What flower essence are you? Each of us is aligned to one of 12 flower essences, according to Edward Bach, M.D., and in coming to know your flower essence type you can understand the purpose of your life.

By using that flower essence as a remedy, it will help you listen to your soul.

One of the easier ways to find your own personal flower essence is to understand how you respond to illness. Bach believed that issues of illness and health are a relationship between the body and the soul. If we properly understand the purpose of our life by listening to our soul, there will be no need for illness.

Bach flower remedies are similar to herbal remedies or homeopathic remedies. Creator Edward Bach, M.D., felt that medicine failed because it dealt with physical results and not real causes. Disease, in Bach’s experience, has the useful purpose of pointing out to us, not just the need to change, but even the way we need to change.

In illness, Bach believed that we all react in one or the other of 12 categories, each having a healing flower essence.

What is your type of remedy? Here are 12 flower remedies that represent the different ways we are ill. When you recognize yourself, look deeper into the flower remedy to reveal more about your life:

Impatiens
Patients are quickly ill and quickly well again, impatient to be up and doing. There may be pain and tension but the character of the person is sure to be irritable.

Clematis
Patients like being ill: All that time with nothing to do but dream. They sleep easily and if awake will want television or novels to distract themselves. If they have a fever the hallucinations add interest to a dull day. The whole metabolism will slow as they drift away from the world.

Mimulus
The remedy for fear, the patient carries an anxiety that the problem is more serious. They are worried.

Agrimony
Though seriously ill, patients make light of the matter, joking with the doctor about the problem.

Clairy
These patients like to be ill; it gives them an opportunity to get things organized around them.

Vervains
These patients know what is best for them, and will not take advice, even from a doctor.

Centaury
These patients cannot be ill—who would do all their chores for them? If, finally, they succumb, the illness is characterized by weakness and debility.

Cerato
Uncertain about their symptoms, they are confused about all the possible illnesses, and are even uncertain about whether or not they are sick and leave their diagnosis in the doctor’s hands.

Scleranthus
Symptoms come and go for this patient; they cannot make up their mind if they are sick.

Water Violet
These patients are more withdrawn than usual; they are knowledgeable and calm, and speak to the doctor as an equal. They do not like to be fussed over.

Gentian
Depression is symptomatic of this patient, and they are discouraged by any setback in their recovery.

Rock Rose
These patients run high temperatures and struggle to keep their hold on life, and others worry about them.