I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,Where oxlips and the nodding violet growsQuite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,With sweet musk-Roses and with eglantine.
William Shakespeare
Much poetry and literature has been written around the deceptively beautiful and fragrant Rose of love and beauty and much more. No flower has ever been more compared to than the Rose in her many forms from bud to flower to thorn.
With Valentine’s Day approaching, I’ve been seeing Roses everywhere!
Did you know Rose is a great medicinal herb?
Most commonly, the rose petals, buds, and hips are used but the leaves, stems, and roots can also be utilized.
So let’s start with Rose petals and buds.
When we think of herbal medicine, it’s great to also think about the energetics of the plant we are using so that we can match them up to people and their conditions.
Rose petals are sweet, cooling, and drying, so they are great for conditions that are hot and damp, such as a sore throat with a lot of mucus.
Rose has a long history of helping out with heart conditions. Not only physical heart conditions, but also emotional and spiritual heart issues as well.
She is one of the ‘heart’ herbs that is called upon whenever a broken heart is in need of mending.
She is a great alternative to Bach’s “Rescue Remedy” formula and can be combined with various herbs to more personally address the situation.
As Rose can be cooling, she is best combined with a warming herb such as cinnamon if the person in need of her tends to run cool.
Physically, Rose helps with high blood pressure and poor circulation, especially when they are presented with headaches, heart palpitations, hot flashes, and a red face.
Rose has also been used throughout history for a variety of ailments. Native Americans like Rose for wounds, diarrhea, mouth sores, worms, and eye problems.
Rose helps to relax the nervous system and works great for exhaustion.
Because Rose is cooling, she is great for treating any problem with inflammation and heat. Urinary inflammations, irritable bowel syndrome, yeast and vaginal infections, constipation, sluggish digestion, and liver inflammation can all benefit from Rose’s cooling touch.
In addition, this herb helps to relieve tension from the kidneys and liver and is supportive of liver issues including acute or chronic hepatitis, especially when there is inflammation involved.
Rose makes a soothing syrup or an herbal honey to sooth sore throats.
Rose petals can be dried and powdered to sprinkle on wounds or made into a paste for treating wounds and ulcers. Infused with water as a tea, Rose makes a great eye wash for eye sores. Petals infused with oil can be used as an after bath oil. A spoonful of tinctured or honeyed Rose petals makes a great addition to any infusion or even a glass of water for a refreshing and delightful drink. Rose syrup could also be combined with sparkling water to make Rose soda.
The hips are full of vitamin C and great for boosting the immune system. They are often added to wintertime formulas to help fight off viruses.
Rose hips can be tinctured, dried, powdered, honeyed or added to an elixir to obtain their healing powers. They can also be made into jelly or brewed into a tart, lemony tasting tea. The hips do have hairs inside and need to be strained off when used or the hairs can irritate the throat.
Remember that the stems, leaves, and roots can also be used medicinally. They can all be dried and used in infusions or tinctured. Herbalists who use Rose sometimes combine the aerial parts together when making herbal preparations.
Want to learn to make a Rose Flower Water with your kids? Check out my Monday Making series. This week’s episode is on making Herbal/Floral Waters!
Want to listen to “Radiant Rose”? This story is from the Rose ebook of Herbal Roots zine and it can be found on YouTube here:
Want to learn MORE about Rose? Check out my eBook on this Beautiful plant!
https://herbalrootszine.com/product/rose-issue-20/
Rose is a great “beginner” herb for kids to learn about and is part of my “New to Herbs” year long course for kids.
To learn more about my courses and to enroll, head to:
https://herbalrootszine.com/all-courses/
