You are going to love this delicious herbal recipe that calls for only two simple ingredients, rose petals and raw honey!
Benefits of Roses
Did you know that roses are actually powerful plant medicine? Their herbal actions are analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, astringent as well as being highly effective nervine that helps to strengthen the nervous system. Roses have a cooling energy and have historically been used to help ease headaches and other inflammatory conditions.
For the skin they can tighten and heal tissue. Infuse petals into honey and you have a super effective first aid treatment for skin abrasions and sunburns or drop a spoonful in some tea for a calming effect on your nervous system.
What species of Rose to use?
This is one of the most common questions I get when sharing about using Rose petals in herbal remedies is which kind of Rose petals should be used? According to Juliet Blankenspoor in her book The Healing Garden there are over 300 species of Roses and all are edible and medicinal. She suggests choosing one of the 35 varieties that are native to North America to grow and use. Some of her favorites are the Cabbage rose (Rosa centifolia), Musk rose (Rosa moschata) and the Damask rose (Rosa x damascena) which is a cultivated hybrid. The Damask rose is a favorite of mine too! It has some great research on it showing it to be an effective anticancer and anti-depressant herb. If you would like to buy Rosa damascena dried then I recommend getting it from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Benefits of Honey
When you can try to get local raw honey. Raw honey contains vitamins, antioxidants, probiotics, beneficial enzymes and naturally occurring bee pollen, royal jelly and propolis. It can help to fight infections, soothe sore throats, heal wounds, help with digestion and slow premature aging. Honey is also a wonderful sweetener because it does not increase blood sugar levels like refined sugar does. Improved cholesterol and lower triglycerides is another noted benefit of raw honey.
Rose Honey Recipe
• 1 cup fresh rose petals (or 1/2 cup dried rose petals)
• 1 cup honey
Combine rose petals and honey together and place into a double boiler for 15 minutes over low heat for the quick method or combine petals and honey into jar and allow to infuse for 2-4 weeks. No need to strain, you can eat the petals right along with the honey!
Roses were actually grown in Medieval gardens not for their beauty but for their medicinal properties. Today they seem to be grown for the opposite reason because so many are unaware of the health benefits they hold. Another simple way to use rose petals is to throw them in a cup of tea. They don’t even have to be dried. Just go out to your garden and grab some petals. My favorite tea combination is rose petals with earl grey in the morning.
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