Australian Flower Essences for Birds

by Carole Bryant, Naturopath
May 2001

The Australian Bush flower remedies are used mainly to address the emotional aspects of healing. Dosage for humans is normally 7 drops under the tongue, twice daily (first thing in the morning and last thing at night). For birds I would reduce this dosage according to the size of the bird (1 - 3 drops). Remedies can be rubbed on the bird's feet or added to its water if dosing by mouth is impractical or too stressful. Up to five remedies can be combined to provide a balanced treatment of the bird's symptoms.

The following are some of the remedies I feel would be most helpful for birds. For each remedy I have stated what it is for, its action and some possible uses.

Banksia robur (Banksia robur)
For: low energy in those who are normally very energetic; disheartened; weary
Action: bring about interest and enjoyment of life; lifts energy
Possible uses: illness and convalescence; rehousing

Bauhinia (Lysiphyllum cunninghamii)
For: resistance to change; lack of flexibility
Action: brings about receptiveness to new ideas; acceptance and open-mindedness
Possible uses: change in bird's living arrangements or routine (new home; new owner; additional birds/people in existing home; training)

Billy goat plum (Planchonia careya)
For: physical loathing; sexual revulsion
Action: acceptance of own body; sexual enjoyment
Possible uses: birds that pluck; birds with disabilities; breeding problems

Blue bell (Wahlenbergia sp)
For: shut down emotions; greed; fear of not being able to have their needs met
Action: opens the heart and emotions; belief in being able to get all the love, etc. they want
Possible uses: rescued/abused birds; birds that are unable to establish a relationship with their owners or breeding partner

Boronia (Boronia ledifolia)
For: pining; broken hearted; obsessiveness
Action: serenity & calm; clarity of thought
Possible uses: change of owners; death/loss of owner or breeding partner

Bottle brush (Callistemon linearis)
For: overwhelmed major life changes (adolescence, parenthood, pregnancy/birth, old age)
Action: ability to cope and move on in life
Possible uses: rehousing; breeding birds who fail to raise their young

Bush gardenia (Gardenia megasperma)
For: communication; improving relationships
Action: strengthens relationships; renews interest in relationship
Possible uses: improving relationship between bird and owner or bird and mate

Crowea (Crowea saligna)
For: always worrying; stress; feeling "not quite right"
Action: brings peace and calm; emotional balance
Possible uses: birds that are unable to settle in a new home; birds that are always worried or stressed

Dagger hakea (Hakea teretifolia)
For: resentment; bitterness; holding grudges
Action: brings about forgiveness and ability to openly express feelings
Possible uses: birds that don't like one particular family member; breeding birds that have become aggressive to their mate

Dog rose (Bauera rubioides)
For: fear; shyness; apprehension; insecurity
Action: confidence; courage; improved self-esteem
Possible uses: birds moving to new homes; timid birds; pluckers

Five corners (Styphelia laeta)
For: low esteem and dislike of their own physical body; "crushed" held in personality; lack of confidence
Action: helps individual to feel good about themselves; improves confidence; improves self esteem
Possible uses: pluckers; rescue/abused birds; timid birds

Flannel flower (Actinotus helianthi)
For: dislike of physical contact and touching (especially males); agrophobia
Action: brings about gentleness, sensitivity and enjoyment of being touched; ability to express feelings; trust
Possible uses: establishing relationship with an unhandled or abused bird; breeding males that are aggressive towards their mate

*Fringed violet (Thysanotus tuberosus)
For: damage to aura; shock; trauma; after effects of shock or trauma
Action: removes ill effects of trauma (recent or old); gives psychic protection
Possible uses: severe illness; physical and emotional abuse

*Grey spider flower (Grevillea busxifolia)
For: terror; life threatening physical or psychic attack; panic; hopelessness; nightmares
Action: calmness; faith and trust; courage
Possible uses: extreme stress; severe illness or injury; birds that have been emotionally abused

Illawarra flame tree (Brachychiton acerifolium)
For: overwhelming sense of rejection; feeling left out
Action: gives confidence, strength, self-reliance and self-approval
Possible uses: change of home; addition of new family members; pluckers

Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos manglesii)
For: poor social skills; those who don't know how to interact with others
Action: ability to relate to others; enjoyment of others; kindness and sensitivity; relaxation
Possible uses: young birds; birds that have been poorly socialised or unsocialised; aviary birds that have difficulty getting along with other birds

