If you've been exploring flower essences for any length of time, you've likely encountered both the Bach Flower Remedies and the Findhorn Flower Essences ranges. Both are highly regarded, both are rooted in the tradition established by Dr Edward Bach in the 1930s, and both are available in Irish health shops. But they're not identical — and understanding their differences can help you make a more informed choice.
For most people starting out: begin with Bach. The 38 Bach Flower Remedies are well-documented, widely available, and backed by decades of practitioner experience worldwide. Rescue Remedy alone makes Bach worth knowing.
For those who want to go deeper, or who find Bach doesn't fully address their specific emotional landscape: explore Findhorn. Its broader range, Scottish provenance, and contemporary emotional focus offer something genuinely different.
For the dedicated flower essence user: use both. The two systems complement each other beautifully.
Bach: Created by Dr Edward Bach in England in the 1920s–30s, primarily using British countryside wildflowers and garden plants. The essences are deeply rooted in the English pastoral landscape and its flora.
Findhorn: Developed at the Findhorn Foundation in Moray, Scotland in the 1990s, using primarily Scottish Highland wildflowers and plants from the Findhorn community's exceptional gardens. The landscape is more northern, wilder, and characterised by Atlantic exposure.
Bach: A fixed set of 38 individual remedies, plus the Rescue Remedy combination. Dr Bach considered this complete and finished — he believed these 38 covered all negative emotional states the human soul might experience.
Findhorn: Over 60 individual essences, plus multiple combination remedies and a unique range of environmental essences (made from landscape phenomena rather than flowers). The range continues to evolve.
Bach: The emotional states addressed were identified in the 1930s. They are timeless in many respects — fear, grief, uncertainty, exhaustion — but naturally don't include specific references to contemporary life.
Findhorn: Developed with late 20th and early 21st century life in mind. The range includes essences for themes like digital overwhelm, environmental grief, spiritual bypassing, creative blocks, and the complexity of modern relationships. Some practitioners feel these address territory the Bach system doesn't fully cover.
Bach: Bach was a spiritual man but his remedies are presented primarily in psychological/emotional terms. The system is accessible to people of all worldviews.
Findhorn: The Findhorn Foundation has an explicit spiritual ethos. The essences reflect this, with some addressing themes of spiritual development, soul-level healing, connection with nature intelligence, and consciousness evolution. This will appeal to some users and feel less relevant to others.
Bach: All essences are made from flowering plants.
Findhorn: Uniquely includes essences made from broader natural phenomena — the aurora borealis, the energy of standing stones, the sea, the Highland landscape itself. These environmental essences have no equivalent in the Bach system.
Bach: Rescue Remedy is available in most pharmacies and supermarkets. Individual Bach remedies are in most independent health shops.
Findhorn: Available in specialist independent health shops. Not typically found in pharmacies or mainstream retailers.
Bach and Findhorn stock bottles are broadly similar in price (typically €8–€15 per 10–20ml bottle in Irish health shops). However, because Findhorn has more individual essences, a full collection would cost more to build.
Here are some general guidelines (though these are illustrative, not prescriptive):
Yes. Many experienced practitioners mix essences from both systems in dosage bottles. There is no theoretical or practical reason not to combine a Bach essence with a Findhorn essence — they are both prepared using the same methods and operate on the same principles.
A blend might include, for example, Bach's Walnut (for protection during change) alongside Findhorn's Willowherb (for adaptation to change) if a practitioner felt both matched the client's situation precisely.
Bach and Findhorn are not rivals but companions in the flower essence tradition. Bach laid the foundation; Findhorn built upon it for a new era and a different landscape. Many practitioners and users find both systems valuable, and choosing between them is ultimately a matter of personal resonance, specific need, and openness to the philosophical dimensions each brings.
If you're unsure where to start, the staff at The Honey Pot Health Store in Clonmel are knowledgeable about both systems and can help you find the right starting point.
Browse Bach and Findhorn Flower Essences at The Honey Pot Health Store
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