Do you have roses in your yard? Do you enjoy their aromatic beauty? Did you know that not only is the rose beautiful, but it is also a potent medicinal plant?
For centuries, the rose has been thought of as an ornamental plant, prized for its scent and delicate beauty. A gift of roses has long symbolized love, femininity and romance.
However, the delicate nature of the soft, aromatic rose petal is balanced by the intense, protective thorns that line the stems and guard the exquisite blossoms from harm. This gives us some insight to the nature and strength of it’s medicinal qualities.
Astringent and Anti-inflammatory
Scientific studies have now born out what herbalists have known all along – Rose is an excellent anti-inflammatory remedy. Because of this action, it is soothing to sore throats, acne and rosacea, as well as burns and swelling. It’s astringent and anti-bacterial nature makes it a very effective remedy for just about any type of wound, along with GI tract infections.
Women’s Issues
Traditionally, the rose is known as a woman’s herb. It has the ability to balance the hormones, strengthen the uterus and act as an aphrodisiac. It can be used very effectively to ease menstrual cramps internally and externally. Its benefits to the skin are multi-faceted. It can not only balance the skin, but moisturize and rejuvenate it as well. It has been used effectively in anti-aging skin products for centuries.
Depression and Grief
Rose has the ability to open the heart and bring comfort and calming to those in need. It is incredibly uplifting and can be used to ease both depression and anxiety. It can be useful in any sort of emotional trauma, fear or stress.
Nutrient Rich
Containing a wide range of antioxidants, rose petals and hips are a rich source of nutrition. Rose hips not only contain so much vitamin C that in WWII they were used as a substitute to deliver Vitamin C syrup to troops in Britain, but they, along with other parts of the plant, also contain large amounts of Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, Niacin, Bioflavanoids, K, and E as well as polyphenols, pectin and bioflavanoids.
Heart Remedy
Rose is not only good for the emotional heart, but the physical heart as well. It is especially indicated in high blood pressure and/or poor circulation, and in those who experience heart palpitations and hot flashes. It also contains heart healthy pectin.
I enjoy making a variety of different medicinal remedies from the rose plant. Here is my favorite.
What’s yours?
In the last post in this series, we talked about what real food is and is not. We spoke about various ingredients to avoid when changing your diet to a real-food diet. In this post, I’d like to focus more on foods to include in your diet – foods that are not only healthy, but medicinal as well.
Hippocrates was a Greek physician born around 460BC and came to be known as the “Father of Modern Medicine”. One of his most famous quotes is, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Isn’t it interesting to note that someone we consider to be one of the greatest physicians of all time considers food the most important medicine?
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