The Medicine of Rose
Rose, one of the most loved herbal medicines around. It’s beauty, scent, flavour and romantic association draw us in. Back in the day I would add rose petals to tea blends simply to make them more beautiful. While beauty might not seem like an important element of medicine, it actually is. Creating experiences where people feel special and loved is absolutely medicinal in a world where many feel unseen and unheard.
The special feeling a pinch of rose petals can bring to a tea blend goes beyond its beauty. Energetically rose can completely change the feeling and effect of a blend. It’s soft floral notes are uplifting and help individuals connect to their heart space. It can soften our experience, helping us to move through grief, anger and heartache, teaching us to love wholly.
Roses are cooling in nature. They relieve excess heat in our emotions, skin, digestive tract and cardiovascular system. Whenever we talk about an herb being heating or cooling, we don’t just mean thermal temperature; cooling also refers to decreasing excessive activity. For example, rose medicine is calming to reactive emotions, and soothing to inflammation in the skin or digestive tract.
Physically it is quite astringent (like green tea), which is why it’s so popular in skin products. It tonifies the skin, but also can tonify other tissues. For example, we like to add rose to mouthwashes where there are canker sores and to sitz baths postpartum. In both of these cases we want to promote healing and tonify the skin, plus decrease excessive inflammation to the local tissues.
I’m highlighting this loved herb and its medicinal virtues so others can begin to see and understand the vastness of herbal remedies, and the unique energetic pattern that they each express. By approaching herbs with this lends we’re able to appreciate more deeply, and understand how to integrate its effects and teaching into our lives.
Next time you go to enjoy your Rose tea or Rose face mist or whatever other rose products you love, take a moment to thank that medicine for all that it offers, (and take a moment to let yourself feel special and loved.)
