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Autumn 2003
Mutterings

As this article coincides with the first anniversary of Cranham.net and the Friday e-mail I thought I'd write something a little different. You may find the subject matter a little "challenging", or it may not be new to
you at all, but I would be interested in any feedback so feel free to e-mail me at pauhla@pauhla.com with
your comments.

Alternative remedies for plants?

Surprisingly enough (or not for avid followers of EU legislation) it would be illegal if I recommended soapy water as a good treatment for aphids or that infused rhubarb leaves is an equally effective insecticide (so,
just to clarify, I'm not recommending either since they are not licensed pesticides, ok?!) but I can't find a reference anywhere to it being illegal to recommend complementary healthcare for plants.
Why should they be denied a choice of allopathic or natural healthcare,? Since when did the EU legislate
against a plant right to choose? So the Autumn article is designed specially for those of you who feel that
the choice of chemical or not should be given back to your plants. Let the plant decide I say!

Bach Flower Remedies

Ok, fine, but how? Well, I have been reading a very interesting little book about the use of Bach flower remedies for plants and for those who are aware of the homeopathic philosophy that "like cures like", I
can't think of a more appropriate use for these vibrational plant medicines than on the plants themselves.
For those of you who are not familiar with Dr. Edward Bach's remedies, they are a collection of 37 flower essences (38 if you include the combination "Rescue Remedy") diluted to homeopathic potencies and preserved in brandy which work along the principle that you identify your particular character "type" and
then select the remedy that is most like you. This is similar to the idea of the constitutional remedy in
classical homeopathy. So for instance, Aspen is useful for states of fear where the patient is literally shaking with emotion (rather like the "quivering" Aspen of Tennysons "Lady of Shalott") and Oak is for those stout hearted types who persist in trying to be strong and deep rooted even though they feel weak and unstable.
It seems that plants respond to these remedies in a very similar way to humans and animals and if there is
no evidence of a placebo effect in animals who I have used these remedies on with spectacular results, then surely the response in plants will be even more pure and convincing to those sceptics who for whatever
reason do not have the courage or curiosity to stick their necks out and try something different for fear of getting their head bitten off by the gardening police ?

The applications of Bach remedies can be various and below I have detailed the remedies and their
properties and then some common remedies and the situations where I have used them. If you feel the
urge
to have a go yourself then they are available from virtually all high street chemists, health-food shops and complimentary heath centres. They are totally safe, there are no side effects and the worst that can happen
is nothing!

The 38 Remedies and their properties

Agrimony Mental torture concealed behind a happy-go-lucky facade.
Aspen Inexplicable fears

Beech Intolerant, hypercritical and arrogant; lacks empathy, perfectionist or unrealistic expectations of others.

Centuary Lacks willpower to refuse the demands of others, the 'doormat' personality; suppresses own
needs
to keep the peace and to gain favour in the eyes of another.
Cerato Imitates others and always ask advice; lacks confidence in own judgement; saps others. Cherry Plum Loss of self control.
Chestnut Bud Failure to learn by experience; lacks observation; thoughts more often in the future rather than the present.
Chicory Possessive of people and things; selfish love; may use emotional blackmail; saps others; may be house-proud.
Clematis A day-dreamer, with thoughts often far away in the future; lacks ambition; impractical; needs a great deal of sleep; may feign illness to escape from life; is sapped by others. Clematis is also the remedy for any bemused state of mind.
Crab Apple A feeling of being unclean; self-disgust; overemphasis on trivial detail; obsessed with imperfection;

Elm Overwhelmed by responsibility.

Gentian Depressed through setback; easily discouraged;
Gorse Hopelessness and despair, the next stage on from Gentian state.

Heather Self-centred, saps others with non-stop talking, may give graphic accounts of all their illnesses;
fears being alone; poor listener; mentally congested.
Holly Envy, jealousy, anger, hatred; may have a violent temperament; suspicious; saps others.
Honeysuckle Nostalgic; lives in the past; suffers deep regret; homesick; obsessed with past life to the detriment of the present life; often sad; saps others.
Hornbeam Tiredness, weariness; 'Monday morning' feeling; boredom or laziness especially in connection
with mundane jobs.