Kapok bush (Cochlospermum fraseri)
For: those who have given up; apathy; discouraged and resigned
Action: interest; perception; willingness to try; persistence
Possible uses: rescue/neglected birds; birds who give up easily during training

Little flannel flower (Actinotus minor)
For: grim and serious adults; serious children; denial of the "inner child"
Action: brings about playfulness, joy and spontaneity
Possible uses: birds that don't play or enjoy life

Macrocarpa (Eucalyptus macrocarpa)
For: convalescence; burn out; exhaustion; fatigue
Action: renews energy and vitality
Possible uses: recovery after illness or severe stress

Mountain devil (Lambertia formosa)
For: hatred; anger; suspicion; holding grudges
Action: brings about forgiveness; clears away hatred, anger and jealousy; removes deep sadness that causes anger
Possible uses: birds that have suffered severe emotional trauma

Old man banksia (Banksia serrata)
For: low energy; disheartened; weary; frustrated
Action: brings about energy, enthusiasm and interest in life
Possible uses: birds that are disinterested in their surroundings; birds that have been rehoused (perhaps a number of times) and have become disheartened

Paw paw (Carica papaya)
For: overwhelmed; inability to solve problems; difficulty taking on new ideas
Action: improves ability to solve problems; helps assimilate new ideas
Possible uses: birds that have difficulty coping with a new lifestyle; birds that have difficulty learning new ideas; those that find training difficult

Red grevillea (Grevillea speciosa)
For: over sensitive; overly reliant on others
Action: independence; boldness
Possible uses: timid birds; those that lack confidence

She oak (Casuarina glauca)
For: hormonal imbalance in females; inability to conceive for no apparent reason
Action: brings about hormonal balance; improves fertility
Possible uses: female birds that whose behaviour suggests hormone imbalance; infertility in female breeding birds

Slender rice flower (Pimelea linifolia)
For: jealousy; racism; narrow mindedness; pride/ego
Action: brings about appreciation of others; humility; group harmony
Possible uses: aviary birds (especially mixed aviary); birds in a multiple bird household

Sturt desert pea (Clianthus formosus)
For: deep emotional pain; sorrow; emotional hurt
Action: diffuses sad memories; assists in letting go of emotional pain; motivates and re-energises
Possible uses: loss of a loved person, companion or breeding partner (either present or in the past)

*Sun dew (Drosera spathulata)
For: vagueness; indecisiveness; lacking focus; feeling of being disconnected from the physical body; shock
Action: brings about focus and "grounding"; ability to live in the present
Possible uses: trauma; accidents; illness; birds that don't seem to be mentally/emotionally "present"; rescue/abused birds

Sunshine wattle (Acacia terminalis)
For: being stuck in the past; hopelessness; expecting the future to be grim
Action: optimism; ability to accept and enjoy the present; joyful expectation for the future
Possible uses: rescue/abused birds

Tall yellow top (Senecio magnificus)
For: feeling alienated, lonely, isolated; feeling that they don't belong
Action: sense of belonging; knowing that you are "home"
Possible uses: birds that don't easily settle in a new home; rescue/abused birds
Note: this is a slow acting remedy and may need to be taken for 6 - 8 weeks for full effect.

*Waratah (Telopea speciossima)
For: black despair; hopelessness & inability to respond in a crisis
Action: courage; faith; ability to hold on; increases survival skills
Possible uses: severe illness; emotional trauma; situations when the bird has given up hope

Wedding bush (Ricinocarpos pinifolius)
For: difficulty with commitment to relationship (personal or social)
Action: commitment to relationships
Possible uses: birds that have difficulty establishing a bond with their owner; breeding birds that have difficulty bonding with their mate

Wisteria (Wisteria sinencis)
For: those uncomfortable with their sexuality; fear of intimacy
Action: brings about openness, gentleness and enjoyment of close relationship
Possible uses: breeding birds that have difficulty establishing bonds

*Fringed violet, Grey spider flower, Sun dew and Waratah are combined to make Emergency Essence which is useful for any situation of stress, trauma and fear. It is similar in action to the Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy.

Carole Bryant is a Naturopath who works with animals as well as people.
She lives in northern New South Wales, Australia with her husband,
daughter and extensive menagerie of assorted critters.

Carole Bryant 2001©