Rose

Damask Rose oil is extracted from Rosa damascena from the Rosaceae family and is also known as Bulgarian and Turkish rose, Otto of rose and attar of rose.

Oil properties
Damask Rose has a deep,rosy, fresh aroma, the color ranges from clear to a pale yellow or greenish tint and the viscosity is watery to crystalline, when warm
or cold respectively.

Origin of rose oil
'Rosa' comes from the Greek 'roden' meaning 'red', as the ancient rose was thought to have been crimson.Anicenna, the 10th century Persian physician, used the rose as his first plant to distill and a rose distillery existed in 1612 in Shiraz, Persia. Rose petals were scattered at weddings to ensure a happy marriage and are still a symbol of love and purity and is also used to aid meditation and prayer. It takes about 60,000 roses (about 180 lb) to make one ounce of rose oil.

Extraction
Rose otto oil is extracted from the fresh flowers, picked before 8 am in the morning, by steam distillation and the yield is 0.02-0.05%. The aroma can be damaged if the heat is too high at distillation.

Chemical composition
The main chemical components of Rose otto oil are: Citronellol, Geraniol, Nerol, Farnesol, Geranic and Eugenol.

Precautions
Damask rose oil is non-toxic, non-irritant and non-sensitizing but should not be used during pregnancy.

Therapeutic properties
The therapeutic properties of Damask rose oil are: anti-infectious, anti-depressant, antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, aphrodisiac, astringent, bactericidal, diuretic, emmenagogue, hepatic, laxative, sedative, splenetic and general tonic.

Uses
Damask rose oil soothes the mind and helps with depression, grief, nervous tension and stress and is helpful for poor circulation and heart palpitations. For the respiratory system Damask rose oil can assist in cases of asthma, coughs and hay fever, and on the digestive system for liver congestion and nausea. Rose otto oil can be used for irregular menstruation, leucorrhea, menorrhagia and uterine disorders. On the skin it can be used for broken capillaries, dry skin, eczema, herpes, mature and sensitive skin, wrinkles, and rose water can be used for conjunctivitis.

Summary
Damask rose oil gives a feeling of wellbeing and happiness, it helps a nervous mind, can be helpful on the respiratory tract, for digestive problems, for menstrual problems and as skin care.

Burners and vaporizers
In vapor therapy Rose otto oil can be helpful with: allergies, asthma, baby blues,
headaches, migraine, nervous tension and as a relaxant.

Blended oil or in the bath
As a blended massage oil or diluted in the bath Rose damask oil can assist with: allergies, baby blues, asthma, hay fever, headaches, depression, migraine, scar tissue, nervous tension, stress, poor circulation and as a relaxant.

Aromatherapy 1 - The Rose

Modern aromatherapy uses for rose oil and rose water parallel, the chemistry of rose water is virtually identical to that of rose essential oil. Genuine rose water can be thought of as a dilute form of rose oil. Thats mean, rose water may be more appropriate for someone had sensitive constitutions. Despite its strength, rose is a gentle giant of aromatherapy, having the least toxic properties of any essential oils.


The good effect of rose

• On subtle level, rose water can treat such as anxiety, lack of confidence and emotion turmoil.


• In ancient Roman, rosewater was used to combat the effects of overindulgence in food and wine. Arab physician, Ibn Sina using attar of roses for ailments of the disgestive tract over a thousand years ago.


• Rose essence has the most antiseptic and antibacterial properties of all the flower oil, 7 times more germicidal strength than carbolic acid.


• Rosewater has been used worldwide to treat eye inflammations and diseases such as conjuctivitis.


• Greek, Roman and Egyptian women used roses in perfume and bath their faces in rose water to preserve the beauty and softness of their skin.


• Since ancient times, rose oil widely used for purifying and regulating female sexual organs.
  

Rose Genus and Family
The rose has been grown and appreciated for its fragrance and beauty since ancient times and today is the most popular and widely cultivated garden flower in the world. The genus contains some 100 species, most of them native to the North Temperate Zone. Some are cultivated in their natural form or as various similar cultivars, but most of the more than 20,000 cultivars are the result of careful hybridization and selection from a few species. The cultivars are classed either as old roses—that is, plants that have essentially reached the end of their horticultural development, with no new varieties having been introduced in the past 60 years—or as contemporary roses—that is, plants that are currently being hybridized and selected for new forms. Several hundred new contemporary rose cultivars are introduced each year. In the United States, some 20 million rose plants are commercially cultivated annually for cut flowers, and some 40 million plants are produced for landscape and ornamental use.

The classification of cultivated roses is complicated, because of the great numbers of cultivars involved and the amount of artificial hybridization that has taken place. Generally, the classes of old roses are based on selection from one or a few ancestral species or hybrids. Among the popular classes are the hybrid perpetuals, or remontant roses, which produce large, fragrant double flowers in early summer and fewer flowers in autumn. The class of polyantha roses includes many dwarf forms, with flowers produced in dense clusters. Tea roses and China roses are old-rose classes from which the contemporary hybrid tea roses have been derived through hybridization with hybrid perpetual roses. Hybrid tea roses are less hardy but more recurrent-blooming than the old hybrid perpetuals and contain a much wider variety of color and flower form. Many other contemporary-rose classes are based on the hybrid tea roses—for example, floribunda roses were derived from crosses between hybrid tea roses and hybrid polyantha roses, the latter in turn being based on crosses between the old polyantha roses and hybrid tea roses.

(source encarta)


Rose Meditation
For a perfect result, combine rose oil aromatherapy with self relaxation or meditation. You may learn meditation on yoga class. But the bottom line of meditation is to keep conscious. Breathe slowly and deeply. Closing your eyes can help you to concentrate. Don't forget to take comfortably sit. Think about positive energy and the goodness come to your body when you inhale, and think about bad energy go away from your body when you exhale. Think about love, pure love, I AM LOVE, I AM LOVING, I AM LOVED. Then, you will feel better. Good mood will lead you to better relationship with your lover.