PLANT PROFILE
Elecampagne is a tall herb with very large leaves. It's extraordinary how beautiful the plant looks despite the contrast between the large leaves and the small bright yellow flowers that bloom in June and July. My children referred to the plant growing in my garden as "the elephant one" because to them the leaves reminded them of elephant ears.

Herbally, Elecampagne benefits the lungs, providing strength and tone.  The root tea was used for pneumonia, whooping cough, asthma, and bronchitis. It also affects the stomach and has been used for intestinal worms. Experimentally, the plant shows a strong sedative quality.

The flower essence of Elecampagne has a strong balancing effect on those people who feel odd, misplaced or unusual. This can relate to physical attributes or psychological temperament. A person needing Elecampagne feels estranged from the general population and can have difficulty finding a comfortable identity to work from. Symptoms manifest themselves in timidity, shyness, or a strong expression of personality, which can push others away.

Elecampagne is not for changing a personality, but for making an individual comfortable with his or her own uniqueness. This comfortability eases much of the social turmoil and aids in the ability to connect with others. Often a person testing positive for Elecampagne will express uncomfortability with some aspect of their presence, which doesn't seem to"fit in."

Elecampagne is also valuable in helping those who identify with negative aspects of their personality. In this case learning new traits, skills and behaviors makes no impression on the self-concept. An example of someone who needs this essence, for instance, might be someone who once considered him or herself unintelligent and later continues to have this opinion even when receiving excellent grades in school. Elecampagne helps one transition into a new identity, leaving older more negative imprints behind.

This is another essence that is good for animals which have been rescued or who come from abusive previous owners. The personality of the new owner and the safety of the new situation are internalized more quickly. This can have an effect on many physical imbalances that come from projecting old stress onto a new situation. In this case, it is best to give the essence after the animal has been with the new family for at least a few weeks.

Elecampagne flower essence is an excellent complementary therapy for a number of breathing difficulties in both animals and humans, especially asthma. This is especially true when some of the personality characteristics described above accompany the physical symptom.  I have also found it to be effective in treating certain fears such as agoraphobia.  I once used Elecampagne with a woman who was changing many aspects of her life after leaving an unhealthy, long-term relationship. She confessed a fear about resocializing after others would judge being alienated from people for so long and complained about several aspects of her body and personality that she felt. Elecampagne helped her make the transition smoothly as she came to fully appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of all of the aspects of her self, all in a very short period of time.