Healing Hearts with Roses
Rose is well-known for its love connection. As an herb, it is soothing and therapeutic to the body, mind, and spirit. As medicine, the rose you want to use is not the typical florist’s flower, but it is the wild rose, or as a cultivated variety: the rugosa rose. Some of its medicinal properties are anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibacterial, antidepressant, and as a tonic for the heart and circulatory system.
Rose petals are mildly antiseptic, so are a wonderful addition to salves made for healing rashes or wounded skin. A good example of the tradition of “like treats like”, the wild or rugosa rose is extremely thorny, and yet it is soothing for wounds. Its anti-inflammatory quality makes it wonderful for soothing a sore throat. It is cooling and will help to bring down a fever. I love to use rose water as a spritz to cool a hot flash. It is anti-spasmodic, so useful for menstrual or intestinal cramps. The petals are a nervine, calming to the nervous system, easing tension and pain. As a uterine tonic, rose petals assist with infections, bleeding, or cysts. Because of its hormonal action, avoid taking rose petals internally while pregnant.
Rose hips are the fruit of the rose. Best known as an excellent source of vitamin C. They are very nutritive, also containing the vitamins A, B3, D, and E. Rose hips are a strong antioxidant, offering protection from free radicals. They are high in iron, offering support during the menstrual cycle. Rose hips are also a source of collagen; and as an anti-inflammatory they are helpful for the joints. One of my favorite ways to use rose hips is as a syrup: take a spoonful, use it in tea, or even on pancakes! Delicious.
Rose Hip Syrup
In the autumn, gather fresh rose hips, remove the blossom end and stems. Wash well. Chop the rose hips, place into a cooking pot, and cover with water to an inch over the rose hips. Bring to a boil; simmer gently for 15 minutes. Strain thru cloth or use a French press. Discard pulp. Place 2 cups juice and 1 cup honey into a sauce pan. Simmer gently for 5-10 minutes, allowing it to thicken. Enjoy. Store in refrigerator and use within a month, may be frozen or canned.
Rose flower essence is made by placing fresh rose petals in a bowl of water and steeping them in the sun. The water becomes infused with the essence or vibration of the flower. The water is then used internally to stimulate our own healing response. Rose flower essence helps to open the heart to love again. When you feel lonely, it may foster a feeling of community and belonging. It helps caregivers to find the grace to have patience, compassion, and understanding. Rose flower essence may also help you to find this compassion for yourself, letting go of judgements and finding the strength to move on.
Rose essential oil is known as the oil of Divine Love. It can help you feel secure, whole, restored, accepted, valued, loved, and that you belong. Rose has the highest vibration of any essential oil and 1 drop can influence the vibrations of 30 people in a room. Low vibrations influence emotional/mental health and immunity to disease. Raising your vibration is key to happiness, creativity, health and wellness. Rose oil can help you to move Qi or energy, away from that “stuck” feeling, to feeling vibrant and whole again. Rose oil increases self-confidence and self-acceptance. It reduces tension, stress, and even the environmental stress we are all exposed to every day. Rose oil brings healing to the skin, tissue damage, scars, wrinkles, even sunburn. It is hormone balancing: helpful for cramps, menstrual support, ovulation, fertility, libido, and childbirth. Rose oil is my go-to oil for grief, letting go, and moving on. Expensive, it takes 30 roses to make 1 drop of essential oil, but it is worth the investment!
Letting-go Blend
In a roller bottle place 4 drops Frankincense oil, 2 drops Myrrh oil, 2 drops Rose oil, 1 drop Helichrysum oil, and1 drop Chamomile oil. Fill the rest of the bottle with coconut oil. Roll on heart, wrists, neck, bottoms of feet, at least twice a day or any time negative feelings overwhelm you. Use the affirmation, “I am moving forward with happiness”. This blend is useful for letting go of people, situations, heart break, or grief.
Sweet Dreams Spray
In a spray bottle place 3 drops Lavender oil, 2 drops Chamomile oil,
2 drops Rose oil, and 1 drop of Orange essential oil. Fill the bottle with water. Spray onto pillow at night. This blend helps to calm nerves and quiet a hyperactive mind so that you can rest.
Rose quartz is the crystal of love, kindness, and forgiveness. The soft pink stone comforts and heals any wounds the heart has suffered, and is ideal for anyone who has loved and lost. Its cell regenerating energy penetrates the inner chambers of the Heart Chakra where emotional experiences are recorded and stored. Rose quartz helps us to move forward from grief and heartache, welcoming new relationships with true understanding. Rose quartz is a common crystal, found in the United States, Brazil, and India. It is easily cleansed with warm, soapy water. To nurture yourself with rose quartz, wear a pendant close to the heart.
Healing Grief Heart Syrup
Soak overnight in 1 quart water:
½ cup Hawthorn Berries ¼ cup Rose Hips
Add:
¼ cup Rose petals ¼ cup Hibiscus flowers
1 Cinnamon stick 1 Tbs fresh grated Ginger
Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add water as needed. Strain.
Add 1 cup sugar for each cup of liquid. Heat to dissolve sugar and simmer, uncovered, to reduce to syrup consistency. Add ¼ cup brandy as a preservative, if desired. Shelf life is 1 month.
Take 1-3 Tbs daily, as needed. May be added to water, to make tea. Or to sparkling water to make and enjoyable specialty drink