• How do you take the remedies?

  
  
  Add two drops of each chosen remedy to a glass of water. Sip from it as often as you want, but at least four times a day for longer-term issues. For convenience when taking several remedies at once, add two drops of each chosen remedy to an empty 30 ml dropper bottle*. Top up with mineral water, adding a teaspoonful of brandy or cider vinegar as a preservative if you wish. From this bottle take four drops at least four times a day.
  

• Why is there alcohol in Bach Original Flower Remedies?

  
  
  Dr Bach used alcohol in his preparations, usually brandy, for its preservative properties. It is there to guard against microbial contamination which could otherwise grow in the water-based remedies. The alcohol is not an active ingredient. In the early days when chemists were supplied with mother tinctures to prepare the stock remedies, they used either rectified spirit or pure alcohol. To those who found this confusing, Nora Weeks explained: 'In preparing the stock bottles, including the Rescue™ Remedy, at Mount Vernon, we use brandy instead of rectified spirit added by the chemists. The brandy like the rectified spirit, is used only as a preservative and makes no difference whatever to the strength or efficiency of the remedy.'
  

• Do you need to add alcohol to a treatment bottle?

  
  
  The standard way of mixing the remedies into a treatment bottle is to put two drops of each selected remedy into an empty 30ml dropper bottle, and then top this up with still mineral water. If you keep this cool - preferably in the fridge - and if you are careful not to let the dropper touch your tongue, then the water will stay fresh for the two to three weeks that the treatment bottle will last. You only need to add alcohol if bottle will not be kept cool - if, say, you intend to carry it about in your pocket all the time. This prevents the water in the bottle from going off. A teaspoon of brandy - about 5mls per 30ml of water - is enough for this purpose. Alternatively you can use cider vinegar or vegetable glycerine.
  

• Do the remedies work faster if you don't dilute them?

  
  
  There is no difference in potency or speed of effect between taking the four drops from a treatment bottle and taking neat stock remedy. The brandy in the stock bottle will, however, taste stronger and this psychologically may give the impression that the essences are stronger. This isn't the case.
  

• How quickly will the remedies start to make a difference?

  
  
  For some people it can be immediately, for others it might take a little longer depending on the issues being treated. Each case is unique.
  

• How many remedies can I use at once?

  
  
  No more than 7 should be used. You may feel as if you need more than this, but you should try to pinpoint 6 or 7 at the most. Do this by thinking about how you feel now and treat that. Any past emotions can be treated once you have dealt with present ones.
  

• Can you take the remedies if you are pregnant?

  
  
  If you have any worries we would always advise that you talk to your doctor or midwife. Regarding the alcohol, the small amount that you take when you take a remedy should not be a problem - although again ask your doctor if you are in doubt.
  

• Can the remedies only be added to water?

  
  
  No, you can put the remedies in tea, coffee, fizzy drinks etc. In this respect they are not like homoeopathic remedies. Hot drinks will cause the alcohol to evaporate but this won't affect the effect of the remedies.
  

• When should I stop taking the remedies?

  
  
  When the problem that is being treated has gone. There is no need to continue taking them in case it comes back, nor do you have to wean yourself off the remedies gradually.
  

• Are there any combinations of remedies that should never be used?

  
  
  No. Even the remedies that might appear to be direct opposites (Vervain and Wild Rose, for example, or Vine and Centaury) may occasionally be needed at once by the same person. It all depends on the personality and current emotional states of the person being treated.
  

• Why not mix all the remedies together and have a single mix for every problem?

  
  
  This was an idea suggested in Dr Bach's day, and he did in fact try this but found that it simply didn't work. The simplest and most direct path was the one he recommended - in other words, selection of a few remedies according to the personality and emotional state.
  

• How can I be sure I'm buying genuine Bach Original Flower Remedies, originating from the Bach Centre?

  
  
  The way to tell the real Bach Original Flower Remedies is to look for the Bach signature on the label.
  

• What do the new group names mean?

  
  
  Dr Bach originally chose seven groups under which to categorise the 38 Bach Original Flower Remedies. For those of you who are familiar with any of Dr Bach�s work you may wonder why these group names are different. Working very closely with the Bach Centre, Mount Vernon, the groups have been given a more modern title to help those new to the remedies understand them a little better. The groups themselves have not changed. The grouping titles used today are as follows:

  Face your fears	Fear
  Know your own mind	Uncertainty
  Live the day	Insufficient Interest in Present Circumstances
  Reach out to others	Loneliness
  Stand your ground	Oversensitivity to influences and ideas
  Find joy and hope	Despondency and Despair
  Live and let live	Overcare for the welfare of others

  

For more questions and answers, please visit the official Dr Edward Bach Centre.