“The jovial, cheerful, humorous people who love peace and are distressed by argument or quarrel, to avoid which they will agree to give up much. Though generally they have troubles and are tormented and restless and worried in mind or in body, they hide their cares behind their humour and jesting and are considered very good friends to know. They often take alcohol or drugs in excess, to stimulate themselves and help themselves bear their trials with cheerfulness .”

– Edward Bach, The Twelve Healers & Other Remedies, 1936

Agrimony people are happy-go-lucky types. They always seem to be smiling and may have a big hearty laugh. When they don’t feel happy inside they are good at hiding it: Agrimony tears are the tears of a clown – no-one sees them under the painted smile.

As Dr. Bach suggests, Agrimony people may turn to alcohol, drugs and other stimulants to help keep their mask of cheerfulness in place. This doesn’t mean that everyone who drinks is an Agrimony type, of course, nor does it mean that all Agrimony types are heavy drinkers. We are all individuals and we all deal with our troubles in our own way.

Agrimony people hide their emotions when they are with other people in order to keep things “nice” and avoid uncomfortable moments. Indeed, they often seek out company as part of their attempt to turn away from their troubles, and they avoid being along, because that’s when their troubles come back to their mind most strongly.

Comparisons

As a personality type, we might compare Agrimony to Water Violet and Oak, other remedy types who often keep their feelings to themselves.

Water Violet people are private, apparently aloof individuals who keep personal matters to themselves and may seem too proud to discuss their affairs in public. (We say apparently and seem because that is how other people may interpret the Water Violet person; it isn’t how we feel when in a Water Violet state.) One of the notable differences is that Water Violet people tend to isolate themselves when something is wrong. They prefer solitude as this gives them the time and space to sort things out in their own way. Agrimony people, on the other hand, prefer to have people around them as this allows them to focus their attention on something else and helps them forget their troubles.

Oak people have an in-built determination and will soldier on in spite of adversity. They are solid people who just get on with life, and apply themselves to the task in hand in a straightforward, logical manner. Agrimony people try to avoid the problem and make light of the situation, so their lives seem almost chaotic in comparison. Agrimony people pretend to be brave; Oak people truly are brave, and do not flinch from facing up to life’s more unpleasant side.

Agrimony is as a useful mood remedy for anyone experiencing emotional difficulties that they hide behind a mask of cheerfulness. Some remedy types may be more inclined to develop Agrimony tendencies than others. One example is Centaury: people who like to serve and for this reason find it hard to say “no” and draw boundaries. Even when they feel put upon, may Centaury types put on a face that seems happy and content rather than stand up for their true feelings and risk letting someone else down. At this point there is a case for considering Agrimony alongside Centaury.

***BUT IS IT ALWAYS AGRIMONY?***

Another description you’ll often hear of Agrimony is that it is “the remedy for people who hide their feelings”. But that’s not really correct. There are many ways of not talking about feelings. Different types of people do it in different ways. As a result there are many possible remedies that could apply to people who don’t want to talk about their emotions.

For example, imagine you happen to know five people who just got divorced. You meet them one after the other in the street one day and ask each in turn how he or she feels:

• A is polite and answers you in generalities, but says nothing about her feelings.
• B ignores the question and talks about something else.
• C tells you he doesn’t have time to go into all that and is quite rude.
• D talks only about the effect on her kids.
• E says something funny about being back on the singles scene.

They’ve all not discussed their feelings, but the only one who is a potential Agrimony is E. A might be Water Violet – but it’s not certain. B could be anything. C might be Vine or Beech or Impatiens. D might be Red Chestnut, maybe Chicory. That’s why in any short description of Agrimony we need to mention humour, because it is the key to the state. “Wearing a mask” or “hiding feelings” is less useful as it could apply to other remedy types as well.

Dr Bach understood this, of course. His description of Agrimony starts: “The jovial, cheerful, humorous people” and continues “they hide their cares behind their humour”…