The health benefits of Rose Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties like anti depressant, anti phlogistic, anti septic, anti spasmodic, anti viral, aphrodisiac, astringent, bactericidal, cholagogue, cicatrisant, depurative, emenagogue, haemostatic, hepatic, laxative, nervine, stomachic and uterine.Rose! No doubt it is the most beautiful flower in the world. The flower with innumerable stories, legends, myths and legacies associated with it. With its varied colors, incomparable fragrance and shapes and sizes, you will find one for every mood and every occasion. One who does not know about any of its medicinal properties, can still tell you of one property for sure, and that is that a beautiful red rose can invoke romantic feelings in even the heart of hardest of rocks. The Essential Oil of Rose is extracted by steam distillation of fresh Damascus Rose (Rosa Damascena, as it is known among botanists) and is composed of hundreds of components, out of which the major contributors are Citronellol, Citral, Carvone, Citronellyl Acetate, Eugenol, Ethanol, Farnesol, Stearpoten, Methyl Eugenol, Nerol, Nonanol, Nonanal, Phenyl Acetaldehyde, Phenylmenthyl Acetate and Phenyl Geraniol. Why Damascus Roses? It is because they are the most fragrant ones and are believed to be the original red roses with strongest aroma and highest oil content.
We know about the emotional and psychological effects of rose. Now let us know the medicinal properties of its essential oils.
• Anti Depressant: Rose Oil boosts self esteem, confidence, hope and mental strength and efficiently fights depression. This can be very helpful to drive away depression from those who are suffering from depression due to any reason. This also relieves anxiety. Being an anti depressant, patients of acute depression or who are undergoing rehabilitation can be given routine and regular doses of this essential oil to bring hope in their lives. This oil is widely used in aromatherapy and invokes positive thoughts, spiritualism and feelings of joy, happiness and hope.
• Anti Phlogistic: It may calm down a patient of high fever by sedating the inflammation caused by fever. It can also be beneficial in other cases of inflammations caused by microbial infection, ingestion of poisonous stuff, indigestion, dehydration etc.
• Anti Septic: This is the most fragrant and perhaps a majestic way (Just imagine treating wounds with Oils of Rose instead of those ordinary anti septic lotions) to treat your wounds and protect them from being septic and catching infections.
• Anti Spasmodic: It efficiently relieves spasm in respiratory system, intestines and muscular spasms in limbs. It also helps cure convulsions, muscle pulls, cramps and spasmodic cholera which are caused due to spasms.
• Anti Viral: Getting a protection from viruses or getting yourself vaccinated against all of them is a tough task, since some of them change their disguise every time they return and make a fool of our immune system, like our old friend who gives you cold and influenza. So what to do? Better use an anti viral which behaves as a shield against any virus that comes. Here is one such shied. The Essential Oil of Rose that protects against viral infections.
• Aphrodisiac: Better I don’t try explaining this property of Rose Oil! Right from Cupid himself to modern day’s high tech lovers, every body knows how roses are indispensable in romance. And so is this Essential Oil of Rose. The very scent of it can arouse you. It boosts up libido and invokes romantic feelings which are essentials for a successful sex.
• Astringent: The astringent property of Rose Oil has many benefits. It strengthens gums, hair roots, tones and lifts skin, contracts muscles, intestines and blood vessels, thereby giving protection from untimely fall of tooth and hair, wrinkles, loss of firmness of intestines and muscles of abdominal area and limbs associated with age, and above all, helps stop flow of blood from wounds and cuts by contracting the blood vessels. This astringent property can also cure certain types of diarrhea.
• Bactericidal: It is a good bactericide. It can be used in treatment of typhoid, diarrhea, cholera, food poisoning and other diseases which are caused by bacteria. Further, it can cure internal bacterial infections like in colon, stomach, intestines and urinary tract as well as external infections on skin, ears, eyes and in wounds.
• Cholagogue: It promotes flow of bile from the gall bladder and helps regulate the acid level in the stomach as well as in the blood, thus keeping you safe from problems like acidity and acidosis. This bile also helps in digestion of food, together with the acids secreted into the stomach.
• Cicatrisant: This property of Rose Essential Oil can be of great interest for those who care a lot about their looks. It makes the scars and after marks of boils, acne and pox etc. on the skin to fade away. This includes fading of stretch marks and surgery marks, fat cracks etc. associated with pregnancy and delivery.
• Depurative: It purifies blood by helping removal and neutralization of toxins from blood. Once your blood is purified and free of toxins, you are protected from nuisances like boils, rashes, ulcers, skin diseases etc.
• Emenagogue: This is yet another beneficial property of Rose Oil. It stimulates the hormone secretions which trigger off menstruations. It is particularly effective on those who are suffering from obstructed and irregular menses. It also eases cramps, treats nausea, fatigue and reduces pains associated with the menstruations and Pose Menopause Syndromes.
• Haemostatic: This property of the Essential Oil of Rose can be very useful for people who are suffering from hemorrhage (bleeding, external or internal) after an injury or surgery. This speeds up clotting or coagulation of blood and stops bleeding and can save life of such patients.
• Hepatic: It simply means it is good for liver’s health. It keeps it strong, functioning properly and protected from infections. It also treats problems like excess flow of bile and acids, ulcers etc.
• Laxative: There cannot be a laxative with a better scent than this and I can bet it, if not for its laxative properties. It can serve as a harmless and effective laxative with a beautiful smell and without any adverse side effect. It actually influences the intestinal and anal muscles to help clear bowels.
• Nervine: It acts as a tonic for the nerves. It gives them strength to bear shocks and protects them from disorders resulting from age, injuries etc. It won’t let your hands tremble or let you go nervous when saying those three magic words to your dream girl for the first time, of course, with a rose in your hand.
• Stomachic: Rose Oil is a stomachic too. It soothes stomach, sedates inflammations in it, helps it function properly and protects it from infections. It also protects it from ulcers which often happen due to over production of acids and their release into the stomach.
• Uterine: This can take care of many feminine problems such as uterine discharges, tumors, bleeding, irregular menses etc. It purifies the uterus too and keeps it functioning properly even in higher ages and can push away the time of menopause.
• Other Benefits: It regulates hormone production and helps balance them. It is one of the best oils which can give you a shining, fresh and youthful skin. Its aroma keeps you charged and feeling happy. It promotes circulation, takes care of heart, reduces blood pressure and helps cure headaches, asthma, dehydration and effect of loo (very hot winds), leucorrhea and certain infections.
Few Words of Caution: It can take away your headache if used in mild concentrations, but its strong aroma can just play the opposite if very high concentration is used. Being an Emenagogue, it should not be used during pregnancy.
This article was contributed by Aparup Mukherjee
Source: www.organicfacts.net