The Bach Flower Essences were developed by Dr. Edward Bach, an Englishman, a Harley Street doctor and well known Physican, Bacteriologist, Homeopath and Researcher.

In his quest for new ways of making medicine painless, Dr. Bach discovered a mind-body link in his patients recovery from disease.  He realized that the personality and attitude of his patients seemed to play a more important role in their recovery than the medical treatment they were receiving for the disease; the patients with mental and emotional conflicts seemed to be held back from recovery and healing. 

This realization led to the discovery of what is known as the Bach Flower Essences.  Dr. Bach was concerned that his patients recognize and then eliminate all forms of mental conflict, which created a roadblock in their recovery process. By administering the Flower Essences to his patients, he witnessed their physical bodies gain strength, their minds became calm and peace and harmony was brought to the whole person. 

The Seven Categories of Bach Flower Essences are: fearfulness, uncertainty, lack of interest in the world around you, loneliness, over-sensitve to others, generally despondent or in despair and over-concern for the welfare of others.

The 38 plant and flower based formulas are listed below with a brief description of each:

Agrimony - mental torture behind a cheerful face
Aspen - fear of unknown things
Beech - intolerance
Centaury - the inability to say 'no'
Cerato - lack of trust in one's own decisions
Cherry Plum - fear of the mind giving way
Chestnut Bud - failure to learn from mistakes
Chicory - selfish, possessive love
Clematis - dreaming of the future without working in the present
Crab Apple - the cleansing remedy, also for self-hatred
Elm - overwhelmed by responsibility
Gentian - discouragement after a setback
Gorse - hopelessness and despair
Heather - self-centredness and self-concern
Holly - hatred, envy and jealousy
Honeysuckle - living in the past
Hornbeam - procrastination, tiredness at the thought of doing something
Impatiens - impatience
Larch - lack of confidence
Mimulus - fear of known things
Mustard - deep gloom for no reason
Oak - the plodder who keeps going past the point of exhaustion
Olive - exhaustion following mental or physical effort
Pine - guilt
Red Chestnut - over-concern for the welfare of loved ones
Rock Rose - terror and fright
Rock Water - self-denial, rigidity and self-repression
Scleranthus - inability to choose between alternatives
Star of Bethlehem - shock
Sweet Chestnut - Extreme mental anguish, when everything has been tried and there is no light left
Vervain - over-enthusiasm
Vine - dominance and inflexibility
Walnut - protection from change and unwanted influences
Water Violet - pride and aloofness
White Chestnut - unwanted thoughts and mental arguments
Wild Oat - uncertainty over one's direction in life
Wild Rose - drifting, resignation, apathy
Willow - self-pity and resentment