The lovely white blossoms of the Deerbrush (Ceanothus integerrimus) are among our favorite late May flowers to enjoy as we walk in the back woods of Terra Flora and the wild areas of our region. The alabaster clusters of raceme flowers perfume the air with a delicately sweet, ephemeral fragrance. En masse, these airy flowers resemble puffs of white clouds gently enveloping the leafy shrub. Indeed, the air element is a prominent signature in the Deerbrush, with the protruding stamens of its many flowers reaching notably into the air and light.

Likewise, the Deerbrush flower essence works to heal an air imbalance within the human soul. Those who need this essence have a delicate social sensitivity. They unconsciously meld their behaviors, thoughts and feelings in conformity with the cultural norms and expectations that envelop them. They present as polite, likeable and flexibly open to the wishes and needs of those around them. The challenge is that the Deerbrush soul type so easily conforms to its social environment that more authentic feelings springing from the core individuality are absent, especially those feelings that may run counter to what is expected. Those who are gifted with subtle sight or imaginative perception have described that Deerbrush types are  suffused in a cloud-like substance that prevents the genuine expression of the individuality, obscuring self-knowledge.

From this vantage point,  we can understand a Native American cleansing ritual involving various Deerbrush (Ceanothus) species. The flowers were picked, crushed and then mixed into water, producing a fragrant lather used to purify the hands and other parts of the body. Indeed, the Ceanothus is rich in saponin content and was frequently used by early European settlers as a soap substitute. A further significant form of herbal healing involves preparation of a tincture from the striking red roots of various Ceanothus species, to tonify and detoxify the lymph system. In fact, those who have a deeper archetypal need for the Deerbrush flower essence often present with stagnant lymph drainage, resulting in a sluggish immune system. It is as though the individuality is “bogged down” and needs to find its own expression of the “I” force, or what can be called “I-mmunity.”

Use of Deerbrush in Taiwan

The late Dr. Julia Tsuei treated many thousands of clients in her Taiwan clinic  over decades of time. She reported that the Deerbrush flower essence emerged as one of the top remedies needed for foundational, entry-level healing. Dr. Tsuei noted that many clients lacked the ability to articulate why or how they needed healing and yet felt anxiety and stress in amorphous and nebulous ways. These were often single children (or else the youngest child) of families with strong yet subtly enforced social expectations. These clients were typically in careers or were studying at universities for professions for which they had no real passion, but which fulfilled the cultural norms of those around them. Dr. Tsuei reported that until she could clear this kind of filmy cover around these clients,  she could not proceed further with more individualized formulas. Furthermore, Deerbrush itself often cleared (or else made more easy to diagnose) various kinds of vague presentations from such clients, such as free-floating anxiety, insomnia, or various allergic or immune disorders.

Comparing Deerbrush with Other Essences

Deerbrush flower essence can appear similar to other flower essences, and can certainly be used in tandem with related remedies. Yet, it is important to understand the core distinctions. 

The Agrimony flower essence type also presents a social mask, but here the individuality is covering over distinctly painful or uncomfortable feelings that are inwardly known but privately held. 


Both the Yarrow and Deerbrush types easily merge with their environments. However, in the case of the Yarrow flowers, there is a detrimental environmental or social influence that needs a healthy boundary for consolidation of the Core Self. By contrast, the Deerbrush builds an unhealthy “social biofilm” that impedes or blocks the genuine expression of the “I” force. This barrier is created not by overtly hostile influences but nebulous cultural thought forms that suppress the individuality.

Goldenrod flower essence is also used to strengthen the healthy individuality. However, the Goldenrod type presents more as a vacillating and insecure personality, typically employing negative or oppositional behaviors in the effort to express oneself as distinct from the larger cultural or group soul. On the other hand, the Deerbrush personality typically presents with a peaceful veneer and is mostly unaware of its need for individuation. Goldenrod flower essence is used very successfully for Deerbrush types, once they have begun to awaken to their own authentic needs and expressions.

The Deerbrush person is very closely aligned with the Centaury flower archetype, as both have a strong need to please others around them. However, the Centaury type is more consciously sacrificial, devotedly serving and giving extensively to others without replenishment or self-care. By contrast, the Deerbrush type can present as vaguely pleasant, placidly polite or even robotic in social encounters, while at the same time unconsciously enmeshed in a cloud of acquiescent conformity. They do not typically present with an active motivation to help others, so much as to do what is expected so that their cultural cloud of enmeshment remains unruffled.

Please enjoy this short video by Richard Katz of the Deerbrush at Terra Flora: