Flower Essences vs. Essential Oils: What's the Big Difference?

When I tell people that I am a Clinical Herbalist who works with a healing modality called flower essences, more often than not I get an excited response that goes a little like this: “Really? I LOVE flower essences! I like to put lavender oil in my bath, it’s so relaxing!” or “Oh, I use flower essences in my diffuser when my baby is congested!”

This confusion between flower essences and essential oils is remarkably common. Many people either use essential oils themselves, or they may have a friend or cousin who sells them through a network marketing company. Not nearly as many people are familiar with flower essences, which are liquid floral infusions that are taken orally and work mainly on the emotional body.

How are flower essences and essential oils different? 

When describing the differences between flower essences and essential oils, I like to use the analogy that comparing the two is not unlike comparing a rainbow to a hurricane- they basically exist on opposite ends of the healing spectrum. Though flower essences and essential oils are complementary to each other, they work from different pathways. Put simply, essential oils are taken in through the physical senses (smell and taste) and then impact the emotions, while flower essences work directly on a person’s emotions, which can then help shift physical imbalances in the body.

Read on for an explanation of some more important distinctions between flower essences and essential oils...

Scent: 

• Flower essences have little to no scent other than the small amount of brandy or vodka that is often used to preserve them.
• Essential oils function primarily through the effect of their scents on the brain.

What they’re used for: 

• Modern flower essences were originally developed by a medical doctor to treat patients' physical illnesses by first addressing their emotional states. We still use them that way today, but the average flower essence user will often reach for them for issues like anxiety, grief, depression, lack of confidence or self-esteem, stress, or even to help them decide on a new direction in life.
• Essential oils are also used to support feelings of stress, fatigue, anxiety, and depression, along with physical symptoms such as sinus congestion or headaches.

How they’re made:

• Flower essences are a vibrational medicine that gently shifts and supports a person’s emotions while having no biochemical effect on the body. They are made by soaking a small quantity of fresh floral blooms in spring water, not unlike making a “sun tea”, and the resulting water is what is utilized. Flower essences can be made and used by anybody!
• Essential oils are powerful concentrated plant extracts that can create physiological changes in the body. They require a large amount of plant matter to create and are made using either steam distillation, expression (pressing the oils out), or sometimes by using solvent extractions. Making essential oils usually involves a lot of specialized equipment and knowledge of the process.

Safety:

• Flower essences are safe and effective for everybody: babies, children, adults, the elderly, pets, and even plants! They will not adversely affect medical conditions, the use of any medications, or any other variables such as special dietary needs. The only “side effect” people may experience with the use of a flower essence is a temporary intensification of the emotional state they are working with. They are perfectly safe to take internally or to use topically in any dosage.
• Essential oils are also safe for most to use, but there are more variables that have to be considered than when using a flower essence. Most oils can’t be applied “neat” to the skin, and must be diluted with a carrier oil. Taking an essential oil internally is generally not advised other than under a strict set of circumstances, and some essential oils can be poisonous to pets if used in a diffuser. Taking essential oils internally can lead to nausea, vomiting, convulsions, and even one case of confirmed death.

There is an analogy I heard somewhere along the way that I like to use when explaining the difference between regular herbal remedies, essential oils, and flower essences; the plant is the body of the herb, essential oils are the blood of the plant, and flower essences are the spirit of the plant. Essential oils extract and concentrate the physical properties of the plant, while flower essences collect and store the more subtle energy of the flowers.

I am a huge proponent of flower essences and use them almost exclusively in my practice, but I also have a great deal of respect for essential oils when utilized safely and properly. (Note: I took courses on essential oils in herb school, but I am by no means an expert in their use.) Though flower essences and essential oils could hardly be more different, they can both play an important role in peoples’ quest to live a happy and healthy life!