A clinical trial a few years ago concluded that stress plays a role in sickness. This idea is not new to natural therapists, who have always believed in treating “the whole person” – hence the term “wholistic” therapies. Natural therapists work on the premise that you as a person are more than just your body parts and need to be treated on more than just a physical level.

On the first evening of my herbal medicine training with renown Australian herbalist Dorothy Hall, we were drawn a triangle (pyramid) to represent any disease. The top apex represented the physical body. The bottom two apexes were “Emotions and Attitudes” & “Environment and Circumstances” respectively. This, we were told, was how we needed to view every single person who ever sought our help.

As time went by, we were taught that herbs treat the physical body, and that flower essences are the tool for treating emotions and attitudes. Dorothy Hall always maintained that once strengthened and balanced physically and emotionally, most people then feel strong enough to make the necessary decisions about and changes to their environment and circumstances. I have continued with this philosophy in my own clinical practice and find it extremely effective. Flower essences are literally medicine for the emotions.

Flower Essences are not therapeutic drugs but work on the mind, soul and spirit. They are obtained by extracting the healing vibrational quality from the highest evolved part of the plant – the flowers. They work on an emotional level and heal the negative emotions and belief patterns, held in the subconscious mind. Australian Aboriginals have used flowers to heal emotional imbalances and physical injuries for thousands of years. Flower Essences were also used in Ancient Egypt, as well as Asia, Europe and South America. This system of healing was rediscovered and popularised seventy years ago by Dr. Edward Bach with his use of English flowering plants. Naturopath, Ian White has further developed this method using plants from all over Australia for his Australian Bush Flower Essences. His grandmother and great grandmother were herbalists, among the first white people to research the medicinal qualities of Australian plants, and his grandmother taught him from an early age. Ian has taken their knowledge one step further and worked with the plants and their influence on emotions.

Flower Essences are completely natural, perfectly safe, free from side effects and adjust to the needs of the individual taking them. It is not possible to overdose or harm when prescribing. If an inappropriate remedy is chosen, it simply will not work. Adults and children as well as animals can use the Essences. We are all functioning on beliefs and emotions, which may not necessarily be helpful to us. By changing our thoughts and beliefs we can relieve stress, which can then ultimately assist in restoring our health. Flower Essences can improve the quality of our life and bring us clarity, courage, strength and commitment to follow and pursue our life goals and visions. As well as resolving upsets and distress in one’s life they also help us to develop a higher level of intuition, self esteem, spirituality, fun and creativity.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been associating certain emotions with specific body areas for over five thousand year, so this concept is not new. The notion that emotions affect our physical health has been explored in modern times by Louise Hay, and detailed in her classic book “You Can Heal Your Life”.  The beauty of the Australian Bush Flower Essences is that some also work energetically on specific organs and body systems. For example Dagger Hakea addresses the emotions of resentment, irritability and bitterness. These feelings have traditionally been thought by TCM to be held in the liver. Ancient wisdom held that clues to a plant’s healing qualities were clearly visible via a language and process known as the Doctrine of Signatures. When this system is applied to Dagger Hakea, it is found that this plant has a strong energetic resonance with the liver and gall bladder.

Australian Bush Flower Essences can be purchased by clicking the icon directly below:


If you would like to learn more about the healing qualities of Australian Bush Flower Essences, click here to see when Linn is teaching a workshop near you in the USA or Australia.

Or click here for the full workshop schedule of Australian Bush Flower Essences in Australia, the UK, North and South America, Asia and Europe.

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The Australian Bush Flower Essences Level 2 Workshop runs over two days. You need to have attended either Level 1 or the College Course to attend.

Level 2 is much slower in pace than Level 1, but nonetheless is a profound healing experience for many who attend it.

Themes of the Level 2 workshop include:

• Sexuality
• Anger
• Sadness
• Spirituality
• Self nurturance

Also explored are:

• An in depth analysis of more Essences, including 15 Essences not included in the Level 1

• Guided meditations and artwork

• A powerful, yet simple technique that allows one to determine the emotional trigger behind any

physical symptom

• The five steps of abundance and how to master this

• Sharing and discussion of case histories

• Open forum and question time

• Bush walk, plant observation, energy exercises and attunement

• Working with and tuning into Nature Spirits and Devas and discovering their crucial role in a plants life cycle

• Inspiring new research and developments

For Linn’s workshop schedule, click here.

For the full Australian Bush Flower essences schedule throughout Australia, North and South America, Asia, Europe and the UK, click here.

