Take a Scent Back in Time, the Old English Rose Garden Offers Fresh Inspiration
The power of scent is one of our most powerful
and underrated senses. Most of us can our feel our body and mood affected by
different scents around us, transporting us back to good times, special places
and stand-out experiences. I know every time I catch a whiff of fresh pine, I’m
instantly brought back to being eight or so, trekking through the snow with my
sisters in search of the perfect Christmas tree. This amazing ability for simple
scents to cause both a mind and body reaction is something we can use to our
benefit in everyday life.
The rose holds a candle for no flower,
recognized as one of the world’s most beautiful, the rose has also made its way
into innumerable myths, stories and legends; it has become a symbol of intense
love, desire, chastity, birth, rebirth and even death. Roses, though native to
Asia, grow all over the world and in a rainbow of colors and range of size,
from petite vines, to the towering bushy sort. In addition to smelling fabulous
and being beautiful, roses been studied for their effects on the emotional and
psychological state of mind, finding these flowers have incredible benefits
that go beyond the bouquet.
Rose oil and rosewater have been used for
centuries for their aromatic and therapeutic benefits, calming the nerves,
easing worry and quelling depression. Greeks and Roman would add rose petals to
their bathes for a relaxing touch, while women for centuries have taken
advantage of the scent of rose oil to alleviate symptoms of menopause and
menstruation cramps.
In the 2000s a variety of studies began showing
the powerful scent of rose showed positive results in improving levels of
general stress and anxiety, easing pain caused by menstrual cramps and has been
shown to significantly improve the symptoms of menopause. In 2014, one study
revealed how much aromatherapy could affect someone under some of the most
severe physical and emotional constraints. While giving birth. Not surprisingly,
anxiety is the most common emotional response during labor, and it can have
adverse effects on both the mother and the baby. This study compared the effects of rose oil
aromatherapy anxiety levels during labor. The group using rose oil had an overwhelming
reduction in anxiety by 71%!
Topically, the rose has been a staple in the
beauty industry for hundreds of years, blended into creams and salves not for
its intoxicating scent, but for its ability to soothe and hydrate irritated,
dry skin. Diluted rose oil or rose water is highly effective at promoting balance
of the skin’s pH, leaving it clear and glowing. Natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
components make rose water a perfect treatment for skin conditions such as
acne, eczema, psoriasis, sunburns, and a fabulously gentle facial toner,
astringent or daily hydrating spritzer to balance all skin types.
LINK: eczema, psoriasis
To really appreciate rose oil, you have to know
what goes into it. Steam distillation is the most common method, taking 60,000
roses to make just one ounce of undiluted rose oil! Not surprisingly it’s one
of the most expensive essential oils in the world. Luckily, rose water is also
created in the process of steam distillation, and has become increasingly
popular for its light, gentle aroma with many of the same properties at a lower
cost.
LINK – steam distillation
So what is it about the rose that make it so
special? It’s hard to say exactly, as more research done, it seems there’s more
figure out. There are over 300 individual scent ingredients in an individual
rose and there’s about 200 species of rose out there; to make even more
complex, researchers say environmental factors, such as where the roses grow
and the composition of the soil and water can also play a factor in the overall
genetic make-up. In a typical gas chromatography analysis, rose oil exhibits
over fifty individual compounds. So while we can’t quite pin down what makes it
so special, who really needs an excuse to stop and smell the roses?
I'd rather
have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.
-Emma Goldman
More about rose varieties:
More information about roses in symbolism:
References:
No comments:
Post a Comment