The following is a summary of a presentation given by Jeffrey R. Cram, Ph.D., at the FES practitioner training in 2002, supplemented with information found in the booklet "Two Double-Blind Scientific Studies of Flower Essences and Stress" by Dr. Cram and available from FES, and supplemented with information found in an online article by Dr. Cram for which a link is provided below. 

Double-blind studies are difficult to conduct using flower essences because people who may have the same diagnosis do not receive the same essence blends.  Essences are chosen specifically to address the individual personality and set of issues, which vary according to the uniqueness of each person and each person's situation, and so no two clients receive the same essences.  This is very different from double-blind studies conducted with drugs wherein each subject receives the same drug. 

The first two attempts to conduct double-blind studies with flower essences involved formulas:  Five Flower Formula (the Healing Herbs brand of Dr. Bach's famous combination, Rescue Remedy) and Yarrow Special Formula (by FES). 

In the first study, subjects were exposed to an impossible arithmetic problem while muscle tension along the chakras was measured.  One group received Five Flower Formula and another received a placebo (this was double-blind, meaning that no one involved in the experiment knew which participant was receiving the formula or the placebo).  Those who received the Five Flower Formula experienced the throat and heart chakras remaining open at a statistically significant higher number.  Dr. Cram noted in the study that the throat chakra is related to calmness and the heart chakra is related to love and desire.  He hypothesized that flower essences appear to help us let go of our attachments and desires while promoting a sense of calmness.  This study was published in a peer-reviewed journal and also in:  Cram, J.R.  "The Psychophysiological and Metaphysical Impact of Bach's Rescue Remedy on the Stress Response." Subtle Energies, 11:1, 1-22, 2000.

In the second study, a researcher measured the brain waves in subjects and then stressed them with fluorescent lights.  One group received one of two different flower essence blends (Five Flower Formula or Yarrow Special Formula) and the other a placebo.  Those who received flower essence blends had little reaction to the lights.  Those who received the placebo underwent a closing of the heart chakra and activation of the frontal lobes of the brain (the part of the brain responsible for the "fight or flight" syndrome).  Dr. Cram concluded that the study may provide evidence of the ability of flower essences to strengthen emotional equilibrium and equanimity in the face of stresses and environmental impacts, thus reducing the typical "fight or flight" stress response.  This study was published in a peer-reviewed journal and also in:  Cram, J.R.  "Effects of Two Flower Essences on High Intensity Environmental Stimulation and EMF."  Subtle Energies, 12:3, 249-270, 2001.

Dr. Cram's third study was focused on depression.  Researchers used the Beck Depression Inventory and Hamilton Depression Scale to assess mildly to moderately depressed individuals.  Participants in the study received a flower essence blend based on each client's personal issues (no two clients received the same essence blend).  At the end of one month of flower essence therapy, there was a drop of 40% in depressive symptoms, and there was a 50% drop after two months.  The reduction in depressive symptoms remained at 50% after three months.  This is considered a preliminary study due to the complexity of the variables involved.  It was published in the International Journal of Caring and Healing (http://ijhc.org) but the article is unfortunately no longer available online.  This paragraph is only a very broad summary of the study, and the interested reader is encouraged to read the full journal article.  Ongoing research in this area is being conducted by Dr. Cram. 

In addition to the above double-blind studies conducted in the USA, two other studies involving flower essences and conducted in Europe have been briefly outlined in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, August/September 1998 (911 Tyler Street, Pt. Townsend, WA 98368-6541, USA, http://www.tldp.com).  In the first study, conducted in 1997, 115 Italian patients suffering from anxiety, depression, and stress, were treated with flower essences over an average period of three and one half months.  The article states that the results were "positive" for 89% of the patients, and especially those suffering from anxiety.  Children and adolescents responded more quickly to the treatment.  95% of those who declared themselves initially skeptical about flower essence therapy experienced, nevertheless, improvement.  No further details about this study were offered in the Townsend Letter.

In the second European study, conducted in 1996, 24 newly pregnant women were studied at the University Hospital for Women in Heidelberg, Germany.  The study was conducted by G. Ruhle, a candidate for a Ph.D. in psychology, who subsequently was awarded her degree after the completion of this study.  Two professors, one from the Heidelberg University Hospital for Women  and another from the Institute of Psychology in Tubingen, supervised the study.  The 24 women were divided into three groups:  Group 1 received flower essences, Group 2 received psychological counseling, and Group 3 received "strict care" by an obstetrician.  The results are quoted below (p. 82 of the Townsend Letter):

"Group 1, which used the flower essences, delivered infants with significantly less assistance than the obstetrician control Group 3.  More significantly, the flower essence Group 1 consumed fewer drugs, exhibited decreased tension, experienced less pain, and felt reduced levels of anxiety than did both Group 2 and Group 3."  It was concluded that the use of flower essences during pregnancy results in an easier delivery.  No further information on the methodology of the study was offered in the Townsend Letter.

First flower: Prickly wild rose helps one to maintain openness and a courageous interest in life amidst adverse circumstances (courtesy of Steve Johnson, Alaskan Flower Essence Project),

Second flower: Yarrow provides a protective shield to the energy field (courtesy of  Steve Johnson, Alaskan Flower Essence Project).

Third flower: There are many kinds of passion flowers; this one is probably a hybrid.  The passion flower of the Aloha essences clears out negativity and inspires unconditional love.

Fourth flower: Billy goat plum is helpful for shame and fosters love and acceptance of oneself and one's body (courtesy of Ian White, Australian Bush Flower Essences).