There is something so exquisite about the rose with its velvety soft petals and intoxicating fragrance. Traditionally associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, the rose symbolises passion, desire, love and sexuality within many cultures. However as a medicinal plant the rose has multiple uses and both its petals and its fruit are a mainstay in my home apothecary.
In the Rosa genus you’ll find wild and cultivated varieties. The dog rose (Rosa canina) or R. rugosa can be incorporated into hedgerows for a visually appealing and fragrant effect. We have many wild roses, alongside the rambling honeysuckle, planted into ours here on the farm. Cultivated roses, the ones with multiple petals and grown with much care in our gardens, are also edible, but my favourite will always be the hardier wild varieties.
Identification
Roses have many curved thorns running up their stems. The pretty blooms appear in early summer, with wild roses having five petals that are usually pink and sometimes white. In autumn, wild roses carry oval fruits called hips which are orangey red in colour and contain hairy seeds. Their leaves are toothed and arranged on alternate sides of the stem. Make sure your garden roses haven’t been sprayed if you plan on using them for remedies and in the kitchen.
Uses
The herbal actions of the rose are pretty impressive. It’s nutrient-rich, astringent, diuretic and anti-inflammatory and also used for uplifting the spirits, for grief, PMS, upset tummy, sore throats, colds and during the menopause. Roses can be used in tinctures, glycerites, teas, honeys, oxymels, syrups, vinegars and hydrosols, as a flower remedy and an essential oil. Rose hips are commonly known as being a good source of vitamin C. During the Second World War, rosehip syrup was given to children to ensure they were consuming ample vitamin C, as imported fruit was harder to come by. Children were encouraged to collect rose hips for the Ministry of Health.
In 1941, there were 200 tonnes of hips collected and processed into a National Rose Hip Syrup which was available at chemists for families to purchase as a supplement.
The leaves of the rose are full of tannins which makes it a good alternative to black tea, having a similarly astringent effect but without the caffeine. It is also a good tea to take to soothe an upset tummy. From an energetic perspective rose is like a warm, motherly embrace – it is soothing, heart-opening, softening and gentle. Rose is full of femininity, comfort and tenderness. It can be used to help heal a broken heart, to find calm after trauma and emotional upheaval, give love and self-care, and provide us with a feeling of warm comfort.
Harvesting and preparation
The best time to harvest rose petals is mid-summer. Collect the petals on a dry morning. Gently pull off the petals, leaving behind the calyx of the rose. Dry on a tray in a warm, airy room or at a low heat (about 34°C/93°F) in a food dehydrator. When harvesting rose hips wait until the hip is completely ripe, usually in autumn, and bright orange or red. Remove the seeds and irritating hairs from the hip before use. The hips can also be dried as above but use a slightly higher heat (43°C/109°F) in the dehydrator.
Rose & Lemon Balm Honey
Herbal honeys are among my favourite concoctions, especially when rose is included. There is something almost magical about spooning the golden, viscous syrup into a cup of steaming water, or pouring it in ribbons over a milky pudding. It’s so soothing, fragrant and calming, and it’s also incredibly easy to make. With the addition of relaxing lemon balm this honey is pure heaven!
- Dried rose petals (crushed into small pieces)
- Dried lemon balm leaves (crushed into small pieces)
- Raw runny honey
- Clean, dry, wide-mouthed jar with lid
- Label
- Fine-mesh strainer (optional)
- To make rose honey, half-fill the jar with rose petals and lemon balm leaves. Pour over the honey.
- Stir with a spoon or chopstick to ensure the petals are all coated and to remove some of the air bubbles. Add extra honey, if needed, ensuring all the petals are covered.
- Seal the jar with the lid, label and leave to infuse for 4–6 weeks and then the honey is ready to be eaten.
- You can leave the herbs in the honey if you wish or alternatively warm the honey slightly and strain through a fine sieve.
- The herbal honey will last at least a year.
Nourish Tea
This tea is fragrant, uplifting and nourishing. Oat straw acts
as a tonic, chamomile soothes frayed nerves, rose adds its loving energetics, while verbena or lemon balm add further relaxing properties as well relaxing the body. This tea is perfect to
drink before bedtime or whenever you need a gentle, restorative pick-me-up.
- 1 part dried chamomile flowers
- 1 part dried oat straw
- ½ part dried rose petals
- ½ part lemon verbena or lemon balm leaves
- Boiling water
- Clean, dry jar with airtight lid
- Tea strainer
- Mix the herbs together in the jar, ensuring you use an airtight lid.
- Put 2 teaspoons of the herb mix in a tea strainer set in a mug and pour over boiling water.
- Leave to infuse for 10 minutes, then remove the herbs.
- Drink up to three cups a day.
Rose Hip Syrup
When autumn creeps in and the hips of the rose bushes become bright and fat, it’s time to make this delicious syrup packed with vitamin C and essential antioxidants.
- 125 g (4 oz) freshly picked or dried rose hips
- 500 ml (16 fl oz/2 cups) water
- 62–125 g (2–4 oz/½–1 cup unrefined caster (superfine) sugar, maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon brandy, vodka or herbal tincture (optional)
- Muslin (cheesecloth) and fine-mesh strainer
- Syrup bottle with lid
- Label
- Add the rose hips and water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until the rose hips have softened and the water is reduced by half.
- Strain the rose hips into a jug (pitcher) using a strainer lined with a piece of muslin.
- Measure out 250 ml (81/2 fl oz/1 cup of the herbal liquid and return to the saucepan. Add the sweetener. If using sugar, return the pan to the heat until the crystals have dissolved.
Remove from the heat, add the alcohol and stir well. - Funnel the syrup into the bottle, seal with the lid and label. Use within 4 weeks.
- Take 1 tablespoon a day to help ward off colds and flus.
- I like to make this using Hawthorn Berry Honey (see page 77). It gives a delicious flavour and has additional benefits.
Rose Hydrosol
There is nothing quite like a homemade rose hydrosol. Freshly made hydrosol can be diluted at a ratio of 1:10 as an incredibly aromatic tea or used as a facial toner to tighten and protect the skin.
You will need
- Fresh rose petals, clean and unsprayed
- Ice cubes
- Clean brick or sturdy heatproof ramekin
- Large saucepan with lid
- Heatproof bowl that fits inside the saucepan
- Turkey baster
- Storage bottle with lid
- Label
- Place the brick or heatproof ramekin in the base of the large saucepan. Add the rose petals and cover with water up to the level of the brick/ramekin.
- Place a bowl on top of the the brick/ramekin, making sure it’s heatproof. Invert the saucepan lid and place cubes of ice in the lid indentation.
- Slowly bring the pan to a simmer. As the water heats the plant material, condensation will appear on the pan lid and slowly drip into the bowl, collecting aromatic floral water.
- When the lid begins to fill up with melted ice, remove with a turkey baster and replace with fresh ice cubes.
- Once the bowl has collected enough rose hydrosol, remove the pan from the heat, carefully funnel into a clean, dry storage bottle and label. Store the hydrosol in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- This process will take about an hour and you will have to replace the ice a few times through this time.
This is an extract from ‘The Garden Apothecary’ by Becky Cole, published by Hardie Grant. Buy a copy here.
