(Enrollment is open for The Rose & Root Apprenticeship.
This post is a small taste of what's featured in the program. We'd love you to join! Begins June 4th. )

At some point in our lives, we encounter the renowned beauty of Rose. Hand-delivered flowers, rose petal baths, the alluring scent of our favorite cream. While much of our familiarity is with her soft and sultry side, rose is also a powerful healer.

She tends heartaches. Eases disappointment. Brings boundaries to the places in our lives that need fortification. She is rich in myth and magic.

Rose has long been associated with the Goddess the Greeks call Aphrodite and the Romans call Venus. It is said that roses grew where Aphrodite's tears fell and mixed with her lover’s blood.

Rose is an emblem for love, romance, and matters of the heart and also spiritual fulfillment and divine union, which is why so many religious and spiritual traditions, such as the Rosicrucians, Mary Magdalene, Lakshmi, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the gods and goddesses through pagan cultures, have the Rose woven into their iconography.

And yet, Rose also offers profound medicine for the body, mind and spiritual heart. As Steve Johnson states,

“This herb is for those lacking trust and faith; feeling hopeless; apathetic and disinterested in life; unable to keep the heart open when involved in adverse circumstances. Rose helps us remain openhearted when we are faced with conflict and struggle; builds trust; encourages openness and courageous interest in life."

I'm writing this post on the anniversary of my father's death. A few drops of rose petal tincture brings me back to my heart, and away from the cliff of all-consuming grief, and reminds me of all that is alive and vital in my life.

 

Are Roses Medicinal?  

Roses are not just pretty and edible, they are powerfully medicinal for first aid situations like bug bites and even persistent health conditions like heavy menstrual flow.

And they are very safe to consume, provided they have not been sprayed with harmful pesicides or herbicides.

When you taste rose petals or rose hips, you'll notice the astringency first; that dry puckering sensation in your mouth.

Rose For The Skin

This astringency points to the styptic and wound healing action of Rose. Use the petals to clear up inflamed skin or skin that has been torn, injured, or otherwise irritated. I like to make rose oil (macerated oil, not essential oil) and use this as the base of my face creams and salves for skin conditions, as the entire plant is anti-inflammatory. Rose petals cool hot inflammations of the skin, such as eczema or psoriasis (in combination with other herbs that match a person’s constitution).

Rose hips and seeds are chock full of antioxidants, plant compounds soothe inflammation and support the immune system. While I've yet to try this myself, colleagues have shared successful cases of using concentrated decoctions of rose hips for painful osteoarthritis conditions.

[ Join The Rose & Root Apprenticeship ]

Rose Petal Cools Heat

If you keep chewing those velvety petals, you'll notice a bitter taste, with a slight cooling effect. This points to the relaxing  action on the liver.

Rose clears liver heat or liver congestion which manifests in conditions such as acid reflux, vaginal irritation, and hot diarrhea. I also love to soak the petals in apple cider vinegar for the most spectacular rose-coloured vinegar that I use in food, or externally as a sunburn lotion. (It really does work, try it! Directions below.)

 

So long as roses are not treated with chemicals they can be used medicinally. That said, I prefer the wild roses for medicine, and the garden varieties (that are scented) for honeys and to use in the kitchen.

Love and Boundaries: Rose Medicine for the Heart and Spirit

For those who are burdened by bitterness, Rose petal honey is the best reminder that life can also be sweet, and love is possible after heartbreak.

It’s a nourishing medicine for someone who has an open heart that has been trampled over and bruised.

For those who've had their boundaries crossed.

When the loss of a relationship has spun someone into a deep depression; this loss could be of a person, place or life circumstance.

Rose is in my formulas for prolonged grief, and  for those who feel like they've been in a chronic state of heartache or deep sadness. Rose can help to pull us up and out of deep heartbreak to remind us that love is possible after tragedy.

Rose helps us connect to hope.

I also use Rose for those who are so hardened from loss and disappointments that they have grown sharp prickles and have a hard time letting love in even though they desparately long for it (yet are too prideful to admit to this longing).

I recommend fresh rose petal tincture as a nice dose of rose-coloured glasses to inspire a fresh perspective for these hardened, sad, depressed souls. Not the denial "Pollyanna" style rose coloured glasses; the kind where just enough optimism and hope facilitates the next best step in life.

And on the other side of this picture, consider Rose a specific medicine for those who feel too sensitive for this world, who are too open, unboundaried, and for those who see the world as a harsh, mean, and painful place because they've been unprotected.

I also use rose medicine for anyone who has experienced abuse. Especially sexual abuse or violation.

Rose is also an ally for those who feel disconnected from their own sexual energy, this medicine is helpful for those who feel they cannot access their sexuality (and want to).

[ Dive deeper, join the Apprenticeship ]

 

Rose Petal Recipes

Below I share my recipes for:
Rose Petal Honey
Rose Petal Tincture (and elixir)
Rose Petal Vinegar

In my clinic, I use a lot of fresh rose petal  tincture. It makes up anywhere from 10%-30% of formulas for reproductive health and grief.