If you are interested in hosting an Australian Bush Flower Essences workshop in your area, please contact Linn on herbs.to.heal@gmail.com

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The Australian Bush Flower Essences Level 1 Workshop runs over two days, and you do not need to have ever used an Essence or attended any other ABFE workshop to attend.

Level 1 has been running for 20 years and has been taught right across the globe. It is a wonderful introduction to the Australian Bush Flower Essences, with an in depth study of over two dozen flowers.

Themes include how the Essences can assist with:

• Digestion
• Mother – Father – Child Bonding and Family Patterns
• Birth, Death, and Dying
• Learning
• Self Esteem and Confidence
• Guilt and Shame
• Energetic Protection
• Electromagnetic Radiation EMR

Don’t miss this opportunity to:

• Become competent and confident in using the Bush Essences

• Learn the History and philosophy of Flower Essences

• Gain new insights into nature, the plant kingdom and yourself

• Understand how emotional patterns affect your health

• Learn how to powerfully, yet gently change these patterns and improve the quality of your life

• Receive the most up to date in depth information on the research and development of Flower Essences

• Discover new tools to meet and resolve life’s challenges and crises, learning difficulties and family issues

• Discover how to enhance self-esteem and self-confidence

• Enjoy a stunning visual presentation of the flowers used to make the Essences as well as the diverse regions of Australia in which they grow

• Actively participate in a bush walk, flower meditation and outdoor intuitive art process

• Learn the ancient metaphysical teachings of the four elemental personality types and their corresponding Essences

• Understand the Endocrine (hormonal) system and its correlation to the Bush Essences

• Learn how to make a Flower Essence as well as choose the correct Australian Bush Flower Essences

• Master how to identify and clear negative subconscious sabotage programs

You too can discover the healing qualities of the Australian Bush!

For Linn’s workshop schedule, click here.

For the full Australian Bush Flower essences schedule throughout Australia, North and South America, Asia, Europe and the UK, click here.

If you are interested in hosting an Australian Bush Flower Essences workshop in your area, please contact Linn on herbs.to.heal@gmail.com

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What most people think is a “bad menopause” is really oestrogen dominance. This is when the proportion of oestrogen is too high compared to the other female hormone progesterone.

Dr John Lee, an American gynaecologist, did ground breaking research in this area. He discovered that it is the hormone progesterone that stimulates the body to lay down new bone, while excess oestrogen erodes bone. According to his research, internal and external dryness also resulted from not enough progesterone. Dr Lee consequently pioneered natural progesterone treatment. A free series of articles on Oestrogen Dominance, how it can affect women throughout their lives, as well as how natural remedies can assist with it, is available here.

Poor memory and vagueness are also common complaints during the hormonal shift in menopause. A good digestive detoxification, along with flower essences such as Isopogon, Paw Paw and Crowea help strengthen both your digestion and your brain function. Your brain has first dibs on any nutrition you extract from your food. If its truggling, imagine what is going with the rest of you.

Mood swings can be another problem in normally rational, sensible women through menopause. Crying spells, outbursts of anger, bitterness and feeling low can all be helped with specific flower essences. I find Red Suva Frangipani wonderful for assisting with excess crying; Dagger Hakea for bitterness; Mountain Devil for anger, and Tall Yellow Top for low moods. I use these flower essences an excellent addition to herbs when supporting women through menopause.

An important part of this healing process is to allow yourself to acknowledge your feelings, understand where they may be coming from and take various steps to release them. This may include counselling; it is quite extraordinary how much resolution with old emotional baggage can be reached in a short amount of time with a good counsellor.

For more on flower essences for women, Australian Bush Flower Essences have a One Day Workshop on Women’s Wellbeing. Their Level 1 workshop discusses women’s hormonal health in detail and one of the themes in Level 2 is the release of anger and sadness. More information on these workshops and the full international workshop schedule is available here.

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In 2007, a major clinical trial into the long term effects of pharmaceutical hormonal replacement therapy was ceased due to safety concerns. According to the scientists conducting the trial, the increased rates of breast cancer and heart disease in the women taking HRT, as opposed to the control group (who were not taking HRT), was unacceptably high.

ABC radio Australia reported in late February 2009 that the number of women taking HRT in Australia dropped in both 2007 and 2008, and that the incidence of breast cancer in women over 50 years of age (the age group most likely to be diagnosed) had dropped significantly in 2008. Researchers now recommend that HRT only be taken by women with severe menopausal symptoms, and then only for a period of one to two years.

Given all this, what are the alternatives, other than to go cold turkey and take nothing through menopause? Horror stories abound of hot flushes continuing for years, as well as the spectre of wrinkly skin, osteoporosis and mood swings.

