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Rose

Roses (Dog Rose) Is common all across the Northern Hemisphere. The Japanese Rose,  cousin to the the Dog Rose has the same properties .

Parts used: Hips, leaves, petals

Rose, is the name of both the shrub and the flower.  There are over one hundred species of wild rose and too many to count varieties of the roses grown in gardens. If you haven't ever been, you owe it to yourself to take a day trip to the Tyler Rose Gardens, or at least spend a day wandering the rose gardens in Fort Worth's Botanic Gardens. 

Rose has many uses not only medicinally and magickally but as a food stuff. The petals can be eaten in salads, made into marmalades, jams and jellies, or candied and eaten or used as garnishes.  They are high in vitamin C  among other benefits. Rose hips are usually pressed and filtered to make rose hip syrup, as the fine hairs surrounding the seeds are unpleasant to eat (resembling itching powder). Rose Hips are also used to make teas, but additionally, soups, marmalades, and even just eaten pureed.

Roses mainly taste as you would expect, with some varieties having a stronger scent and flavour than others, but sometimes they will surprise you with overtones of strawberries or green apples. As a rule of thumb, the darker the rose, the stronger the flavour.

Other ideas: herbed butters, rose vinegars, infused wines, scented sugars, with/in ice cream, infused vodkas, and infused teas.


Medicinal uses:
Teas made from rose hips have mild laxative and diuretic tendencies. They help regulate the menstrual cycle, and stem heavy periods. Infusions made of the leaves and petals are soothing to the skin, and can help heal rashes and abrasions. Taken as a tea an infusion of the petals is good for bringing down fevers, aiding the liver and gallbladder, and treating the symptoms of colds and flus, such as runny noses and sore throats. Contradictorily, petals are also good for stopping diarrhea.
Other types of roses, particularly those native to the Middle East, have fewer healing properties, though all rosewater is astringent and good for the skin. These are still considered helpful in regulating menstrual flow.  

Homeopathic properties:  (infusion) headaches/ dizziness, w/ honey heart&nerve tonic, (decoction of petals) mouth sores, and uterine cramps, (w/ wine as mouthwash) toothache, (cold compress) headache, (trickled into ear) ear ache, (rose honey) sore throat. At one point, these roses were used to prevent scurvy because of their high vitamin C content.
Used for:
Anger
Emotional Fatigue
Sadness
Antispasmodic
Congestion
Burns, cuts & skin irritations
Infections in urinary tract
Asthma, Bronchitis, Emphysema
Respiratory
Acne
Aphrodisiac
Promotes menstruation
Diuretic
Antidiarrheal
Laxative
Boils
Astringent
Emmenagogue
Depression
Fever
Slows Menstrual Bleeding
Eczema
Liver tonic
Constipation
Moisturizing

Magical properties:  Used in love and harmony spells.  Roses planted in your garden will attract fairies.  Rose petals sprinkled around the house will calm stress and reduce household upheavals.

Because of their thorns, many property owners and landscapers use roses as a protective device. It is an effective deterent when planted under windows or close to drain pipes.  Their thorns can be used in other protection spells as well such as providing the sharp edges for a witch's bottle.

A rose that has aged or gone rotten may not be particularly fragrant, but the rose's basic chemistry prevents it from producing a pungent odor of any kind. Notably, when balled and mashed together the fragrance of the rose is enhanced. The fragrance of particularly large balls of mashed roses is enhanced even further.


Rose Hips:


Particularly high in Vitamin C, with about 1700–2000 mg per 100 g in the dried product, one of the richest plant sources.
Rose hips contain vitamins A, D and E, essential fatty acids and antioxidant flavonoids.
Rose hip powder is a remedy for rheumatoid arthritis.
As an herbal remedy, rose hips are attributed with the ability to prevent urinary bladder infections, and assist in treating dizziness and headaches   Rose hips are also commonly used externally in oil form to restore firmness to skin by nourishing and astringing tissue.
Brewed into a concoction, can also be used to treat constipation.
Rose hips contain a lot of iron, so some women brew rose hip tea during menstruation to make up for the iron that they lose with the blood

Essential Oil Rosehip oil (cold pressed from the seeds in the hips) is a fantastic carrier oil. On its own, it helps reduce the signs of aging because it has regenerative properties for skin cells. It is also a wonderful agent for reducing stretch marks, scars, and blemishes.
Because of its expense, rosehip oil is often blended with other carrier oils in before the addition of an essential oil.