Bach Flower Remedies: Ease anxiety with Aspen

One of Dr. Edward Bach’s antidotes for fear is the essence of the Aspen tree.

by Linda Crider — 

Dr. Edward Bach discovered his natural healing system consisting of 38 individual flower essences more than 80 years ago. As a conventionally trained physician, he was quite ahead of his time in focusing on the importance of personality and emotional health. He once commented, “Science is tending to show that life is harmony — a state of being in tune — and that disease is discord.”

More recent scientific discoveries have indeed linked the effects of emotional disturbances to diseases in the body. Fear is one of those negative emotions that can disrupt our sense of inner harmony, knocking us out of balance both mentally and physically. In keeping with Bach’s line of reasoning, it first affects our mental state. If these disturbing fears are not dealt with, they can eventually manifest as physical ailments. One of Bach’s antidotes for fear is the essence of the Aspen tree.

When we think of what can cause fear, something specific usually comes to mind, such as anxiety over air travel, public speaking, crawling insects, etc. In those cases, the essence of Mimulus is called for and will be discussed in a later article. Aspen, on the other hand, is used in situations where the fear or anxiety is of an unspecified, unknown or perhaps unconscious nature. Feelings of dread are manifest for reasons that you just cannot put your finger on. These feelings may be triggered by a song or smell, or can seemingly come out of nowhere and for no apparent reason. If you have ever been stricken with a feeling of foreboding that cannot be explained or shaken off, Aspen would be the remedy to use.

Although all of us can at times fall prey to such feelings, certain highly sensitive or tuned-in people are more prone to this kind of fear-based reaction. These are the folks who are easily affected by disturbing outside influences such as horror movies, crime shows and the like. They often are skittish, trembly and easily spooked. Aside from avoiding the obvious negative stimuli, taking Aspen can help such individuals regain their inner strength and the feelings of peace and security that they were born with.

This essence has been used successfully for children of this type — the ones who demand that the light be left on at night or the closet door be tightly shut. But it also can be of use to help people of all ages. If you have ever suffered from an anxiety attack, you know the feeling of that sudden, overwhelming fear that seems to creep over you unexpectedly, sometimes resulting in a pounding headache or other unpleasant symptoms. Aspen would certainly be called for then and is often recommended for those who suffer such attacks on a regular basis.

The Aspen tree is a good example of how Bach closely observed nature to develop his simple but effective healing system. If you are unfamiliar with Aspens, it would be helpful to look at some photos. These beautiful trees are slender and graceful, with rather small, delicate leaves that tremble with even the slightest wind or atmospheric disturbance. Perhaps this was Bach’s clue as to how essences derived from parts of this tree could help those with such an equally impressionable nature.

Linda Crider has been a promoter and educator of botanical healing practices for 15 years. She specializes in flower essence therapy and is a Bach Foundation registered practitioner and founder of Blooming Vibrations, LLC. 602-774-2382 or www.bloomingvibrations.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 30, Number 2, April/May 2011.