The crisis formula

Same recipe, different name. Rescue Remedy is the brand name Nelsons sells the formula under, and it is so well known that the two have become interchangeable in conversation. Healing Herbs sells the identical combination as Five Flower Formula and Ainsworths as Recovery Remedy. Crisis formula is the maker neutral name for the recipe itself, and it is the one the Bach Centre uses.

Five of the 38 remedies: Rock Rose for terror, Impatiens for agitation, Clematis for the faraway feeling, Star of Bethlehem for shock, and Cherry Plum for the fear of losing your grip. Each one covers a different face of a bad moment, which is why the mix works as a general answer. Every make of the crisis formula holds the same five, whatever name is on the label.

Four drops at a time, straight on the tongue or in a glass of water sipped slowly, and with the spray it is two sprays instead. Repeat as often as the moment asks, because this is a formula for moments rather than schedules. There is no daily limit to keep track of and no known way to take too much. The four times a day routine belongs to personal mixes and longer patterns.

They carry the same five remedies, so the real question is where the bad moments tend to find you. The spray suits a pocket or a bag, since two sprays on the tongue need no dropper and no free hand. The drops suit home and a glass of water, and the pastilles are alcohol free and the easiest to take quietly in a meeting. Households that lean on the formula often end up with one of each.

The classic drops and the spray use the traditional brandy base that all stock remedies are preserved in, though at four drops a dose the amount involved is tiny. If you would rather have none at all, the pastilles and gummies are alcohol free, and the pet dropper swaps the brandy for vegetable glycerin.

None have ever been established, and gentleness is the whole character of these remedies. The dilution is so high that no plant material remains in the bottle, which is why the tradition has no interactions to warn about and no such thing as too many drops. The one ingredient worth knowing about is the brandy in the classic base, and the alcohol free versions are there for anyone who wants to skip it.

Each bottle carries a best before date, usually years away, because the brandy base is a preservative doing exactly that job. An opened bottle keeps well at room temperature and out of direct sun, and at four drops a go most bottles are finished long before the date gets close. The alcohol free versions run shorter, so the date on a pastille tin or a glycerin dropper is the one to actually check.

Yes, and there is a version made for it. Rescue Remedy Pet holds the identical five flowers in vegetable glycerin rather than brandy, which settles the alcohol question, and the dose is the same four drops in the bowl or on a treat whatever the size of the dog. Cats, horses, and rabbits are all in the tradition too, and the pet formula page covers fireworks, vet visits, and the rest in full.

The same five remedies plus White Chestnut, the one for thoughts that circle at two in the morning. It is sold as Rescue Night in some countries, and we cover it in full on the sleep blend page. If nights are the main event, White Chestnut on its own is also worth reading about.

Both have a job. The formula is one fixed answer for everyone, built for sudden moments, which is exactly why it lives in bags and glove boxes. A personal mix is chosen to match how you actually feel, which is how Bach meant the system to be used day to day. Plenty of people keep both.