In my kitchen, I use rose-infused honey and rose-infused vinegar almost every day. I probably use more vinegar than honey because its so versatile. The rose-infused vinegar is BEAUTIFUL to look at and it can be used externally for sunburns and as a facial toner, and internally as a base for salad dressings, added to meats, steamed green vegetables, and added to sparkling water.

I use rose-infused honey for special occasions. You can use it topically for bug bites, skin wounds, and then internally I use it for food and medicine.

Rose honey soothes a sore throat, calms a hacking cough, and eases anxiety.

In the kitchen, I save it for very special meals. Rose infused honey can be drizzled on cakes and desserts, on ice cream, toast, or added to tea. It is heavenly! I always give small jars away for a birthday present and holiday gifts. What's better than to give the gift of love?

A single drop of Rose petal honey on the tongue can bring a smile to many faces and a glow to the heart.

 

Harvesting Rose Petals 

Harvest wild roses or fragrant garden roses on a dry sunny day. Make sure to harvest petals that are bright and healthy looking, not brown and withering away.

My preference is to use them fresh, within an hour of harvesting.

Harvest by plucking petals and buds from the plant. Be sure to harvest sustainably by leaving at least 1 petal per flower head and an intact calyx to attract bees so they can continue to pollinate. Bees need to see the petal to be drawn to the flower. Also leave enough so you can harvest hips in the fall.

Note: Usually lots of little bugs go along with rose, so spread them on a cardboard flat, or sheet and let the bugs crawl out for 4 or more hours before processing.

 

Rose Infused Honey

Equipment:

Unpasteurized, local honey (liquified, not creamed)

One wide-mouth jar

Fresh rose petals, wild or cultivated garden variety (but not sprayed)

1. Fill a wide-mouth jar loosely, 3/4 full with the petals.
2. Start pouring honey over top the petals. The honey will sit on top of petals, so I like to use a chopstick or a thin wooden spoon to mix and coat the petals with honey. Keep pouring as you do this so honey completely submerges the petals.
3. Fasten the lid. Place on a sunny window sill for 1-2 weeks. The heat will help extract the magical scent and flavour from the petals, infusing their beauty into the honey.

I don't usually strain and separate the petals from the honey. I prefer to leave them in the honey so they crystallize, developing naturally candied petals.

Rose infused honey does not need to be refrigerated. Store in a cupboard and enjoy in teas, on toast, or by the spoonful!

Honey is precious! Please use sparingly and thoughtfully. I always feel conflicted using honey because I'm well aware it takes 2 million flower visits for a bee to make a pound of honey. Please make your honey use conscious.

Rose Tincture & Elixir

To use rose as a medicinal (therapeutic) tincture for internal emotional and physical support, I weigh my petals and measure my liquid so I can make a repeatable, measured, concentrated tincture every year. If you'd prefer to skip this, just fill the jar loosely as I describe for the vinegar below.

1. Weigh out 20g of fresh rose petals and place them in a wide mouthed canning jar. Make sure to harvest on a dry day, to avoid excess moisture on the petals.
2. Add 500ml of Brandy to the jar, making sure to cover the petals by at least 1/2 an inch. Fasten lid.
3. Shake and let the jar stand for one moon cycle.
4. After one month, strain and (optional) add 150ml of liquified honey to the finished product. This is added for taste, and to create a magical flavour. Honey adds the frequency of bee medicine: sweet, resilient, complex, restorative. If you are a beginner, I suggest having some tincture set aside without honey so you can familiarize yourself with pure rose tincture.
5. Transfer your finished product to tincture bottles, and label.How to Use: Take 3 - 5 drops  for energetic support, as needed, to ease anxiety, grief, and deep seated sorrow. For inflammation of the skin and physical support; use material doses: 0 drops twice a day. Personally, I find a little goes a long way with rose tincture. You can use it intuitively.Shelf Life: 5 years.

 

Rose Petal Infused Vinegar 

Equipment:
Rose Petals
Wide-mouthed glass jar 
Wax paper, or a plastic lid to fasten jar 
Organic apple cider vinegar 
Optional: Honey
* This recipe can be made with rose hips in the autumn.

 

1. Fill a canning jar loosely with rose petals. Make sure to harvest on a dry day, so the petals are free of excess water.
2. Pour apple cider vinegar over top the petals, filling the jar to the brim so the petals are covered. They may float to the top, but that's okay. Eventually they will settle.
3. Fasten the lid of the jar. If you are using a metal ring jar, make sure to line it with wax paper as vinegar corrodes metal. Alternatively, you can use a plastic canning jar lid. Label. Shake gently to combine the ingredients and as you do envision all the people you will nourish with this medicine.
4. . Store the jar on your kitchen counter and shake once daily. Strain and separate after 2 weeks.

How to Use: You now have a delicious, beautiful and magical rose vinegar. This is the base of all my salad dressings. You can also apply it to skin to soothe a sunburn. Dilute it with water and use it as a facial toner. Put it in a clear, pretty bottle and give away as a gift.

Shelf Life: One year.

 

Rose shares the vibration of love. Enjoy, and share this rose medicine widely.

With all my love to you!

Seraphina