Rose

Rose has been an ally of mine for as long as I can remember… I have her tattooed on my body, and work with her essential oil or herb - almost daily!

She has been a beautiful teacher for me in my journey of balancing softness (her beautiful petals) with boundaries (her protective thorns!)

If you are feeling called to heart medicine - I recommend guiding yourself through a “rose apprenticeship.” Every day, for one month, work with rose in some capacity. Drink her as a tea, take a pinch of dried or fresh petals on your tongue (microdose), use her essential oil, make a glycerite or vinegar (see recipes in resources.) Throughout the month, take note of how you feel and what you are experiencing.

I want to share the beautiful words about rose from one of my herbal mentors, Seraphina Capranos. She perfectly captures the essence of rose:

“With their sweet fragrance and complex flavour, roses teach us about love and boundaries. You may admire the beauty of the bloom, but then, approach carefully and thoughtfully—or else.

Medicinal Properties of Rose

Roses are not just pretty and edible (though we love them for these reasons) they are also useful medicine for first aid, and even long-term health conditions.

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

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 petal medicine fits the picture for someone who is fatigued, worn out, and depleted with dry hair and skin. In Chinese medicine this constellation of symptoms falls under the category of blood deficiency.

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

Love and Boundaries: Healing Heart and Spirit

I use Rose medicine for those who've had their boundaries crossed. It’s a nourishing medicine for someone who has an open heart that has been trampled over and bruised. I use this herb for those who have experienced heartbreak and loss from a relationship that has fractured— that relationship could be to a person, place or situation. 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 raise the spirits and remind us that love is possible in all its many forms after tragedy. Rose helps us connect to hope.

I also use Rose for those who are so hardened from loss or disappointments in life they have grown sharp prickles themselves, and have a hard time letting love in, even though they want to. I have seen  Rose help people to grow healthy boundaries that are right-sized for them.

Consider Rose a specific herb for those who feel too sensitive for this world, and for those who see the world as a harsh, mean, and painful place. I recommend fresh rose petal tincture as a nice dose of rose-coloured glasses to inspire motivation and spirit, and to find your own path of healing and wholeness. Not the denial "Pollyanna" style rose coloured glasses; the kind where just enough optimism and hope can facilitate the next step towards one's own personal version of health.

I also use rose medicine for anyone who has experienced abuse. Especially sexual abuse or violation. Rose can also be an ally for those who feel disconnected from their own sexual energy, and Rose is also helpful for those who feel they cannot access their sexuality, and want to. Rose's medicine is specific for reconnecting the heart with the sex, which I find important from an energetic perspective for re-establishing sexual desire.

Preparations for Rose

On the edges of our being, 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 clears liver heat or liver congestion, and soothes vaginal irritation from conditions such as candida overgrowth. 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.

For those who are burdened by bitterness, Rose petal honey is the best reminder of  the sweetness of life and the possibilities for love after heartbreak.

A single drop of Rose petal honey on the tongue can bring a smile to many faces and a glow to the heart. Add that honey to tea or take on the spoon to soothe a sore inflamed throat, to settle a harassing cough, or apply to a bee sting (honey is a great antidote to a bee or wasp sting applied externally; with rose-infused honey, it makes it even more effective).

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.”