Monday
Oct202008
Mon, October 20, 2008 | Lisa Barger Rescue Remedy
“I’m thinking about trying a product called Rescue Remedy. What do you know about it and is it a scam?”
Rescue Remedy ® is a registered (but disputed) trademark version of a flower essence remedy created by Dr. Edward Bach sometime in 1934 or 1935. Dr. Bach was a licensed physician and homeopath who left mainstream medicine early in his career to focus on the development of his 38 flower remedies.
Guided only by his own intuition, Bach “discovered” that the dew collected from the blossoms of fresh flower blossoms contained an “energy” that he described as the “soul” or “essence” of the plant. He believed that by consuming this early morning dew, patients could heal the emotional imbalances that lead to disease. Bach developed a system for collecting, diluting and packaging these “essences” and called them Bach Flower Remedies. Today the use of these remedies is known as Bach Flower Therapy.
What’s In Rescue Remedy
Today, there are countless variations of Bach’s original recipe but the formula as he created it contained only cherry plum, clematis, impatiens, rock rose and star of Bethlehem.
Is Rescue Remedy A scam?
It’s easy to find glowing testimonials of Rescue Remedy. Natural health web sites and chat rooms are full of believers who take Rescue Remedy themselves, give it to their children and even add it to their pets’ food. Unfortunately, science has not been so generous.
Despite claims to the contrary, good studies have found Rescue Remedy no more effective than placebo. In truth, when Rescue Remedy is given to study volunteers in scientifically-designed experiments, both the people who get Rescue Remedy and those who only think they’re getting Rescue Remedy report less anxiety and better overall mood.
In fact, even studies published in leading alternative medicine journals have been critical of Bach’s flower therapy. A 2007 study published in the journal Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice admitted that it was, in the author’s words, “difficult to draw a definite conclusion” about this “therapy”.
Does this make Rescue Remedy a scam? No, but it doesn’t make it a product I’d recommend spending $30 an ounce on, either. But what really matters is what YOU think. So you tell me. Is Rescue Remedy a scam?
References:
Bach, E. (1931). Heal Thyself.
Walach, H., et al. (2001). Efficacy of Bach-flower remedies in test anxiety: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial with partial crossover. Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
Howard, J. (2007). Do Bach flower remedies have a role to play in pain control? A critical analysis investigating therapeutic value beyond the placebo effect, and the potential of Bach flower remedies as a psychological method of pain relief. Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice.
Rescue Remedy ® is a registered (but disputed) trademark version of a flower essence remedy created by Dr. Edward Bach sometime in 1934 or 1935. Dr. Bach was a licensed physician and homeopath who left mainstream medicine early in his career to focus on the development of his 38 flower remedies.
Guided only by his own intuition, Bach “discovered” that the dew collected from the blossoms of fresh flower blossoms contained an “energy” that he described as the “soul” or “essence” of the plant. He believed that by consuming this early morning dew, patients could heal the emotional imbalances that lead to disease. Bach developed a system for collecting, diluting and packaging these “essences” and called them Bach Flower Remedies. Today the use of these remedies is known as Bach Flower Therapy.
What’s In Rescue Remedy
Today, there are countless variations of Bach’s original recipe but the formula as he created it contained only cherry plum, clematis, impatiens, rock rose and star of Bethlehem.
Is Rescue Remedy A scam?
It’s easy to find glowing testimonials of Rescue Remedy. Natural health web sites and chat rooms are full of believers who take Rescue Remedy themselves, give it to their children and even add it to their pets’ food. Unfortunately, science has not been so generous.
Despite claims to the contrary, good studies have found Rescue Remedy no more effective than placebo. In truth, when Rescue Remedy is given to study volunteers in scientifically-designed experiments, both the people who get Rescue Remedy and those who only think they’re getting Rescue Remedy report less anxiety and better overall mood.
In fact, even studies published in leading alternative medicine journals have been critical of Bach’s flower therapy. A 2007 study published in the journal Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice admitted that it was, in the author’s words, “difficult to draw a definite conclusion” about this “therapy”.
Does this make Rescue Remedy a scam? No, but it doesn’t make it a product I’d recommend spending $30 an ounce on, either. But what really matters is what YOU think. So you tell me. Is Rescue Remedy a scam?
References:
Bach, E. (1931). Heal Thyself.
Walach, H., et al. (2001). Efficacy of Bach-flower remedies in test anxiety: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial with partial crossover. Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
Howard, J. (2007). Do Bach flower remedies have a role to play in pain control? A critical analysis investigating therapeutic value beyond the placebo effect, and the potential of Bach flower remedies as a psychological method of pain relief. Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice.
This is a "retired" article left in place for archival purposes; it may not reflect current thinking or research on the topic. No new comments are being accepted at this time
Reader Comments (1)
Of course Rescue Remedy works. It contains 27% alcohol. It's cheaper to buy a glass of wine and just as effective.