Bach Essences

Dr. Bach (Read more about Dr. Bach)  in his lifetime, taught his assistants Nora Weeks and Victor Bullen the process of making the Essences.  They, on the other hand, passed on this information to John Ramsell, who entrusted it in turn to his daughter Judy Ramsell Howard. Judy is today the  Managing Director of the Bach Center, and is a Trustee of Dr Edward Bach Healing Trust.

Two methods are used to make the remedies. Most of the more delicate flowers are prepared using the sun method, which involves floating the blooms in pure water for three hours, in direct sunlight. Woodier plants, and flowers which bloom when the sun is weak, are prepared by boiling for half an hour. In both cases full-strength 40% brandy is used as a preservative, mixed 50/50 with the prepared water – and this mix is known as mother tincture. Drops of mother tincture are further diluted in brandy (the ratio is two drops of mother tincture to 30ml of brandy) to make the stock bottles that are sold in the shops.

Some of the plants used grow in the semi-wild garden at the Bach Center, while others come from the countryside nearby. The remedy-making team know of and still use locations first identified by Dr Bach in the 1930s. Up until a few years ago the Bach Center not only prepared the mother tinctures – we also bottled and diluted them at Mount Vernon ready to be sent out to shops. But as world demand grew for Dr Bach’s remedies it became impossible to continue doing this, so John and Judy arranged for the bottling and distribution of the remedies to be carried out by an independent company called Nelsons. This left the Bach Center  free to carry on its main tasks: educating people in the use of the remedies and providing help and advice to those who need it. The Bach Center continues to supervise the preparation of the mother tinctures to make sure everything is as it should be.
Julie Pereira – BFRP

About Julie Pereira
Contact Information
Phone: 732-544-8871