Bach's users - alcohol free bach's flower

[Riley's Mom]

I'm looking into trying Bach's Flowers essences. I don't want the Rescue Remedy, I want to purchase the individual bottles.

Their web site says they have their products in alcohol free form, but I've not been able to get an order placed that shows it's alcohol free products and all the photos of the bottles on the web site show 27% alcohol on the label. Not only do I want this for my dogs but for human consumption and some of it's for a friend who's a recovering alcholic so I'm not about to give her an alcohol based product.

The mixing instructions show that brandy can be used as a preservative but that it's optional. If they are already 27% alcohol, good grief! why would you add more? I don't want ANY alcohol in mine.

I tried emailing both their contact addresses to inquire, have not received a response. I guess I'm going to have to call them on the phone unless someone here can tell me how to order and be assured I'll receive the alcohol free version of the bottles I want? I was going to order last night already but they never answered me.

Also, can someone please tell me after you "mix a potion" how long on average is the mixture ok to use? I haven't seen any reference to a need for refrigeration after mixing - must it be refrigerated?

Thanks,

[Maedchen]

I personally wouldn't want remedies who are not preserved with alcohol. The indiv. bachflower bottles you buy are the stockbottles. From this stockbottle you only use 2-4 drops and mix it into another small dropper bottle (like an ounce). Then from this bottle you take 2-4 drops several times a day (you can dilute it further with liquid if you want to, but there isn't really any detectable alcohol left).
You don't necessarily need to preserve your 2nd bottle with alcohol, but if you don't preserve it, it should be used within a week to avoid/limit bacterial growth. For that reason you should also only use distilled water and should keep it in the fridge.
Hope that helps

[LisaT]

Unless your dog has an ongoing problem like pancreatitis, the alcohol doesn't seem to be a problem in dogs.

[BowWowMeow]

I have not had a problem with using Bach flower essences preserved in alcohol. I have given them to my dogs and to my cat.

[Riley's Mom]

Maedchen, thanks for claryfying how this works. I read the mixing instructions, but it's always nice to have someone who's used it go over it for me. I didn't like the idea of giving my dogs any alcohol and was very surprised to see there's alcohol in it and it was being used on pets and because it's so popular, it seems like it must not be harmful.

However, there's a twist to us using it. Not only do I want to try it for my dogs, but my husband and myself and he's an over the road trucker so his alcohol content MUST be ABSOLUTELY 0%. This amount would more than likely not show up on a PBT, but on a blood test even trace amounts could show up.

If you use distilled water and the vinegar to preserve, must you keep it refrigerated then?

[Maedchen]

Depending on where your DH is going- if it's cold outside I wouldn't worry too much, but if it's fairly warm, I'd toss it after a couple days even if it's preserved with vinegar.

Maybe he can also take with him his own stockbottle (mixed of the bachflowers he needs and preserved with alcohol) and just prepare his usage bottle new every couple days from that.

I would think it's absolutely impossible to detect those minute amounts of alcohol in his system- I mean he's just taking a view drops of a mixture which contains alcohol and will dilute it further.