This is where natural therapies can help, for although these symptoms are common, they are not normal. After ten years in practice as a herbalist specialising in womens health, I would have to say that no woman needs to suffer from, nor tolerate, a bad menopause.

There are many herbs which will ease the symptoms of menopause, including hot flushes, though what works for each individual woman is always different. Rather than buy something over the counter, you are best to seek the assistance of a professionally qualified herbalist who can give you individualised treatment. Herbs are strongly therapeutic, and our bodies are all different what works for you may not work for another woman, nor even for you in six months time. I rarely give anyone the same herbal mixture twice.

Flower Essences are much more accessible than herbs, because they are self adjusting, which means you cant do any harm to yourself or others with them. This makes them very safe for home use by anyone. That said, many professionally qualified natural therapists, including myself, also use them in their clinical practice.

In regards to menopause, there are several flower essences that work really well. These include She Oak, which assists with female balance and also with hydration so it can be used whenever dryness in the body is an issue. This makes it very useful as an addition to your skin moisturiser. Many women also find improvement in terms of vaginal dryness.

Mulla Mulla can be of great help in any conditions where there is excess heat, and I find it excellent for hot flushes. However it must be realised that hot flushes serve a purpose – to sweat out accumulated toxins.

A question I often contemplate whenever comes to see me with unpleasant symptoms is this: body right? Or body wrong?

Do you think it is a good idea for your body to rid itself of toxins? Might this assist you to enjoy a long and healthy old age?

Your body knows what it needs to do to be well. Of course you will be more comfortable without hot flushes (especially if you live in a hot climate) however in order to support your body to cleanse itself, I would recommend other remedies to stimulate your liver, kidneys, bowel and lymphatics. This way your natural self healing process can be supported at the same time your hot flushes are being reduced.

More detailed information on how flower essences can assist women through menopause is explored in both the Level 1 Workshop and the Women’s Wellbeing Workshop by Australian Bush Flower Essences. Click here for details of when and where these internationally taught workshops will be next held near you.

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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.

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The longer I am in clinical practice, the moreI can see how mental attitudes and emotional stress contribute towards physical dis-ease. Listening to peoples stories, the language they use with their words and body, paints a clear picture of where we need to go with treatment.

As an herbalist, I always treat with herbal medicines. The same plants have been used by all the major civilizations down through the ages for the simple reason that they work. They have the same healing powers for us in modern times as they did with our stone age ancestors, although the challenges we face now are quite different. Herbs primarily heal on a physical level, but even that is a simpliification – Pulsatilla and Motherwort are two herbs that immediately spring to mind that have strong emotional healing qualities.

But, given that many dis-eases commence on an emotional and mental level, wouldnt it be wonderful if it could be stopped there without us ever having to get physically sick? Not that there are not lessons to be learned through illness – there are but if we are living consciously, flower essences are a wonderful tool to energetically shift and heal the negative emotions and attitudes underlying most if not all dis-ease.

This concept was what first led me to explore flower essences in the early 1990s. Flower essences too, have been used since Stone Age times. Indigenous Australians were observed by the white settlers to soak flowers in water in the sun and drink the water. Across the world many countries including India and South America, have similar traditions. For western civilization, the ancient Egyptians, Hildegarde von Bingham, Paracelsus and Dr Edward Bach, used flower essences for healing.

Flowers are the highest expression of the plant kingdom so contain the most healing potential. I always use flower essences as part of the healing regime for every person who comes to see me, as they help heal the underlying attitudes and emotions on a very deep level. Huge shifts occur for many people when they start taking flower essences.

Australian Bush Flower Essences include flowers to help improve self esteem, parent & child relationships, overwhelm, memory, learning problems, group harmony, guilt, jealousy, obsession, co-dependency, addictions, grief and anger. These are often things we all experience at one time or another. You dont need to be professionally qualified in anything to know if you need assistance with any of these issues. Imagine if you had access to healing tool that allowed you to move through these difficult emotions faster and with fewer traumas?

The great thing about flower essences is that anyone can choose what they or a loved one needs. They are totally natural, with no effects and are safe for people of all ages. Even many animals have improved on flower essences, strongly suggesting that the improvement is not due to a placebo effect.

Other remedies can assist in developing your spirituality. For example Bush Iris helps open up the third eye and clairvoyance, while Green Spider Orchid enables you to communicate with other realms. Sydney Rose gives us a sense of being at one with God. Angelsword and Fringed Violet protect you energetically. Pink Flannel Flower brings a sense of gratitude and Boab assists with releasing negative family and karmic patterns.

Australian Bush Flower Essences regularly hold their Level 1 workshop worldwide. For details on the next one nearest to you click here.

