Bach Flower Remedies - Stock or First Dilution - How to Prep and Use

Bach Flower Remedies are homeopathic remedies, recognized by the World Health Organization since 1976. They are made from wild plants and have healing properties, particularly at an emotional level. The Bach Flower Remedies came into our lives at a time when, due to circumstances, we had to learn to take better care of our health, both physically and emotionally. Having access to some of the plants that are part of these remedies, we decided to learn about this subject. We have already published, on the blog, articles with information about the origin of these remedies and the properties of each one of them, and we have already shown how to make the mother tincture, which is the first stage of the preparation of the remedies. Today we will show you how to prepare the "stock", also known as "first dilution". At the end of the post you can also watch our educational video where we show you how to do it, step by step.

If you are thinking of preparing your own remedies and don't have a sound knowledge about their properties, usage and preparation, we strongly recommend you to read our posts: Bach Flower Remedies - Guide to Natural Remedies and Bach Flower Remedies - How to Make the Mother Tincture before reading this post about the first dilution.

What is the Stock?

The mother tincture cannot be taken directly. It has to be diluted so that the remedies can be taken correctly and safely. The stock is the first dilution. The stock bottles are the ones that are sold in stores and are used to prepare custom remedies.

Required Materials and Ingredients

• Amber bottle with pipette
• Funnel
• Mineral water
• Mother Tincture
• Brandy with at least 40% vol. or cider vinegar or vegetable glycerin
• Label

How to Prepare

To make the stock or first dilution it is necessary to use an amber bottle, previously sterilized. The indicated capacity for a stock bottle is between 10 and 30ml. 

In the preparation of the stock bottle only two drops of the mother tincture are used, which are placed in a solution that can be hydro-alcoholic or just alcohol. This solution varies a lot depending on the producer. Here is how we prepare our stock:

1. To prep our stock bottle, we use a hydro-alcoholic solution with water and brandy, just as we did with the mother tincture.
2. We add mineral water up to 2/3 of the bottle capacity. Then we add only 2 drops from the mother tincture bottle. We fill the remaining with brandy with at least 40% alcohol by volume. If you don't want to use brandy you can replace it for cider vinegar or vegetable glycerin.
3. We close the bottle and shake it vigorously so the the solutions are well mixed.
4. We put a label with the name and date of the remedy.

So we have our stock bottle ready to use.

How to Store

The bottles should be stored in a dark, cool and dry place. When stored and used properly, flower essences can maintain their shelf life for decades. In the case of flower essences made with glycerin, the shelf life will be the same as on the glycerin packaging. 

How to Use

Although Bach Flower Remedies have no side effects, it is important to remember that taking these (or any other natural remedies) in large doses at a time will not have a more effective or faster result. Therefore, the recommended doses should be taken.

The stock or first dilution can be used in several ways:

For short-term use in situations such as occasional anxiety, stress peaks, and indisposition the remedy can be used directly on the tongue or by dilution.

• For use directly on the tongue, 2 drops of the stock bottle are taken up to 4 times a day, except for the rescue remedy, from which 4 drops can be taken whenever necessary. For some people this way of in-taking may have a strong taste of brandy, so the remedies can also be diluted.

• To use by dilution, add 2 drops of the stock in a glass of water or other drink to take little by little, up to a maximum of 4x per day. If a combination of remedies is taken, no more than 7 should be taken at a time.

For long-term use, for prolonged health conditions that require follow-up, a second dilution should be made, which we advise to be done by a therapist who can keep up with each person in their particular case.

We can't emphasize enough that you should only prepare your own flower remedies if you have a sound knowledge about the plants and how they should be used. If you are not sure about the species you have to harvest, please do not take chances! 

If you do not want to make your own stock or if you do not have access to the plants that can be most useful to you, you can find all the individual remedies here or the complete set here.

Video: Bach Flower Remedies - Stock or First Dilution - How to Prepare and How to Use