Rose

Jul 13

7 min read

There are more than 10,000 varieties of cultivated roses and thousands of wild varieties. They are not only beautiful to look at and fragrant to smell, but as a bonus, they are loaded with healing properties. Rose is a two for one plant, with petals during the summer and hips in the fall and winter.

Printable for Herbal

Rosa, many species

Family: Rosaceae - rose, apple

Parts used: petals, fruits (hips)

Best species for medicinal use. They should have a strong fragrance with no pesticides or chemical use.

Canina (wild rose), dog rose
Rugosa (shrub rose)
Gallica (apothecary rose), used for essential oil
Damascena (damask rose), aromatherapy use
Laevigata (Cherokee rose), used for rosehips
Centifolia (cabbage rose), aromatherapy use
Eglanteria (eglantine rose)
Rubiginosa (briar rose)

What's in a Name - Rosa, species

Rosa - direct translation of Latin means rose. Greek root meaning “red”.

Each species and subspecies has specific names for culture, uses, or looks.

The Greek poet Sappho called the rose, the Queen of Flowers

History

The first of all roses originated in Ancient Persia.
A favorite of Egyptians for fragrance and cosmetics. Cleopatra had the floors of her palace covered with rose petals at the arrival of Antony.
Found in many historic herbals; Greek, Roman, Indian Ayurvedic, German herbalist Hildegard, Askham’s in 1500s, Culpepper in 1600s.
Romans scattered at funerals to symbolize resurrection.
Grown in monasteries of the Middle Ages for medicinal purposes (officinalis)
Elizabethan times used the dew from rose petals in costly cosmetics.
Napoleon’s wife, Empress Josephine, created one of the largest rose gardens at her Cahteau de Malmaison in Paris. Every known cultivated variety was grown there.
William Penn brought 18 rosebushes from England to the colonies in 1699.
Native Americans used them medicinally and as ornaments.
John Adams first planted rose bushes around the White House, which currently has a large rose garden.
During World War II, oranges weren’t available in England, so they used rosehip syrup as an alternative for nutrients and vitamin C. They would pay youth and children to collect the hips throughout the countryside.
Rose is the national flower of America:

“Americans have always loved the flowers with which God decorates our land…More often than any other flower, we hold the rose dear as the symbol of life and love and devotion, of beauty and eternity. For the love of man and woman, for the love of mankind and God, for the love of country, Americans who would speak the language of the heart do so with a rose.”

-President Ronald Reagan, 1986

The Crimson Rambler by Philip Leslie Hale

Actions

Antibacterial

Anti-Inflammatory

Aperient

Astringent

Nutritive

Tonic

Petals: alterative, hemostatic, nervine, cleansing

Hips: antioxidant, antispasmodic, carminative

Energetics/Body Systems Affected

Cooling

Moistening

Toning

Skin

Urinary

Uterine

Constituents/Nutrients

There are over 300 constituents, only 100 have been identified

Antioxidants

Quercitrin

Tannins

Vitamins B, C, E, K

Volatile oil

Petal Uses

Sedative and calming qualities make it good for sleep issues, stress, and anxiety.
Hormone balancing and female tonic.
Can help ease PMS symptoms such as headache, bleeding, and irritability.
Helps with depression, mood swings, broken heart, and grief.
Aids the body in cooling fevers, heat rash, sunburn, and inflammation. (Hydrosol, vinegar, toner or tea in a spray bottle or use a compress)
Acne, boils, rashes, wrinkles, burns, scars, helps heal any type of skin condition.
Shrink capillary redness and inflammation, good for thread and varicose veins and capillary damage.
Mouth sores such as cankers (swish tea around mouth before swallowing).
Helps with hemorrhoids (bath or spritz)
Affinity for the skin so use away in personal care products such as toner, facial masks, creams, steams, etc.

Hip Uses

Rose hips have many of the same properties as the petals.
High in Vitamin C, A, B, and K
Immune support and strength.
Aids absorption of nutrients.
Help fight infection and inflammation in the digestive tract.
Assists in the elimination of waste through the urinary tract.
Kidney tonic
Cough, cold, flu, fever, sore throat, sniffles, chest congestion, etc.

