Flower Essences - The Doctrine of Signatures

The Doctrine of Signatures
The process of unveiling the healing qualities of a flower essence begins with the doctrine of signatures, which is rooted in medieval cosmology. Physicians of the day used this approach to find healing plants for their patients. The understanding behind this principle is that there is a visible message on the plant, which determines its role in terms of healing. Just as a graphologist can read a person through their writing, so a plant may be read through its growth pattern. This may include the color of the flowers, root structure, shape of leaves, preferred place of growth, the general shape of the plant, how it fruits, its yearly cycle, historical uses, folklore and so on. The message may be very obvious, as in the case of the Dandelion, which, because the color is yellow like jaundiced person, is thought by herbalists to be good for liver problems. It does, in fact, cleanse the body, thereby proving beneficial in such cases.

Modern flower essence makes explore the visual message of the plant, but may also attempt to tune into nature's intelligence to verify the information. This is a very subjective approach and is dependent on how each person views the world. However, the results can be amazingly consistent and are often proven through individual usage.

Some examples of the Doctrine of Signature

- Lungwort leaves with their patches look like lungs, suggesting a use for lung problems.

- Willows, which live in damp places, are indicated for rheumatism, as that condition is aggravated by damp.

- When Comfrey roots are boiled they stick together, so they are often used to knit bones together. Comfrey is also called Knitbone.

- The centre of a Chamomile flower is like a stomach and the plant is thus considered useful for stomach ailments.