Rosa gallica ( Water of roses)

Medicinal properties of Rosa gallica L.

PROPERTIES OF ROSA GALLICA

Common noun: Officinal rose, Apothecary rose, Hungarian rose, French rose

Scientific noun: Rosa gallica L.

– Synonyms: Rosa gallica var. gallica L. = Rosa gallica var. officinalis Thory = Rosa austriaca Crantz = Rosa gallica var. versicolor L.

Family. Rose Family – Rosaceae

Habitat: We find it in woods, hedges, by the side of the roads.

Characteristics of Rosa gallica

Perennial shrub shorter than dog rose (Rosa canina L.) up to 1 m. tall. Differently to this one, it’s got straight stems with bigger prickles. Leaflets glandular beneath. Flowers are generally solitary and very big, 7-l 9 cm. wide, pink or purple. Very hairy fruit.

Picking and storing: Roots must be picked at the beginning of Spring. Leaves when in late Spring. Petals before the flower bloom – They must be air dried on a piece of cloth and kept in airtight containers in a dry spot.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF OFFICINAL ROSE

Rosa gallica medicinal properties

illustration
A detail of the plant according to a Victorian engraving from the 1840s

As a whole it has the same properties than the dog rose, so it is not worth mentioning them again. (Do not eat the hips!!!!)

However it must be said that Rosa gallica together with Rosa centifolia, commonly know as Roman rose, and Rosa damascena, known as Alexandria rose, besides Rosa canina are the roses with more medicinal properties.

The three first are mainly used to produce the water of roses.

Water of roses

It is an essence obtained by petals distillation. It is a very strong concentration, unbearable unless dissolved in small quantities with water. Bulgaria is the first producer country in the world.

Properties of water of roses: It is a natural tonic used to clean the skin.

Making water of roses at home: Boil 150 gr. of petals in a litter of water. Cool the infusion during 5 minutes. Filter with a cloth and keep it in a clean airtight container.

*See:

Acne masks

Creams for stretch marks

punto rojo More information about natural medicine.

This article was endorsed by Elisenda Carballido - Dietitian nutritionist. Postgraduate in Phytotherapy and master in Nutrition and Metabolism.
Editorial
Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing

1 December, 2020

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