Why I Use Brandy As A Carrier For Flower Essences
Brandy has been the chosen antimicrobial preservative by most essence producers since the time of Dr. Bach. It allows the essences to have a very long shelf life (up to 20 years or more under ideal conditions) and is also believed to be somewhat of an anchor for the essences. Brandy is also made from grapes which is believed by some to be superior in desirability over grain alcolhols.
I personally work with at least 30 other brands of essences along with my own stock essences and only a few use something other than brandy (vinegar & red shiso) as a preservative. The amount of brandy used by the various essence makers varies from 20% to 60%. I have found the other preservatives to be not as stable as the brandy-preserved essences.
For people with alcolhol sensivitiy, the drops can be put into pure water or hot tea and sipped. The amount of brandy that I use (30% - 33%) feels right to me as I have experienced problems using some homeopathic remedies as they were too strong and hurt the tissues under my tongue.