Flower Essences and Essential Oils: What Is the Difference?
Flower essences and essential oils both come from plants, both are sold in small bottles, and both are often mentioned in the same breath. They are very different preparations, made in different ways, used in different ways and grounded in different traditions. For many years Ananda carried flower essences alongside its essential oils, and customers still ask about them. This article explains what flower essences are, where they come from and how they differ from the essential oils we offer today.
What is a flower essence?
A flower essence is a highly diluted, water-based preparation of flowers, generally preserved with alcohol, often brandy. Unlike an essential oil, it is not made to concentrate the plant's aromatic compounds and does not have the characteristic fragrance of an essential oil. In the tradition behind these preparations, an essence is understood to represent the character, or pattern, of the flower rather than its concentrated chemistry. Each essence is associated with a particular emotional state or quality of mind. These associations belong to the tradition; they are not an established biological mechanism.
Where flower essences come from
The modern system of flower essences was developed by Dr. Edward Bach, an English physician, in the 1920s and 1930s. Bach left conventional practice to develop a system of 38 preparations, each matched to a particular emotional state such as fear, uncertainty, loneliness or despondency. He first identified twelve, which he called the Twelve Healers, then seven more, the Seven Helpers, and finally nineteen further preparations to complete the set. His best-known combination is a five-flower blend traditionally associated with moments of emotional distress.
Since Bach, other makers have developed collections from local plants. The Flower Essence Society in California has documented essences from North American flowers, and there are Australian, Himalayan and other regional systems. Each tradition works from a similar idea: particular flowers are associated with qualities of mind or emotional experience.
How flower essences are made
Bach described two methods. In the sun method, freshly picked blossoms are floated on the surface of a bowl of spring water and left in direct sunlight for approximately three hours. In the boiling method, used for woodier plants and flowers that bloom when sunlight is weaker, flowering plant material is boiled in water for about thirty minutes. In both cases, the plant material is removed and the resulting water is mixed with an equal amount of brandy to make a mother tincture. That preparation is diluted again to make the stock bottles sold to the public, and users often dilute it further.
How essential oils are different
Essential oils are concentrated mixtures of a plant's volatile aromatic compounds. They are generally obtained through steam or water distillation, or by mechanically expressing the peel of citrus fruits. CO₂ extraction produces related botanical extracts using pressurized carbon dioxide; in technical classification, these are distinct from essential oils.
Essential oils have identifiable chemical profiles that can be characterized through laboratory analysis. Their constituents give each oil its particular aroma, and the amount of plant material needed to produce them varies widely by species. Flower essences, by contrast, are not produced or selected according to a concentrated aromatic chemical profile.
| Flower essence | Essential oil | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A highly diluted, water-based flower preparation, usually preserved with alcohol | A concentrated mixture of volatile aromatic compounds from a plant |
| Aroma | No characteristic essential-oil aroma; the preservative may have an odor | A distinct aroma characteristic of the oil |
| How it is made | Sun or boiling method, followed by dilution | Distillation or citrus-peel expression; related CO₂ extracts are a separate category |
| Plant chemistry | Not standardized by a concentrated profile of aromatic plant constituents | Identifiable chemical constituents and a measurable composition |
| Typical use | Traditionally taken in drops, often diluted in water | Used for fragrance, diffusion or appropriate dilution in a carrier for skin application |
| Traditional focus | Emotional states and qualities of mind | Aroma, skin care, body care and the home |
How people use flower essences
In the Bach tradition, flower essences are taken a few drops at a time, either directly on the tongue or in a glass of water. Practitioners choose essences by matching the traditional description of each flower to a person's current state, and several essences may be combined in one bottle. Some people pair them with reflective practices such as yoga, meditation or journaling, treating the chosen flower as a symbol of a quality they want to cultivate.
Because many stock essences contain brandy or another alcohol-based preservative, people who avoid alcohol should check the ingredients and seek a suitable alternative. Adding an alcohol-preserved essence to water dilutes the alcohol but does not necessarily remove it.
What the research says
Flower essences have a long tradition, but their proposed therapeutic effects have not been established by reliable clinical evidence. A 2009 systematic review of Bach flower remedies found no benefit beyond placebo for the psychological outcomes tested, while noting the limited number and quality of studies. A 2010 systematic review of randomized trials likewise found that the better-controlled studies did not demonstrate effects beyond placebo.
Some people nonetheless value flower essences as part of a personal or reflective practice. They should not be regarded as a substitute for medical or psychological care.
Flower essences at Ananda
Ananda carried Bach and Flower Essence Society essences for many years, and our archive still holds articles on the Bach system and on choosing remedies. We no longer offer flower essences. Our focus today is essential oils, CO₂ extracts and the formulations we compose from them. If you are drawn to plants for their aromatic character and the atmosphere they create, explore our essential oils and blends, and see our Safety Information page before you begin.
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