The Health & Beauty Benefits of Rose Oil

The health benefits of Rose Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties as an antidepressant, antiphlogistic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, aphrodisiac, astringent, bactericidal, cholagogue, cicatrisant, depurative, emenagogue, haemostatic, hepatic, laxative, nervine, stomachic and uterine substance.

Roses are widely considered the most beautiful flowers in the world. The flower is an integral part of innumerable stories, legends, myths and legacies. With its varied colors, incomparable fragrance and range of shapes and sizes, you can find one for every mood and occasion. People who do not know about any of its medicinal properties can still tell you of one undeniable property; a beautiful, red rose can invoke romantic feelings in even the hardest of hearts.

Antidepressant: Rose Oil boosts self esteem, confidence, and mental strength while efficiently fighting depression. They can be very helpful to drive away depression arising for any reason, and it also relieves anxiety. As an antidepressant, patients of acute depression or those undergoing rehabilitation can be given routine and regular doses of this essential oil to bring a positive boost into their lives. This oil is widely used in aromatherapy and invokes positive thoughts, spiritual relaxation and feelings of joy, happiness and hope.

Antiphlogistic: Rose essential oil may calm down a patient of high fever by sedating the inflammation. It can also be beneficial in other cases of inflammation caused by microbial infection, ingestion of poisonous materials, indigestion, and dehydration. This can result in a reduction in associated conditions like rheumatism, arthritis, gout, and fever.

Antiseptic: This is the most fragrant and luxurious way to treat wounds; imagine treating wounds with Oils of Rose instead of those ordinary antiseptic lotions. Topically applying rose oil to wounds helps to protect them from becoming septic and developing infections.

Antispasmodic: Rose essential oil efficiently relieves spasms in the respiratory system and intestines, as well as muscular spasms in various limbs. It also helps to cure convulsions, muscle pulls, cramps and the spasmodic cholera which is caused due to spasms.

Antiviral: Getting protection from viruses or getting yourself vaccinated against all of them is a tough task, since some of them continue to mutate and trick our our immune system, like an old friend who gives you a cold or influenza. The solution to this is to use an antiviral agent that behaves as a shield against any type of virus. Rose essential oil is one such shied, and studies have shown that it protects against many different types of viral infections.

Aphrodisiac: There is almost no need to explain this aspect of rose essential oil.  From Cupid himself to modern day’s high tech lovers, everyone knows how indispensable roses are in the romantic department. The basic element that does that is the essential oil of the flower. The very scent of it can arouse you, and it boosts the libido while invoking romantic feelings which are essential for a successful sex life. This can reduce symptoms of sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, frigidity, and general disinterest in sexual activity with partners.

Astringent: The astringent property of Rose Oil has many benefits. It strengthens gums and hair roots, while toning and lifting skin, and contracting muscles, intestines and blood vessels. This gives protection against the untimely loss of teeth and hair, wrinkles, the loss of firmness of intestines and muscles of the abdominal area and limbs associated with aging. Above all, rose essential oil helps to stop the flow of blood from wounds and cuts by contracting the blood vessels. This astringent property can also cure certain types of diarrhea.

Bactericidal: It is a good bactericide. It can be used in the treatment of typhoid, diarrhea, cholera, food poisoning and other diseases which are caused by bacteria. Furthermore, it can cure internal bacterial infections like those in the colon, stomach, intestines and urinary tract, as well as external infections on the skin, ears, eyes and wounds.

Cicatrisant: This property of Rose Essential Oil can be of great interest for those who care a lot about their looks. It makes the scars and after marks of boils, acne and pox on the skin fade quickly. This includes the fading of stretch marks, surgery scars, and fat cracks associated with pregnancy and delivery. Much of this is due to the antioxidant activity of rose essential oil, which spurs on the healing processes of the skin.

Depurative: Rose essential oil purifies the blood by helping in the removal and neutralization of toxins. Once your blood is purified and free of toxins, you are protected from nuisances like boils, rashes, ulcers, and skin diseases, as well as more serious conditions that free radicals can cause, like cancer and heart disease.

Emmenagogue: This is yet another beneficial property of Rose Oil. It stimulates the hormone secretions which trigger menstruation. It is particularly effective on those who are suffering from obstructed and irregular menses. It also eases cramps, nausea, and fatigue while reducing the pain associated with menstruation and Post-Menopausal Syndrome.

Haemostatic: This property of the Essential Oil of Rose can be very useful for people who are suffering from hemorrhaging (bleeding, external or internal) after an injury or surgery. This speeds up clotting and coagulation of blood and stops excessive bleeding; this property can quite literally save your life.

