Plant Profile: Rose

Rose
(Rosa spp)

Family: Rosaceae

Energetics: Cooling/Drying

Parts Used: Petals, Fruit (hips), Inner bark, Leaves

Preparations: Infusion, Tincture, Honey, Syrup, Food, Essential Oil

Properties:  
Foundational: Astringent
Primary: Nervine. Mild diuretic. Mild laxative
Secondary: Anti-inflammatory. Analgesic. Aphrodesiac. 

Medicinal Uses: 

• Bladder Infections
• Cold
• Depression
• Flu
• Grief
• Inflammation
• Wounds
  
   Rosehips: One of the best natural sources of vitamin C. Petals used in skincare  to help reduce inflammation and give tone. Mouth rinse with rose extract for canker sores. Spring tonic. Constipation. mild gallbladder, kidney & bladder problems. Reducing autoimmune heat and excitation. Rose balm fort the heart. Brings a sense of peace & calm. Reminder of the sweetness of life. Almost always in a formula for someone dealing with trauma.
  Wound healing and lax tissues. 

Contraindications: Seeds contain a glucoside and are toxic. Seeds are not used and must be removed before using rosehips for anything. 
Rose essential oil is incredibly expensive. It takes a LOT of rose petals to make just 1 oz of rose essential oil. If you find a bottle of inexpensive rose essential oil it is almost certainly adulterated. Also, Roses are one of the most common flowers to be sprayed with an abundance of pesticides. Use caution and choose only organic or wild crafted rose for consumption. 

My Personal Experience with Rose: Kind of fitting tonight that my daughter asked me to make Rose tea tonight. Today was a very emotionally charged day as her and my son got a chance to spend time with their friends from their dance studio that they had to leave 6 months ago. They were dancing at a competition near our home so we went to see them. It was a happy reunion but also, understandably sad as they watched their friends perform without them. Too bad at almost 11 years old my daughter has that americanized sense of taste that doesn't appreciate tea. Maybe she'll develop a taste if I just keep offering it or maybe benefit from a tincture or some other preparation. Only time will tell. and I infused 1 tablespoon of dried Organic Rose petals in about 8 ounces of just boiled water for 10 minutes. It smells incredible. That light fragrance associated with roses is still there in my cup of tea. The taste is just as light. I can feel the astringency on my tongue, just a little bit. It's possible I'd feel it more if I made a stronger infusion with more petals. I'll have to explore that next time. My mind feels calmer but I don't feel quite as sleepy as with, say, chamomile. It has been a stressful day for mom too. Now that I really think about it. My back, hips and legs really aren't sore, as they have been all day. I feel very calm like all the craziness going on and consequently, being bounced around in my mind have taken a step back.