Gentian for a positive outlook

Gentian is most often used as the antidote for a disheartened mood that needs balancing or for any being that needs an acute boost of optimism.

by Linda Crider — 

When Dr. Edward Bach put his 38 flower essence healing system together, he included the Gentian plant as one of what he called the “happy fellows of the plant world.” If it were possible to get a dose of encouragement from a bottle, taking Gentian would be the way to do this.

Even people with a consistently optimistic outlook would agree that life has its ups and downs. Gentian is the remedy to reach for when we feel ourselves on the down side of our luck. It is very helpful to those who are discouraged during an illness that seems slow to heal.

Another time to use it would be when a successful reducing diet suddenly reaches a plateau and the dieter is uncertain of ever attaining the weight-loss goal. It also can help students who are not doing well in school or the job seeker who receives yet another rejection letter. A few drops of this flower remedy can prompt such individuals to get back on track and keep working at it.

On another level, this benefit extends to the plant world. Since plants are living things, they respond as well as humans and animals to the healing properties of Bach’s flower remedies. Gardeners will be pleased to know that using a few drops of Gentian in water can encourage the growth cycles of house and garden plants. Indications would include plants whose leaves are wilting or slow growers that appear reluctant to flower or bear fruit.

Gentian is most often used as the antidote for a disheartened mood that needs balancing or for any being that needs an acute boost of optimism. However, some personalities might call for this remedy on a more consistent basis.

The Gentian personality type is someone who sees the glass as half empty rather than half full. According to Bach scholar Mechthild Scheffer, Gentian types are, as a rule, “easily discouraged, skeptical, doubting and pessimistic.”

Dr. Bach divided his remedies into seven categories, and Gentian fits into the group labeled “Uncertainty.” To clarify, the individual who is in need of this remedy has lost faith in a positive outcome. Taking Gentian restores this faith by allowing the individual to see any outcome as positive, even if it is not the one expected or hoped for.

Such a restoration of faith in the grand scheme of things can contribute to a sense of well-being and a happier life. So to coin a popular catch phrase, Gentian can help even the most pessimistic individuals to see that “it is all good.”

Linda Crider, BFRP, 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.  www.bloomingvibrations.com or 602-774-2382.