Impatiens Impatient and irritable; desires to work alone at own swift pace; over-works; has high ideals so find fault with others;

Larch Lacks confidence, expects failure so rarely bothers to try; may feign illness to avoid responsibility; weak-willed.

Mimulus Fear of known things such as flying etc.
Mustard Cycles of gloom or black depression, without an obvious cause.

Oak Relentless effort against all odds; life viewed as uphill struggle; refuses to give in to illness or fatigue;
may suffer nervous breakdown or collapse.
Olive Complete mental and physical exhaustion e.g. after childbirth or long illness.

Pine Always takes on guilt for anything that goes wrong.

Red Chestnut Fear and excessive concern for the welfare of others; always imagines the worst; is
extremely distressed by reports of war, or other disasters.
Rock Rose An extremely acute state of terror.
Rock Water(the only remedy of non-plant origin)Too rigid self-discipline; repression and self-denial;
Scleranthus Suffers from mood swings and procrastination.
Star of Bethlehem Shock or trauma, either recent or from a past experience; grief; emotional numbness. This remedy can often by the catalyst required if shock or trauma can be identified as the cause of the
present distress eg. long-term guilt, anxiety or anger, or in the guise of some physical complaint.
Sweet Chestnut Extreme mental anguish, despair and feeling there is no way out. Vervain Strain and
tension as a result of over-enthusiasm; a tendency to hyperactivity and obsessive missionary zeal;
interfering; talkative; a martyr to the cause; may suffer nervous breakdown or collapse.

Vine A domineering, inflexible, intolerant; lacks sympathy; violent temperament.

Walnut Difficulties adjusting to change of any nature; Can be used for easing transition.
Water Violet Proud and aloof; prefers own company, suffers in silence; physical rigidity; radiates
superiority and pride.
White Chestnut Persistent worrying thoughts and mental arguments; may suffer from insomnia.
Wild Oat Lack of purpose, frustration and boredom, a 'jack of all trades, master of none'.
Wild Rose Apathy and resignation; drifting.
Willow Bitter and resentful - 'poor me' attitude; selfish; enjoys arguments; blames others; grumpy and morose; hypochondriac, irritable and sulky.

Rescue Remedy For any situation of fear, worry and anxiety. A general purpose remedy for use in any situation.

When to use them

Germination and transplatation

Olive for energy
Star of Bethlehem for shock
Walnut for change
Honeysuckle for letting go of past situation.

Drought

Oak to support the plant in it's struggle
Rock rose and or Mimulus for fear of death
Wild Rose for resignation
Olive for energy
Willow for self-pity

Faliure to thrive

Gentian to encourage
Gorse to help the will to live
Centaury for those choked out by other more vigorous plants
Hornbeam to "kick-start"
Mustard where the reason for lack of growth can't be identified
Wild Oat for purpose
Water Violet for overcrowding
Larch for self-belief.

Pest attack and physical damage

Strar of Bethlehem for shock
Agrimony for feelings of torture
Crab apple to cleanse (physically and emotionally/energetically)
Centaury to help the plant stand up for itself
And don't forget Rescue Remedy for all situations where plants (and humans) need support and care in an emergency.

How to use them

For watering large areas simply add 5 drops of each remedy and or 10 of Rescue Remedy to every 1 gallon of water.
For watering individual plants put 2 drops of each remedy and or 4 of Rescue Remedy into the amount of water you intend to give to the plant OR make up a stock bottle of 2 drops of each remedy plus 4 of Rescue Remedy if you are using it in 30ml of spring water and store in the fridge and then put 4 drops from the bottle and water around the plant.
Pot plants can be treated by adding the 4 drops to a spoonful of water and pouring this onto the potting compost.
Another method of application is to put the above quantities into a sprayer and mist the plants with it once or twice daily as the plant will absorb the remedies through their leaves. In case of disease or damage you can even apply the remedy directly to the affected area.

Dosage and safety

Ideally you should dose 4 times daily as it is not the dose but the frequency that is important but if this is impossible then twice will be effective if a little slower to show improvements. The wonderful thing about
Bach remedies is that the worst that can happen is nothing! Get the remedies wrong and you will see no effect but if you get them right, the results can be spectacular.
As is the case with animals, often the problem you see is simply a mirror of any problems in the human so while you are about it you may like to give some thought to that concept, see if your plants are coming out in sympathy and take a dose yourself and see what happens!