Bach Flower Remedies Form and Function [Paperback]

Julian Barnard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004

In the 1920s, the physician and homeopath Dr Edward Bach made his great discovery of the healing effects of various flower essences, which resulted in thirty-eight 'flower remedies'. Bach described them as 'bringing courage to the fearful, peace to the anguished, and strength to the weak', but the therapeutic effects of the remedies go beyond emotional states. They are equally effective in the treatment of physical disorders. Julian Barnard describes how Bach made his discoveries. He examines the living qualities of the plants in their context, and looks at how the remedies are actually produced. The result is remarkable. Barnard recounts his observations so that readers can experience for themselves the complex ways in which the remedy plants grow -- their gestures and qualities, ecology, botany, and behaviour.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Do we really need another book about the Bach Flower Remedies? The answer has to be a resounding affirmative, since this book takes you on a journey. You follow Edward Bach, see the way his ideas evolved. And you learn how to utilise this remarkable group of remedies to maximum benefit. [...] This really is an excellent book which methodically leads you through the 38 remedies in a manner which makes you appreciate the full value and beauty of this remarkably simple system.' -- Keith Souter, Health and Homeopathy, January 2005 'The general reader will find this book illuminating and instructive. Line drawings adorn the text and provide another avenue of understanding.' -- Scientific and Medical Network Review, January 2005

About the Author

Julian Barnard has lived and worked in Walterstone on the Welsh border for the past twenty years. Born in the Thames Valley in 1947 to a family with connections to the great English botanists John Henslow and Joseph Hooker, he was brought up with a love of plants. He went to school at Oxford and trained at the Architectural Association in London. Finding a copy of The Twelve Healers led to a training in herbal medicine with Dorothy Hall in Australia. The author of a series of books about Dr Bach's flower remedies, including The Healing Herbs of Edward Bach: An Illustrated Guide to the Flower Remedies, he has also edited and published the Collected Writings of Edward Bach, the first complete edition of Bach's works. In 1986 he was instrumental in establishing the Bach Educational Program to bring flower remedies to a wider public. Still actively engaged in education, he has given talks and workshops in more than a dozen countries in Europe and the Americas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Lindisfarne Bks (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584200243
• ISBN-13: 978-1584200246
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,030,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Addition to the Literature on Flower Essences, February 9, 2006

By 

Dr. Richard G. Petty (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bach Flower Remedies Form and Function (Paperback)

Flower Essences are not as well known as they should be.

Though there is precious little scientific research to support their use, there is a great deal of practical experience to show that they can be often be very useful complements to other forms of therapy.

This is an excellent book on the original Bach Essences. One would have thought that there is little new to be said about them, but there is much in the book that is new and original.

Highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Anyone Seeking a Deeper Understanding of Flower Essences, April 14, 2008

By 

Brian Emo (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach Flower Remedies Form and Function (Paperback)

Julian Barnard's lyrical narrative of Bach's discovery of the remedies reads like an engaging novel and a scholarly textbook at the same time. It's an unexpected page-turner that evokes the excitement Bach must have experienced over 75 years ago, and illuminates Bach's personal evolution of consciousness that lead to his role as a radical healer.

But Barnard's innovative thinking breaks new ground, while faithfully building upon the foundation of Bach's seminal work -- delivering penetrating insights into the mystery of why and how flower essences can and do heal.

One of the most compelling aspects of this book is the revelation of spiritual truths that can now be openly broadcast to a more accepting spiritual culture. Bach prudently and cleverly curbed his message to conform to an early 20th-century level of consciousness.

Julian Barnard truly embodies the spiritual legacy of Dr. Bach. His contribution is a seamless continuation of Bach's mission and revolutionary message about healing.

Moreover, in 1988 Barnard created HEALING HERBS, a company that produces remedies that are prepared precisely according to the original directions of Dr Edward Bach. I have used these remedies and know them to be effective ... and after reading this book, I understand why they are among the finest flower essences available!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource for Bach Flower Remedy Study!, October 8, 2009

By 

HandsOn (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Bach Flower Remedies Form and Function (Paperback)

Barnard's study of both the life and writings of Edward Bach as well as the plants themselves lead to a much deeper understanding of the Bach Flower Remedies. For instance, Bach initially wrote that pain was an indication for Impatiens, and only gradually came to realize the impatient nature of the person who needed the remedy. Barnard's own sensitivity to energy is clear in his description of the calming effect of the mauve Impatiens flowers in nature. This is exactly what the energy of these flowers feel like, as opposed to the redder ones of the same species.

Barnard's detailed plant studies are a great help to understanding the mental states of those who need the remedies. For example, he points out that the flowers of White Chestnut are anything but geometric. They are arranged in a loose pyramid, irregular side branches holding 2, 3, or 4 flowers, the petals are irregularly shaped, and the flowers open at random, and the flowers start out white but redden on pollination, and only few are actually fertile -- a good physical picture of a mind with whirling, uncontrollable, repeating, usually fruitless thoughts.

The book is clearly and amply illustrated with Barnard's own line drawings.