Roses are versatile for Food and Healing Purposes

The rose, known for its exquisite beauty and romantic symbolism, goes beyond being a mere ornamental flower with a captivating scent. Its healing properties, often overlooked, can provide profound physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits when used as both food and medicine. Discover various ways to harness the incredible healing potential of roses, such as creating your own rose elixir (a blend of rose, honey, and brandy), rose honey, rose-infused vinegar, rose tinctures, and rose water. Explore the medicinal advantages of roses and try out six simple recipes to craft your own rose remedies.

The Rich Heritage and Symbolism of Roses

Across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, the rose holds a special place in art, literature, poetry, and mythology. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, roses were cultivated in medieval gardens for their culinary, medicinal, and perfumery uses.

In Indian mythology, Vishnu, the supreme God, formed his bride, Lakshmi, using roses.
The red rose was said to be created by Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, as she mourned the loss of her lover Adonis.
Roman myth tells the tale of Flora, the Goddess of spring and flowers, who transformed her beloved nymph's body into a flower with the help of other Gods.
read more about the Celtic folklore of Roses here.

The Healing Potential of Roses

Roses have a history of being utilized for both sustenance and medicinal purposes. The extensive Rosaceae family includes strawberries, raspberries, almonds, and apples, and roses offer beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoids. Particularly, rose hips are rich in vitamin C and contain compounds known for their cancer-fighting properties.

Emotional and Spiritual Healing

We all face grief and sorrow at times that can weigh heavily on us. Rose medicine offers a beautiful way to ease our hearts and uplift us in times of deep sadness.

Herbalists advocate using roses for nourishment and healing, especially through the potent rose elixir. This elixir is remarkably uplifting and can help with trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, heartbreak, chronic stress, and fatigue, Similar to a Rescue Remedy.

The essence of the rose exudes elegance and positivity, adapting to our emotional needs like many other plant-based remedies.

Instinctively, we recognize the rose's uplifting nature – simply breathe in its fragrance and observe its emotional impact. Roses are known for their sensuality, evoking feelings of love and acting as an aphrodisiac. When used mindfully, the rose can elevate low moods and foster a sense of overall well-being.

Medicinal Parts

There are thousands of varieties of roses cultivated around the world. All parts of the rose can be used as food and medicine, including leaves, petals, hips, roots and root bark. When choosing roses as food and medicine, only use only organically grown roses. Strongly aromatic roses make the best medicine.

The best roses to grow for healing are the Wild or Briar Rose, aka Rosa Canina, the French Rose, aka Rosa Gallica, and the Beach Rose, aka Rose Rugosa. All of these are referenced in ancient herbal texts and are considered the herbalist’s popular choice for rose medicine making.

Six Delightful Rose Recipes

Rose Elixir

Ingredients:

Glass jar with lid
Organically grown fresh or dried rose petals
Brandy or honey mead
Raw Honey

Directions:

Fill your jar with rose petals.
Fill the jar 2/3 full with honey.
Stir the honey to coat the rose petals.
Add the brandy, enough to cover the rose and honey.
Cover the jar and gently invert it, turning it upside down and right side up several times to gently mix everything well.
Let's sit for several weeks.
Strain off the petals. These rose petals make a nice topping for desserts or eaten with a spoonful.
Store your elixir in a covered jar. I enjoy using a decorative bottle.

Ways to Enjoy Your Rose Elixir

Take by the teaspoon
Add to seltzer or mineral water
Add to tea or other beverages
Use as a topping for cakes and muffins
An indulgent topping for ice cream

Rose Honey

If you want to avoid alcohol, you can make a simple herbal-infused honey using rose petals. The process is the same as the elixir, except you eliminate the alcohol and simply cover the rose petals with honey. Rose honey can be used to top baked goods, in plain yoghurt, on homemade bread, by the spoonful, added to beverages, and of course, rose honey makes an elegant gift.

Rose – Infused Vinegar

Rose vinegar is lovely and can be used in a variety of ways, including:

Colourful vinaigrette salad dressings
Aromatic addition to sauces and marinades
Rose vinegar can be combined with water in a spray bottle to use on sunburns and bug bites – roses are cooling and offer relief from conditions of heat and inflammation. You can even make your own rose – aloe cooling lotion and spray
Rose vinegar makes a lovely addition to your homemade hair rinse

And of course, rose vinegar would make a unique gift.

Ingredients:

Rose petals fresh or dried – red or dark pink petals create a distinctively colored vinegar
Glass jar with lid
Vinegar of your choice

Directions:

Fill your jar with rose petals
Cover rose petals with vinegar and stir to remove air bubbles. Add more vinegar if needed.
Cover (I used a piece of waxed paper under the metal lid to protect it from the vinegar)
Allow to infuse for a few weeks. The vinegar will take on the colour of the roses.
Strain the rose petals and enjoy your lovely new vinegar.

Rose Tincture

Rose tinctures are generally used in small amounts. One half to one dropper full at a time on the tongue delivers the medicinal qualities of the rose directly to the bloodstream. Sometimes I add a dropper full to a small glass of water or an herbal tea.

Ingredients:

Pint jar with lid
tinted glass jar with a dropper for storage of your tincture
Roses fresh or dried to fill your jar
Brandy

Directions:

Fill your jar with rose petals (full but not stuffed)
Add brandy to completely cover the roses, stirring to remove air bubbles. You might need to check after a few minutes and add a little more brandy as the roses soak up the alcohol, especially if you are using dried rose petals.
Label, cap and allow to sit for at least four weeks.
After four weeks, strain the rose petals and keep the tincture in a tinted glass jar. For ease of use, I prefer keeping my tinctures in a small tincture bottle with a dropper. I add more tincture from the larger jar when the small bottle runs out.

Rose Infused Oil

Rose oil can be used directly for skin care, as a massage oil, to create a healing salve, or added to your favourite natural homemade lotion recipe. Rose is cooling, soothing, and excellent at relieving pain and inflammation. This makes rose oil perfect for all kinds of skincare, including rashes, eczema, hives, and poison ivy.

Ingredients:

Dried roses
Jar with lid
Carrier oil – Olive or Almond Oil

Directions:

Fill your jar with dried rose petals. Dried petals are best for making an oil since the moisture present in fresh petals might cause mold to form in the oil.
Add oil to the jar, ensuring you completely cover the rose petals. I suggest adding the oil and gently stirring the jar to remove air pockets. Add more oil as needed to cover the petals.
Cover and let sit for at least four weeks, but try to remember to shake daily.
After four weeks, strain your oil using a cheesecloth or a similar material. Squeeze the cheesecloth to get all that precious rose oil out!
Store in a cool dry place.

Rose Water

Rose water is simple to make and can be used in so many ways. Use the links for inspiration and instructions on using your rose water to make your own:

Homemade perfume spray
homemade facial toner
Cooling and uplifting rose water face mist
Sunburn relief spray

Ingredients for making Rose Water:

Rose petals fresh or dried – 1/4 cup for dried petals, 3/4 cup for fresh petals
Water 1 1/2 cups
Cheesecloth
Dark bottle for storage

Instructions

Add your rose petals and water to a saucepan, cover and bring to a gentle boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer, covered.
Simmer until the petals lose their color (5-10 minutes)
Keeping the lid on, allow the water to cool completely.
Strain through your cloth.
Store in a dark bottle in a cool place