In the 1920s, the physician and homeopath Dr. Edward Bach made his great discovery of the healing effects of various flower essences. Intense and revelatory, his experiences in nature resulted in thirty-eight "flower remedies." He describes these as bringing courage to the fearful, peace to the anguished, and strength to the weak. But the therapeutic effects of the remedies were never limited to emotional states. They are equally effective in the treatment of physical disorders.

Barnard begins the process of explaining this phenomenon. He describes how Bach made his discoveries and examines the living qualities of the plants in their context and how the remedies are actually produced. The result is remarkable. The author recounts his observations so that readers can experience, in a living way, the complex ways in which the remedy plants grow--their gestures and qualities, ecology, botany, and behavior.