There are more than 2800 plants in the rose family. Most people don’t realize that peaches, plums, almonds, cherries, strawberries, Hawthorn, blackberries, almonds, raspberries are all members of that family.
But the great news is that as a herbalist the humble rose is not just pretty to look at, and nice to eat (again not many people know that), it can also be a very powerful natural herbal medicine.
So what I’m going to do here is tell you how I use wild rose elixir to obtain many health benefits and deal with several common complaints, and how to make it. Plus, I’ll give you some tips on other ways you can use it for maximum benefits.
Why I Love Wild Rose Elixir So Much
Externally, Rose elixir can be magnificent for burns and wounds. It has the ability to get rid of pain very quickly, and to lessen the swelling as well. Use consistently it can also reduce the danger of scarring.
The rose known to be blood moving as well, which helps with pain relief, quicker healing, and anti-inflammatory actions. Astringent, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, everything positive you need in a herbal remedy is here with the widely available and beautiful rose petal.
Wild thickets of roses really calls to me from my youth. Natural boundaries around meadows, along the edges of fields, and in open forests, you will find them everywhere if you know where to look, and they are easy to pluck the natural bounty from and use for your own use, and to help those around you.
I use rose medicine with friends who have experienced upset and abuse as well as physical ailments. It helps when you feel disconnected, and it can even act as a sexual energy therapy. Successfully when connected to it spiritually, rose elixir really can help with emotional problems as well as physical. It really is a beautiful all-rounder that can even cure those who are overcome by bitterness and jealousy.
The Basic Wild Rose Elixir Recipe
Let me now talk you through a basic rose elixir recipe. This is how I make it.
Simply get a large jar and fill it with fresh wild rose petals that have been roughly chopped. Don’t let them go limp, pick them chop them and use them within an hour.
Add raw honey up to about one third of the level of the jar, and then fill nearly the whole of the rest of the way with alcohol.
Cover the top with a non-reactive but airtight material, and then screw on a canning lid, or one of those sealable food storage jars. Make sure it’s glass though, not plastic.
But don’t use a metal jar or can. For some reason, rose mixed with alcohol has a special ability to chew through it in a few months.
Then let this mix sit for about six weeks somewhere cool and dark. Turn it upside down, and then back the right way up in your hand a couple of times per week to make sure that things are continually mixed.
Six weeks on, you will have a beautifully thick and rich rose elixir which can help with a multitude of skin conditions, complaints, and mood enhancing situations.
Because it’s so gentle, because it doesn’t irritate the skin, you can even use it on babies, or put it in bathwater.
Just a couple of drops will calm itches, deal with insect bites, and help to cure eczema. It’s especially good on the skin, even for things like heat rash.
I even use this basic elixir as a liniment. It’s effective relaxing sore muscles, and has a very special talent for helping to deal with nerve pain and muscular pain as well. Combine it with goldenrod oil, and use it as a tincture on a pulled muscle, and I’m telling you that you will see dramatic and rewarding results in as little as one week that you simply could not obtain naturally.
Taking Things Up A Gear With Honey Rose Petal Medicine
So let me take things up a level now by talking about honey rose petal medicine. The way I primarily use this is as a tincture. But it can also be used as an infused honey, or in any way you really want because it’s so mild and beneficial.
You will need a large jar that is clean and made of glass, no plastic or metal please.
In terms of the rose petals, this really goes for any type of rose elixir you make, it should be very fresh, and not sprayed with any sort of pesticide. You’re looking for while natural roses, or from a garden where you know this is the case.
Collect enough fresh roses to fill the jar just over halfway. They should be healthy, with no brown pieces on them, not withering away, the fresh, bountiful rose petals I know you love.
Another tip if you think you can see small insects on them is to just lay them out in a cool place for an hour or so, that will allow the insects to scurry away.
Then fill the jar just over halfway with these beautiful petals. Chop them up roughly if you want, but sometimes the beauty of the natural petal can help you to feel calm even by looking at it.
Then simply fill the rest of the jar with honey. Beautiful natural honey with no preservatives or additives, preferably locally sourced. Gently stir the mixed together until the roses are beautifully covered.
Put on an airtight lid, and place on a sunny windowsill for about two weeks. If you can’t get a sunny windowsill due to the proximity of your home, or the season, then an airing cupboard will do. As long as it’s airtight, there will be no problem with the heat. What this heat does with the honey and the petals is to create a synergy. You will get a beautiful scent and flavor from this combination that you just won’t in any other way.
Beautifully mild, and if you allow it to crystallize, you even have fantastic candied petals as another option to give to children. This will make you feel calm and peaceful, and can deal with a range of ailments.
Remember that honey is a valuable resource though. It can take up to 2 million individual visits to flowers from bees to make a pound of high-quality honey. So don’t waste it, and only use what you need. Never, ever, throw this rose petal medicine away, use it, or pass it on.
Creating A Therapeutic Rose Tincture
Next on my list of rose therapy go to’s is a therapeutic rose tincture that is very easy to make and use.
Simply weigh around 300 g of beautifully fresh rose petals, harvested and prepared in exactly the same way as I’ve mentioned earlier.
Again, place them in a wide mouth jar, preferably glass, not metal.
Put 500 mL of good-quality brandy in, and cover the petals. Gently stir it with a wooden implement, like the end of a wooden spoon, to gently mix it in and coat the beautiful rose leaves.
Let it stand in a warm, dark place for one month. Add 150 mL of warm liquid honey, then let stand for another week.
Then strain the petals away, and put the beautiful rich rose liquid into a tincture bottle. Don’t forget you won’t be throwing away the petals. They can be used by drying them out and crystallizing them to create fantastic and therapeutic snacks.
You can then use around 20 drops for any ailment. Drip sublingually under the tongue and allow to absorb before swallowing after about one minute. Inflammation, or skin irritation, whatever the reason you need the release for, this beautiful therapeutic rose tincture can really help you.
Bottle The Power Of Rose Vinegar For Extra Benefits From Your Rose Petal Harvest
I want to finish here by talking about rose vinegar. You can use rose petals that you have previously used to create something else, like what I’ve talked about previously here, as long as they aren’t coated in honey.
Fill a jar with an airtight lid about three quarters full with beautifully fresh harvested rose petals.
Then fill to within 1 inch of the top with high quality locally produced Apple cider vinegar. If you can make that yourself, even better.
Affix the airtight lid, then really give it a shake. Shake violently for about three minutes. Then store it somewhere cool and dark for about three weeks. But remember to take it out and shake it once every day.
After three weeks you will have a fantastic rose infused apple cider vinegar. You can use it as a salad dressing, you can also use it as a topical dressing for things like sunburn, and skin conditions due to the fact that vinegar has anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties.
So there you go, there are several ways you can use rose petals, from my wild Rose elixir through to rose vinegar.
Rose petals can form the base of many things in my herbalist toolbox. They are a great way to infuse anything with a calming scent, and the herbal benefits of the humble Rose petal.