Hepatic: This simply means that rose essential oil is good for the health of the liver. It keeps it strong, properly functioning and protected from infections. It also treats problems like the excess flow of bile, acids, and ulcers.

Laxative: There cannot be a laxative with a better scent than this, which is an ironic benefit for a laxative. It can serve as a harmless and effective laxative with a beautiful smell causing no adverse side effects. It also influences the intestinal and anal muscles to help clear bowels. This helps in losing weight and preventing excess toxicity in the body.

Nervine: Rose essential oil acts as a tonic for the nerves. It gives them strength to bear shock and protects them from disorders resulting from age and injuries. It will keep your hands from trembling and help you overcome your anxiety when saying those three magic words to your dream girl for the first time.  Of course, you should also have a rose in your hand!

Stomachic: Rose Oil is a stomachic as well. It soothes the stomach, sedates inflammation, helps it function properly and protects it from infections. It also protects it from ulcers which often develop due to over production of acids and their release into the stomach. Excessive acid can lead to heartburn, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, excess gas, impacted bowels, and bloating.

Cholagogue: It promotes the flow of bile from the gall bladder and helps to regulate the acid levels in the stomach and the blood, thus keeping you safe from problems like acidity and acidosis. This bile also helps in the digestion of food, together with the acids secreted into the stomach. Improved digestion can reduce the chances of constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and even more serious conditions like colorectal cancer.

Uterine: Rose essential oil can take care of many feminine problems such as uterine discharge, tumors, bleeding, and irregular periods. It purifies the uterus as well, and keeps it functioning properly even in advanced age, thereby delaying menopause. By regulating menstruation, it is possible to eliminate the associated symptoms and problems of menstruation, including mood swings, hormonal imbalance, overeating, bloating, cramping, and excessive bleeding.

Other Benefits: It regulates hormone production and helps to balance them throughout the body. It is one of the best oils to give you shining, fresh and youthful skin. Its aroma keeps you charged and feeling happy. It promotes circulation, takes care of the heart, reduces blood pressure and helps to cure headaches, asthma, dehydration, leucorrhea and various other infections.

A Few Words of Caution: It can eliminate headaches if used in mild concentrations, but its strong aroma can do just the opposite if a very high concentration is used. Being an Emenagogue, it should not be used during pregnancy, since there is no definite evidence of whether the effects of rose essential oil can be transferred to the fetus. It could possibly cause a miscarriage if taken in excess, so it is best to generally avoid it.

Blending: This Essential Oil blends well with Geranium, Jasmine, Clove and Palma Rosa essential oils.

A question we are often asked about oils in general is "there are so many, how do I choose?". Like many of our oils, there are different types of rose and if you are considering investing in such a beautiful oil you want to be sure you have the right one. After all, why would we stock so many different kinds of rose if they were all the same? The answer is that they aren't; they vary in consistency, scent, therapeutic value and of course price.

So, where to start? Well, a good place to begin would be to look at the different production methodsused to obtain the scented components from rose petals. Rose oil can be produced by one of two methods; distillation or extraction. The distilled oil (rose otto, often just known as rose essential oil) requires 3kg of rose petals to create just 1ml (20 drops), while the extracted oil (rose absolute) gives a much higher yield. Pure rose essential oil costs around three times more to produce than the extracted rose absolute. The Essential Oil of Rose is extracted by steam distillation of fresh Damascus Rose (Rosa Damascena, as it is known among botanists) and is composed of hundreds of components, out of which the major contributors are Citronellol, Citral, Carvone, Citronellyl Acetate, Eugenol, Ethanol, Farnesol, Stearpoten, Methyl Eugenol, Nerol, Nonanol, Nonanal, Phenyl Acetaldehyde, Phenylmenthyl Acetate and Phenyl Geraniol. Damascus Roses are the preferred variety because they are the most fragrant species and are believed to be the original red roses with strongest aroma and highest oil content.

In terms of scent, there is a clear difference between the absolute and the distilled essential oil. Rose absolute is extracted using a solvent, usually hexane, which is used to 'wash' the aromatic oils out of the plant material. The solvent is removed at the end of the process, leaving a thick, highly aromatic liquid with a deep rich scent. In contrast, the steam-distilled essential oil is a thin, clear liquid with a delicate scent that represents a much smaller proportion of the aromatic compounds contained within the plant material. In general extraction produces an oil that has a much fuller, more rounded scent that often smells much more like the original plant.

