by T. M. D'illon

Perhaps the most widely used flower essence is the Dr. Bach's emergency formula (sold under the brand names Five-Flower Formula and Rescue Remedy ), for all manner of stress and/or trauma. The Flower Essence Society has received reports and unsolicited testimonials too numerous to count regarding the positive, calming effects this combination has on humans and animals.

One of the most dramatic cases involved a 2-year-old dog in Minnesota. Nico, a Rottweiler/Doberman mix female who ran under a chain-link fence and attacked a running lawn-mower. "I think Nico thought she was protecting me and her territory," said Gina Palandri, Nico's owner. Nico bit underneath the mower with her lower teeth, and the blade sheared off three-quarters of her bottom teeth. She had been inches away from losing her entire jaw.

"At first, I panicked," Gina recalled, "but then I tried to think of what I would do for myself." She first used Goldenseal "to stop Nico's bleeding." Then Gina poured Arnica flower essence "down Nico's throat," followed by "half a bottle of the Five-Flower Formula ."

Gina said the essences were applied "within three minutes after the accident."

It took half an hour to get Nico into the emergency room. Upon arrival, Nico was wagging her tail. "I think my emergency ministrations had removed the shock of the injuries to Nico," Gina said.

"The emergency vet wanted to know why there wasn't any blood. I recounted what I had done with the Goldenseal and the Five-Flower Formula . They were pretty amazed Nico was so calm and not howling from pain."

Four hours and several stitches later, Nico was back home. Gina continued treating Nico with flower essences. For the first four days she poured a combination of Self-Heal, Gorse, Snapdragon and Five Flower Formula down Nico's throat.

"Then I put it in her water dish. It worked phenomenally. You can see by the photo how well Nico healed."