Remedies made from flower extracts aren’t what Malaysians would typically turn to when it comes to treating certain symptoms or conditions, especially regarding emotional and mental wellbeing.
But this local entrepreneur has the vision to bring these products into every Malaysian household, not to replace known remedies, but to complement them.
These are known as Bach (pronounced “batch”) flower remedies which can be taken orally, used as a mist, and more.
With a strong belief in this concept, Stephanie Looi, co-founder of Malaysian wellness brand PurelyB, launched Sound of Flowers during the pandemic to increase accessibility to them.
Time for a history lesson
As I’m not someone who seeks alternative medicine, for the most part, I had no idea what Bach flower remedies were prior to discovering Sound of Flowers. Thus, I had to get Stephanie to explain what they’re all about.
Bach flower remedies were founded by bacteriologist, physician, and pathologist Dr. Edward Bach in the 1920s. Each remedy he came up with is associated with a basic human emotion like worry, confidence, fear, jealousy, etc.
In total, there are 38 types of flowers to heal 38 types of human emotions, done through the flowers’ vibrations and energy.
How does that tie in with the human body though?
It’s because humans are also a living energy field, and we interact with the energy fields of other objects and beings in the universe.
Feelings like sadness lead to us vibrating at a very low level, and there are many things we can do to elevate this energy level like listening to music, working out, eating good food, or taking a walk in nature.
However, some people are unable to feel better and continue to dwell on the negative feelings, leading to increased anxiety and depression, for example.
“Hence, the field of vibrational medicine like Bach flowers, which we call energy medicine once consumed, is able to help us naturally elevate our energy level,” Stephanie said.
“It makes us ‘feel’ better, more confident, more hopeful, etc., and it works differently on everyone in a very gentle, subtle way.”
Shop Sound of Flowers’ remedies on VP Label at an exclusive price now:
Turning belief into resolve
If you’re like me, reading the above may have fed your scepticism, likely because the concept of energy fields in the body may sound more spiritual than medicinal.
But before you dismiss it completely, there’s a growing consensus that our health outcomes can indeed be influenced by these electrical and magnetic energies.
Stephanie is a firm believer that being able to heal on an emotional level through the balance of these energies will have knock-on effects on the other aspects of one’s health.
So much so that after being introduced to these remedies by a friend in naturopathy (a form of alternative medicine), she ordered her own products from the UK and began using them.
After 4 months, she was so convinced of their effectiveness that she went looking for ways to certify herself as a Bach flower therapist and eventually settled on a course with the Bach Centre in the UK.
By March 2020, she was officially a certified therapist in the practice, and during the pandemic, she had an epiphany:
“Why is something so pure and natural not known here in this part of the world? That was when I decided to tell and spread it to more people who need it.”
With that philosophy in mind, Stephanie’s direction for Sound of Flowers was to make the process simple and easy for people to get help.
Flower power every 4 hours
To achieve that, she creates her own blends, something not available with the original Bach flower tinctures. “Unless you know what you need otherwise, you will have to go through 38 types of flowers,” she described.
This way, she’s also able to make the blends affordable. “A normal person will need to take at least 4-5 flowers depending on their needs. That would mean they need to purchase 4-5 bottles separately. With our brand, we are able to help prepare this blend for the price of 1 bottle.”
Much like supplements, these blends simply have to be taken daily every few hours (as instructed on the bottle) in order for users to experience change.
To cater better to the Malaysian market, the remedies which are usually preserved in brandy have been made available in an apple cider vinegar alternative too.
There are a variety of ready-made remedies available to target or encourage specific emotions, such as ones that target anxiety, anger, panic attacks, and encourage belief, focus, and courage, for example.
Sound of Flowers also offers a Bach flowers consultation for those who want more customised remedies, whereby a therapist will get to know you better before creating blends that match what you need.
I personally got to try some of these remedies, mainly Stress, Peaceful Night, and Belief, and also received a few therapeutic mists and a roller. The mists and roller were really nice to use as just acts of pampering myself, but it was the remedies that I had the most interest in.
They smelled and tasted mildly like the preserve used, and I was to take 4 drops of each one every 4 hours or as needed.
It’s been about 3 weeks now, and though I do notice minor changes in my moods after using them, I still find myself wondering: is this just a placebo?
Not replacing, but complementing
Of course, Stephanie is aware of the abundant scepticism regarding Bach flower remedies, or any other types of alternative medicine, for that matter.
“However, we are not trying to convince everyone to try [Bach flower remedies]. Those who come to us have been facing emotional problems for a long time,” she disclosed.
A lot of her clients are actually already seeing a therapist or taking medications, and Stephanie makes sure to tell them that Sound of Flowers is not a means to replace medication.
But if medications can’t heal them and alternative medicines make one feel better, is there actually anything wrong with having placebo effects? I think it is the most powerful healing as your mind and body are telling you that you can get well.
Stephanie Looi, founder and CEO of Sound of Flowers
And I agree with her. Though I personally still think that a lot of people who feel better after using such remedies are simply experiencing placebo, I can’t deny that the act of taking time to care for myself through these remedies and mists lifted my mood, and that, to me, is more than enough.
She’s had many satisfied clients give feedback that they feel much better after using Sound of Flowers’ products, but I had to know: were there any who said they felt no differences?
1 out of 50 was the number Stephanie gave, and for them, Sound of Flowers would typically try to understand why.
If the consistency of the client’s remedy intake isn’t the problem, the team will revisit the formulation and give them another remedy after 2 weeks.
“We do make it clear that there is no guarantee, even for medication, nothing is guaranteed. Most of the time they do understand. But as long as they are willing to try, we are ever-willing to guide,” she stated.
Firm roots for steady growth
Known for her role as co-founder of wellness brand PurelyB since 2015, Stephanie drew upon its fanbase for market research prior to founding Sound of Flowers.
It made sense since their fans were already health-seekers with an interest in natural products and traditional remedies—both of which define Bach flower remedies.
Noticing significant interest in the Bach flower remedies, Stephanie soon began selling them on PurelyB too, and there’s even a product collaboration in the pipeline.
Overall, she’s optimistic about the growth of Bach flower remedies, seeing huge potential for them here, akin to the way essential oils grew in popularity. 7 years ago, she had begun using them purely as a natural pain reliever.
“And look at where we are now, where every ‘therapeutic/wellbeing’ product is infused with essential oils.”
This, she believes, will be the similar growth trajectory we’ll see with Bach flower remedies.
Once Sound of Flowers takes off here, Stephanie is looking towards the greater Asian market, confident her brand can stand out via its personalisation and therapy services.
- You can learn more about Sound of Flowers here.
- You can read about other Malaysian wellness startups here.
Featured Image Credit: Stephanie Looi, founder and CEO of Sound of Flowers