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The Australian Bush Flower Essences range includes many flowers to help with issues specific for women.

The most important flower of all for women is She Oak. It is excellent for helping to restore female balance at any time during a woman’s life, be it puberty, menstruation, conception, pregnancy, menopause or aging.

Sometimes a woman is unable to fall pregnant, yet all the medical tests show that everything looks fine and there is no reason physically which she is not conceiving. In these instances, She Oak is worth considering.

Birth can be an extremely empowering experience for a woman if she is supported emotionally and encouraged by those around her. Even in the absence of this, Bush Fuchsia will allow her follow her own gut instincts in regards to her pregnancy, birth and mothering style.

Many emotions and thoughts around sexuality, touch, and intimacy can also be assisted with the Essences.

Flannel Flower (above) helps you to feel more comfortable with physical touch and enjoy your sensuality, while Billy Goat Plum addresses iissues surrounding body image.

For relationships, Bush Gardenia has helped many a couple reconnect and remember what first brought them together, to be more considerate of each other, communicate more deeply, and rediscover the passion of the early years as a result.

Old Man Banksia can be very helpful if you are feeling bogged down, especially if you are feeling disheartened, weary, burdened or frustrated. I often give it to women who are feeling this way after having a baby or around about the age of 40 or at menopause. Times of hormonal change are when we are often more prone to these emotions, and Old Man Banksia can be of great assistance. These are times when we tend to re-evaluate our life direction and goals and any discontentment with our situation becomes apparent.

The aboriginal women were well aware of this and considered this flower sacred and a symbol of female spirituality. This is not surprising given their strong connection to their land and with the plants and animals they shared it with.

To meet Old Man Banksia out in the wild and learn more about its healing qualities, have a look at the video below.

Have you used any Australian Bush Flower Essences?

• Which of the Essences in this post have you used?
• How did you find them?
• Would you like to know more?

Please share your experiences in the comments section below.

If you would like to learn more, Australian Bush Flower Essences hold their one day workshop ‘Australian Bush Flower Essences and Womens Wellbeing all over the world. For details on the next one near you, click here.

Have you done The Women’s Wellbeing workshop?

• What did you think of it?
• Did you gain any insights?
• How has it changed your life?

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Id like to give you an example of how flower essences can be used as preventative medicine for a sun sign.

Each sun sign has specific parts of the body which are vulnerable. As you are probably aware, everyone responds and reacts to stress differently and this is partly due to the filters we each have. We all see life differently and this is due to a combination of our genetics, our cultural background, our family patterns and our own life experience.

Another filter is our sun sign, and this has a powerful effect upon the way we think as well as our emotional responses.

Aries, for example, are high energy people who tend to be impulsive. They act before they think and dash through life, becoming impatient if anyone or anything slows them down. This can emerge as frustration, anger or rage emotionally and high blood pressure physically. Physically they can be prone to accidents due to their hasty, poorly planned actions. Aries leaps in where angels fear to tread so can find themselves in dangerous situations, requiring constant adrenaline to remove themselves from harm.

One of things adrenaline does is raise your blood pressure. With the head and adrenals glands the vulnerable parts of the Aries body, this makes Aries people more prone to strokes. Knowing this in advance, flower essences and herbs can be used preventatively to keep an Aries in balance throughout their life.

Mountain Devil is a very good essence for anger; Black-eyed Susan for rushing and impatience, and Macrocarpa for supporting the adrenal glands. So a combination of these three essences will go a long way towards keeping an Aries calm and balanced and therefore healthier in the long term.

The good thing about flower essences is that they are completely safe and totally natural. They are incredibly easy to use just a matter of putting seven drops of the appropriate remedy under your tongue morning and night. They are also really accessible there is no need to do five years of naturopathy or three years of herbal medicine or acupuncture to be able to use them.

You can learn how to use flower essences in a weekend and because you cant hurt anyone with them, anyone can use or prescribe them. They are also, literally, medicines for emotions. This makes them wonderful for home use you dont to be formally qualified in anything to know if you or a friend, colleague or family member is feeling upset. Flower essences give everyone a tool to safely heal emotionally.

That, said they do also dovetail beautifully with any other natural healing modality, enhancing and locking in any other healing being done. For this reason, an increasing number of doctors, psychologists, counsellors and physiotherapists are using flower essences in conjunction with their more medical treatments. Flower essences
dont interact with medications and it is impossible to overdose on them, another aspect of their safety.

You can learn more about flower essences through Australian Bush Flower Essence workshops – click here for more information on the international workshop series and international schedule.

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