Here are some details on the individual types of rose oil (roughly in order of price, from lower to higher):

Rose absolute (Rosa damascena): This has a deep, rich colour and a scent to match. Not especially sweet, nor indeed anything like the rose aroma that is associated with many rose-scented toiletry products. Rounded and persistent, a little goes a long way. The lowest price of all the rose oils due to the higher production yield. Great if you need a strong rose aroma for a blend however the use of a solvent to extract the oil brings its own dilemmas when it comes to using on the skin. 

Persian Rose essential oil (Rosa damascena): Solid at room temperature this oil has a high level of plant waxes which slow its movement down a little in comparison to the other distilled rose oils.The Persian Rose has a slightly drier scent than the classic Bulgarian Rose, if anything more like the Rosa Alba (White Rose). At just over half the price of the Bulgarian Rose this oil makes a good introduction to the distilled rose oils. If you struggle to persuade it out of the bottle just pop it in a warm place for a little while.

Turkish Rose essential oil (Rosa damascena): Very similar to the Bulgarian Rose in terms of scent but costs a little less. It isn't Bulgarian but it is still very beautiful!

White Rose essential oil (Rosa alba): Not a Rosa damascena but a Rosa alba. A dusky and mysterious fragrance. A favourite with men and much loved in the Oshadhi office.

Bulgarian Rose essential oil (Rosa damascena): The classic rose, deep, rich and inviting. There are two varieties, the organic oil and the traditionally farmed oil. They share the same base scent however the organic version is a little deeper and more complex (and also costs more due to the increased costs associated with organic farming).

The choices are many:

• Rose Essential Oils
• Bulgarian Rose Essential Oil
• Persian Rose Essential Oil
• Turkish Rose Essential Oil
• Rose Absolute
• Rose Otto

References: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-rose-essential-oil.html and http://www.oshadhi.co.uk/blog/essential-oil-profiles-how-to-choose-a-rose-oil/ 

A new way to test cosmetics?

L’Oreal, the renowned French cosmetic firm, is turning to 3D printing now to test out its products. The firm has partnered with Organovo, a bio-engineering startup, to 3D print human skin. This printed skin will be used in product testing. This will make the process affordable, quick, and easier. The design process will be easier as the reaction of the products will no longer be required to evaluate with real hair or bodies before the final phase of testing. Problems leading to failure of product development will be recognized earlier. L’Oreal has said that the opportunities of using the 3D printed skin will be “boundless.”

Although still an unfortunate necessity for the development of pharmaceuticals, animal testing within the cosmetics industry has thankfully witnessed a decline over the years. Following pressure from the public and animal rights groups, as well as an outright ban in the European Union and several other countries, various beauty product giants have announced they’ve stamped out the practice.

While these moves were certainly welcomed by many, not least of which consumers and campaigners, safety assessments on products and their ingredients still need to be carried out, so how are they doing it? French company L’Oreal actually started a human skin factory back in the ‘80s where they would grow and analyze hundreds of thousands of samples each year from plastic surgery leftovers, including different ages and ethnicities, which they would also sell on to competitors. But it seems they want to up their game and hasten the process, so they’ve now teamed up with a bioengineering company, Organovo, so they can start 3D printing skin samples en masse and use these instead.

“Some of the biggest potential advantages are the speed of production as well as the level of precision that 3D printing can achieve,” Guive Balooch, global vice president of L’Oreal’s technology incubator told The Washington Post. “L’Oreal’s focus right now is not to increase the quantity of skin we produce but instead to continue to build on the accuracy and consistent replication of the skin engineering process.”

3D printed skin isn't actually the brainchild of L’Oreal, or Organovo; it was already being investigated as a possible treatment avenue for those with serious injuries or burns who need grafts. An abundance of other organs and tissues can be created using this technique, such as bladders, muscles and blood vessels, although solid organs like the heart are much more challenging due to its complex architecture. The process involves adding layers of human cells to molds made out of a substance called hydrogel, which allows them to be seeded and grown in a precise manner. But Organovo has opted for a slightly different method and assembles the tissues directly, without using scaffolds.

Although a joint statement from the companies didn’t give an indication as to when we can expect these skin samples to be rolled out and put to use in cosmetic safety tests, it is reported that L’Oreal aims to automate 3D printed skin production by 2020. L’Oreal will cough up for the initial phase and donate their scientists’ knowledge and expertise on dermatology, whereas Organovo will offer use of their technology.

The program is still in its planning stages but should it come to market, the cosmetics company will retain exclusive rights to the samples for use in non-prescription skin care products. Organovo, on the other hand, will have the right to sell the tissues for prescription drug and toxicity testing as well as for future organ transplants. The bioprinter has already partnered with Merk to create liver and kidney tissues (the first samples of which should be ready by next year) but this reportedly is the first time the beauty industry has employed such technology.

SOURCE: Organovo