A question came from a homeopath concerning essences and homeopathy. Because it is of wider interest, we have decided to include this text in our Newsletter:
Photo of the author, Daniel Tigner, by Jason Treherne
“What if the wrong essence was taken? In homeopathy if you choose the right remedy, you experience the desired effect, if the wrong remedy is picked, you bring out what it is you are trying to heal…
This is a multidimensional question with no perfect answer.
First of all her statement about homeopathy: “In homeopathy if you choose the right remedy, you experience the desired effect, if the wrong remedy is picked, you bring out what it is you are trying to heal…” is only a partial answer. There are many schools and opinions in homeopathy, each might state the desired action of a homeopathic remedy differently, likewise see the signs of a wrong remedy in a different way.
In classical homeopathy, one of the most important laws is Herring’s ‘Law of the Direction of Cure’.
I quote it from the book: Principles of Prescribing by Kailash Narayan Mathur:
“The direction of cure takes place:
(1) From above down;
(2) From within out:
(3) In the reverse order of their coming…
You might say that in classical homeopathy, you do in fact bring out what it is you are trying to heal, but it happens in a specific manner depending as well on the type of problem, for example whether an ailment is acute or chronic.
Kent in his “Lectures on Homeopathy,” states it as such:
“Very often a remedy that will go to the very centre and restore economy will cause quite a turmoil.”
But this turmoil is specific as Kent also writes:
“Every homeopathic practitioner who understands the art of healing, knows that symptoms which go off in these directions remain away permanently. Moreover, he knows that symptoms which disappear in the reverse order of their coming are removed permanently.” (Lecture 22, quoted in “Homeopathy Re-Examined,” by Rudolf Verspoor)
Hahnemann wrote as well about the different forms of aggravations that occur with the rightly selected homeopathic remedy, distinguishing for example the different types of aggravations that might occur between an acute ailment and a chronic ailment.
Homeopathy is complex and it takes a great deal of knowledge and experience to apply it at a deep curative level as opposed to a palliative level.
Edward Bach began as an internist (allopathic doctor). Dissatisfaction with allopathic medicine led him to homeopathy, to which he contributed with his ideas and lectures. However, my understanding is that he became dissatisfied with both the complexity of classical homeopathy and its emphasis on pathology. He writes:
“The genius of Hahnemann realising the nature and reason of disease, used like remedies, which, by temporarily intensifying the illness, hastens its end. He used like poisons to repel the poisons from the body.” (From the “Collected Writings of Edward Bach”)
Bach sought a simpler and more natural, positive and holistic approach, which led him to the discovery of 38 flower remedies that can be prescribed intuitively. He thought of these essences, as being vibrational and as being healing herbs as opposed to drugs. He outlined a brilliant new approach to healing and well being based on resonance, on raising our vibration (a new approach but one that has strong antecedents in a variety of spiritual healing traditions worldwide and in North American Native healing traditions that connected with the healing powers of flowers and plants).
Bach saw disease as “dis – ease”, a disharmony between body, soul and mind. Flower essences were designed to restore harmony by flooding ourselves with positive energies:
“The perfect method is not so much to repel the adverse influence, as to draw in its opposing virtue; and by means of this virtue flood out the fault. This is the law of opposites, of positive and negative.”
Or,
“They are able, like beautiful music, or any gloriously uplifting thing which gives us inspiration, to raise our very natures, and bring us nearer our Souls: and by that very act, to bring us peace, and relieve our sufferings.”
Hence, the Tree Essences work via their positive energies drawn from trees. Bach calls this their virtue, it is like listening to the music of trees, with a single essence being like a solo instrument and a combination essence being like a symphony.
Bach also writes of his essences:
“All the remedies are made from beautiful flowers, plants and trees of Nature, none of them is poisonous nor can do any harm, no matter how much was taken.”
So, if we can step back a moment, it is my view that homeopathy is very effective when the right remedy can be chosen and is prescribed well as to timing, potency and so forth… Homeopathy can provide deep help in the curing of disease. And it has many interesting potential uses alongside modern medicine as described in the excellent book “The Emerging Science of Homeopathy,” by Paolo Bellavite and Andrea Signorini.
