Rose is the flower of Love, and the stories of its creation are legendary in all the ancient civilizations, from China, Persia and India to Greece, Turkey, Morocco and Rome. Rose came to Europe in the Middle Ages and began to flourish in gardens everywhere. Its value as a medicinal oil and exotic perfume scent made it the most popular around, and it’s said to be the first flower to be distilled into essential oil!
There are many ways the rose oils are similar. They are effective at calming and soothing the heart, they are all beneficial to the skin for anti-aging, and anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and antiseptic properties, as well as reducing inflammation and redness. They are useful for all the organs, respiratory and circulatory systems, as well as for mental and emotional well-being.
And, it comes as no surprise that rose is a wonderful aphrodisiac.
Rose oil has the highest vibrational energy of all the essential oils, and we know that Love carries that same high vibrational energy!
Now, here’s how three of the main rose oils are different (I mention middle and base notes, as if you want to make your own blend, you would want to balance a base, middle and top note oil for the best blend aroma.):
- Although not a part of the Rose (Rosaceae) family it's nice to include it here as it has a lovely warm earthy scent and is often added as a fixative for perfume.
- Labdanum is part of the Cistaceae family. A resin is made from the leaves and twigs of the labdanum shrub.
- Fresh, spicy rose aroma with a base note fragrance (so you can use more drops for blending.)
- Organically and harvested in India
- Warming energy, so it warms muscles, clears upper respiratory system, uplifts, and is good for massage oil.
Rose Absolute (India) (rosa damascena):
- It takes 60,000 flowers to make 1 oz. of rose essential oil
- Dry, wild-rose floral, soft sweet aroma with a middle note (so you would use less in a blend.)
- Harvested in India, handpicked in the early morning for the highest potency in the petals.
- Cooling energy for calming, soothing, reducing inflammation and infection in skin and organs.
Rose Absolute (Morocco) (rosa damascena)
- Solvent-extracted from the flower petals.
- Sweetest, strongest floral rose aroma with a middle note (so use less in blending.)
- Harvested in Morocco and France.
- Warming energy for relaxing tension, muscles, headaches, and uplifting stressful, depressed moods.
As you may have guessed from the harvesting and extraction processes, the most costly rose oil is the Turkish Rose, and the least costly is the Rock Rose, yet all three have effective benefits for mind/emotions/body, and all three are in the family of the Flower of Love!