Emotional Support

Balances the energetic body.
Emotional stabilizer and balancer.
Opens heart to give and receive, softens the heart.
Promotes healthy spiritual and emotional boundaries and protection. A soft yet strong heart that is open yet protected.
Encourages action and purpose, self-love, patience, compassion, love, and cheerfulness.
Gives comfort and familiarity, like a nurturing hug.
Soothes vulnerability, anger, grief, broken heart, fear-based emotions.
Enhances mood

“The rose is a very multilayered medicine that works on many systems in the body, but if I wanted to net it down to one reason, it’s because rose is truly the flower of love. If we don’t come at the challenges facing us from a place of love, we’re not going to get very far." -Robin Rose Bennett

Herb Preparations

Food; chop both hips and petals and incorporate into culinary dishes. Hips can be made into jam, jelly, syrup, and beverages.
Extracts
Tea, drinks, smoothies
Syrup, honey (makes a great face mask and ointment)
Herbal oil, salve, balm
Powder, sprinkle
Facial toner (soothes skin inflammation)
Washes; gargle, eye wash, mouthwash (sore throat and mouth sores)
Baths, soaks, steam
Compress, poultice
Aromatherapy (petals, essential oil, rose water)
Essential oil or hydrosol (rose water)

“Good for the skin and the soul”

Rose Attar or Otto (Rose Essential Oil)

Rose attar, also known as otto, is the pure essential oil from the rose petal. It is said that rose attar was first discovered in Persia by a wedding couple floating on a pond of roses. The heat separated the essential oil from the rose water, giving them both the attar and hydrosol.

It takes 60,000 roses to make a single ounce of rose, which is why pure rose essential oil is so expensive. Rose absolute is cheaper version, using a solvent for extract instead of steam distillation. Absolute can contain small amounts of trace solvents and has a thicker, more concentrated oil that smells just like a fresh rose. Attar is more delight, lighter in weight and fragrance. It is used for antiseptic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, cell rejuvenating, perfumery, mood and emotions.

Still Life with Roses by Paul de Longpre, 1892

Foraging/Care/Harvesting

Roses love sunshine! Give them fast draining, moisture retentive soil. These can be planted anytime during the season and any variety. Wild roses are found in dry to moist, open, or shaded forest, scrubland, field sides and parks. Make sure any variety you use has not been treated with pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

Dig a hole 2 feet wide and deep enough to place the plant with the bud union 1-2" below soil level to protect from freezing.
Rose petals can be gathered as they bloom during the summer months. Remove petals when fully open or snip.
Rose hips are ready to harvest in the fall when they turn deep orange or red and begin to soften, usually after the first frost. Twist and pull or snip off hips.
For drying, cut in half and scoop out the seeds and "hair”.
Herb preparations can be made with the whole hips. Strain thoroughly in case any of the small, irritating hairs inside are released.

Symbolism

Love
Beauty
Charm
Joy
Protection
Rebirth
Nurturing – female

There are 35 types of roses with specific symbolism listed in The Artistic Language of Flowers.

A Nymph in the Forest by Charles-Amable Lenoir

Myths and Legend

Queen of Flowers - In Greek mythology, Chloris, the goddess of flowers turned a beautiful, dead nymph into a rose. Many gods were invited to share a gift with the rose; Apollo warmed the bloom, Aphrodite shared some beauty, Dionysus gave sweet nectar, and the three Graces supplied charm, joy, and magnificence. It was only fitting the rose should be called The Queen of Flowers.
Greek legends connect the rose to Aphrodite, goddess of beauty. The first rose was created from the sea foam when she arose from the sea. Another legend says the rose was formed from her tears and her lover Adonis's blood. when she first rose from the sea foam, or from her tears and the blood of Adonis. The red rose came from Aphrodite’s blood falling upon the white rose as she was cut by a thorn while helping Adonis.
A Greek maiden worshipped the goddess Venus with rose offerings. When she developed a boil on her face, Venus had her use the same roses she had offered to heal them, recovering her beauty which resulted in her marriage to the Persian Emperor Cyrus.
Turks claimed the red rose came from Mohammad’s blood.
Romans scattered roses at funerals to symbolize resurrection.

The Rose in Christianity

Renaissance art used roses in paintings to represent the blood of Christian martyrs.
Christ was referenced as the “Rose of Sharon” symbolic of “the beauty of His presence, the sweetness of His mercy, the fragrance of His love.” Song of Solomon 2:1-2
Rose petals were dried, rolled into beads, and strung into chains for religious use, later to become the “rosary”