It is a remedy that Dr. Bach grouped, along with others, under the 'fear' group. The fear of Cherry Plum is very specific, as it is the fear of losing control of oneself and doing something terrible to the point of hurting others or oneself.

Cherry Plum is also very useful for the subsequent effects of losing control, for frantic fear and hysteria. (An easy case to visualize is the outburst of irrational rage with screaming that children can have.) Fears of going mad and acting irrationally are also fears of Cherry Plum.

Cherry Plum is one of the ingredients in Dr. Bach's original crisis formula.