Many people know of rescue remedy, which is a popular combination for shock, but perhaps are not aware of Rock Rose, which is one of the ingredients which make up the combination.
I did not know that I had ordered this plant in an alpine dozen. I have a side of the front garden where previous owners dumped rubble, making it very hard to grow anything. After a rainy weekend I decided the clay soil would be softened and this would be a good time to plant. Four packs of three beckoned with their delicate flowers but I opted for a fourth slightly squished green pack, thinking these looked desperate for a drink.
I was stunned to find the first plant I pulled out was Rock Rose. Wasn’t that the remedy I had taken the night before when I was fearful about blocked glands? I had not appreciated it was an alpine and had no idea it was part of the selection; especially since all the labels were hidden. The timing and the probability of selecting the same plant as my remedy as the first of twelve was not lost!
Jackie Carroll (2020) states there are about 20 varieties of Rock Rose which grow in the Mediterranean and they can survive on poor soil, and in heat and drought. I had a Bach flower version of the remedy and had woken up that morning relieved to note that the glandular discomfort had disappeared.
Poyntzfield Herb Nursery cites Helianthemum nummularium as the variety associated with Rock Rose and the Royal Horticultural Society defines it as the common Rock Rose. As a Bach Flower Remedy it is known for treating feelings of being ‘panicky, terror-struck fear’, for providing ‘calm and courage’ at times of feeling ‘alarm and helplessness’ (Bach Centre 2020).
A homeopathic version can offer even more possibilities. Murphy’s Materia Medica (2006,p.585) cites Rock Rose under the name of Cistus Canandensus and recommends it for glandular swellings of the neck and breast, sore throat, ulcers, diarrhoea, bone and hip joint disease and illness from the bad effects of vexation.
Bach flower remedies were discovered by Dr. Edward Bach who worked as a bacteriologist at the Royal London Hospital. Before his flower discoveries, he isolated some of the homeopathic bowel nosodes; used in the treatment of bowel, skin and respiratory complaints. I find Bach flowers a useful addendum to homeopathy.
In the same way that my symptoms disappeared, I await with interest to see the harbingers of my wellness emerge ad delicate little yellow flowers.
Bach Centre, 2020,
Carroll, J., 2020,
www.gardeningknowhow.com › … › Shrubs › Rockrose
Poyntzfield Herb Nursery,
www.poyntzfieldherbs.co.uk › cataloguemed1
Roy Horticultural Society, 2020,