Bottlebrush is also very good for helping clingy children or smothering mothers let go and relax into a more healthy dynamic. For anything to do with the mother-child relationship, Bottlebrush is the first remedy I would think of.

I often think motherhood is a constant process of slowly letting go – starting with birth when we have to let them go from our womb. Weaning is probably the next big physical letting go and can be an emotionally difficult time for mother, baby or both. The first day of school, sleepovers, school camps, leaving home, overseas, trips, marriage – Bottlebrush is wonderful for smoothing the way as mothers progressively let go of their children (and vica versa).

Bottlebrush is one of about thirty flower essences discussed in Level One of The International Workshops Series by Australian Bush Flower Essences. The major themes of this workshop include healthy digestion, a well balanced hormonal system, connecting with your creativity, dealing with major life issues, protecting yourself energetically, releasing family patterns that no longer serve you, and healing issues with your parents – all the basic things we need to function well in
life.

This workshop is taught worldwide. For details of when there will be one held near you soon click here.

Previous in series Next in series

When you get stressed, your brain responds by telling your adrenal glands to secrete the hormone adrenaline. This is the fight or flight hormone. If you get a fright, nature instantly turns on your survival response. Blood is diverted away from your digestion to your heart, brain and muscles; your heart and breathing rates increase, your muscles tense (ready for action) and your blood pressure goes up. All of this is designed to enable you to attack whatever is threatening you, or run away from it whatever your brain believes is the best option in the circumstances.

This is a biological hangover from earlier times, when sabre tooth tigers and marauding war parties lurked at the cave or castle entrance. The adrenal response is just as useful today in life threatening situations being accosted in a dark alley, being caught up in a natural disaster, getting stuck halfway down a cliff, finding a loved one underneath something heavy. There are many stories of people displaying incredible strength and presence of mind in such circumstances, feats that they would normally not be capable of. All thanks to the adrenal response.

However often the threat not quite so immediate or overt. Nonetheless your body still responds the way nature has programmed it to in times of danger adrenally. Good examples of this in modern times include: foreclosure or bankruptcy proceedings; wondering if you can make your mortgage or rent repayments; fear of terrorist attack; the government deciding to forcefully resume your home to build major infrastruture; your boss threatening to sack you; worrying if you can feed yourself and your family; someone nearly running into you in your car; a violent or abusive relationship; bullying. You probably call these things stress. Your body regards them as threats to your survival.

In civilised society, it is deemed unacceptable to belt politicians, bank managers or bosses whom you believe are threatening your survival in the aforementioned ways. The police tend to take you away and lock you up, adding to your stress. Often, it is simply not possible to run away from the stress either. Which leaves your body all hyped up and with no place to go.

Normally, once the danger has passed, your body secretes another hormone to return you to your former relaxed state. However with these types of ongoing modern day stresses, your body remains in a state of high alert ready to fight or flee.

The physical effects of this in the short term include any of the following: high blood pressure, raised pulse rate, poor digestion, muscle tension, aggression, anxiety, panic attacks, lowered immunity and reproductive problems.

High levels of circulating adrenaline over an extended period of time can cause heart problems, thyroid imbalance, infertility, vulnerability to communicable diseases, auto-immune disorders and cancer. Stress can, potentially, have serious repercussions on your health and longevity. There are many natural remedies that can help. with stress. Australian Bush Flower Essences have two very good combinations for stress – Calm and Clear and Emergency Essence. Click the icon below for information on these Flower essence Combinations or if you would like to buy.

Herbs that can be useful include the generally calming and soothing Chamomile Tea. Rosehips Tea, being full of Vitamin C, has a tonic effect on the adrenals and helps you to cope with large challenges. Chamomile and other teas are available for purchase at the following company.

Should these fail to help, professional herbalists have many practitioner strength herbs which will be of great assistance.

If your stress levels are high, or stress has been going on for more than a month, you really need to seek professional advice and not try to self diagnose or self treat.

Meditation, yoga, massage, exercising, spending time relaxing with friends or pursuing a hobby you enjoy, are all other excellent ways to alleviate stress. A good counsellor is also invaluable for helping you put things into perspective and for giving you tools to deal with your situation.

Avoid coffee and cigarettes. They make you feel better at the time because they give your adrenal glands a boot to produce more adrenaline. However ultimately they deplete your adrenal glands, leaving you less able to cope than ever.

The natural remedies listed above not only help you feel better in the short term, but actively build your reserve energy and strength.

Previous in series