But homeopathy also faces many obstacles including problems of finding the right remedy when almost everyone has been exposed to so many new and unnatural factors that never existed in Hahnemann’s time such as vaccines, environmental toxins, hormones and drugs in our water and food, radio, microwaves and other forms of electromagnetic radiation and so forth. As well, the quality of homeopathy drug manufacturing may be called into question. To me the best homeopathic remedies I have experienced are those handcrafted in India. Their action is noticeable, while the remedies made mechanically in factories seem at times to lack vitality, and to not act satisfactorily.
It is also important to understand the difference between Vibrational essences such as Bach Flower Remedies and Canadian Forest Tree Essences and homeopathic remedies.
Tree essences are made in a way as to capture the resonance or song of a tree in an infusion. 
When diluted down all of these essences are safe to take as they contain at most only trace amounts of any chemical substance from the original infusion. In the case of our essences, they are also gently succussed in the preparation process. So in the sense that they are finely diluted and energized through succussion, they are similar to homeopathic remedies.
However, homeopathy begins by making preparations from a pathological substance such as arsenic, or a part of a plant that causes a particular set of symptoms that can be proved and the symptoms described in detail. Essences – even if they were to be prepared from a plant with toxic chemical qualities – begin with an infusion that is meant to capture the full resonance, presence or music of a plant. Certain parts of trees may be toxic if ingested in sufficient quantities — for example the leaves of the Yew Tree are toxic but the fleshy part of the aril or fruit is edible in small quantities — but have a beautiful presence or resonance that is in itself both nourishing and healing.
The method of choosing a tree essence is simple. Keen observation, knowledge of both the positive qualities of an essence and the challenges they tend to help, empathy with the person you are working with and intuition.
Can a wrong Tree Essence be given and cause harm? In general the answer is ‘no.’ If in healing you need a piece of music by Bach but you put on a piece by Mozart, the Mozart piece will also still be of help and will do no harm. There may be exceptional cases, but in 30 years of experience I have seen no one harmed by essences. I have seen times when someone is not ready or wanting to face emotional discomfort. I had this experience with a friend who I offered some Bach Remedies in the 1970’s and she found taking them to be too uncomfortable as she blamed the essences for bringing to the surface emotions she did not like. So it is important to educate and prepare our clients for inner work, but I am quite sure no harm was done in that case.
It is also essential to understand the role of essences versus homeopathy and other modalities. I would also insist that the Tree Essences are not drugs and are not meant to treat any specific disease. They should not be prescribed for any disease. However, as we know many ailments have a psychosomatic element. Therefore, if through their positive resonance an inner space is created that allows negative emotions, and self-limiting patterns to be seen, processed and transformed, then the healing of specific problems may result. But this is an indirect result. Using essences, we have raised our vibration and washed away or transformed certain inhibiting energies and disharmonious patterns.
So the tree essences are best used as indicated, for their positive resonance, as nourishment at an energetic level, to take care of our emotions and to raise our vibration. In this way they are safe and beneficial and can be integrated into any healing practice, either as a primary healing modality or as a supporting modality. Just as a homeopath might wish to use herbs, vitamins and specific diets with their clients, they may wish to incorporate Tree Essences. In my opinion they do not inhibit or interfere with or camouflage the action of any homeopathic remedy. But there are times as well when a homeopath, confident in their choice of the right remedy, and that their client is able to respond fully to it, wishes to use nothing but the homeopathic remedy. This is of course dictated by the inclination, knowledge and experience of the homeopath.
Hope the above responses to your questions are satisfactory.
Sincerely,
Daniel Tigner
From day to day you just never know how Spirit will work in my office. One morning I had a regular customer come in and she was having an anxiety attack. I asked her to sit on my sofa and tell me what was going on. I knew that she had a lot of emotional turmoil going on in her family and she was quite the nurturer.
