The Queen of Flowers: Magnificent Rose & It's Benefits

Rose - a divine gift from the plant world. Below we explore its history, uses and the Ayurvedic perspective of this loving flower.

Fossil records suggest that roses are between 30-35 millions years old. Throughout human history, cultures have been inspired and enhanced by this enchanting flower. For instance, rose has been immortalized in literature, artwork, music and poetry, with the Greek poetess, Sappho, christening the rose ‘the queen of flowers’ in 600 BC. Throughout the ages, rose has helped people build a deeper connection with self-love, compassion and self-care through its use in  herbal remedies, skincare and aromatherapy. The beauty and fragrance of this flower has even been cited to have aphrodisiac qualities and has been used amongst lovers to incite passion and romance. In fact, it has been said that Cleopatra would scatter rose petals when Marc Anthony visited her- this way, her lover would be reminded of her each time he saw or smelled a fragrant, delicate rose.

In our PAAVANI formulations we like to incorporate the use of rose as often as we can. You will find it in many of our products ranging from our skin and body care to our teas and aromatherapy, including our newest product offering, Rose Water! Our Rose Water is pure and organic, made with only 2 ingredients- organic Bulgarian rose essential oil and deionized water. This means that it is undiluted and contains no additives nor artificial fragrances or dyes. Furthermore, it is packaged in amber glass to protect and preserve the divine essence of rose from harmful UV light exposure and possible contamination from packaging in plastic. 

Like all PAAVANI products, our Rose Water is made in our Northern California apothecary in small batches by our dedicated team of Ayurvedic herbalists. We developed our Rose Water with the intention of providing you with a soothing, sweet, feminine, heart-opening aromatic experience! Rose Water is multifunctional and can be used as an on-the-go aromatherapy spritzer when you need to refresh, to hydrate the skin and give you that dewy, all natural glow, it can help set your makeup and it can even be spritzed onto your locs to help calm frizz and boost shine. 

In Ayurveda, India’s 5,000 year old traditional medicine, rose is considered to be balancing to all three doshas- vata, pitta and kapha. Let’s take a closer look at how rose affects each dosha…

The sweet, calming and gentle aroma of rose can help those experiencing a vata imbalance reduce feelings of nervousness, anxiety, fatigue and worry. To help aid in a restful night’s sleep, we suggest misting your bed pillow, soles of your feet and face with Rose Water to help relax the nervous system and clear the mind. When you spritz Rose Water onto your face, you also create a protective floral barrier that  helps to reduce water loss from the skin; thus, hydrating and healing dry and/or aging skin that is associated with an imbalance in vata dosha. Rose also contains polyphenols which are antioxidants that protect the skin from free radical damage that can deplete the skin’s collagen.

Although rose is balancing to all doshas, it is especially revered in Ayurvedic medicine for its ability to restore balance and bliss to pitta dosha. Rose has the ability to open the heart and the mind, both necessary for  keeping pitta in check. People predominant in pitta dosha or experiencing a pitta imbalance are prone to bouts of anger, irritability, criticism, intensity as well as inflammation that can manifest as redness, sensitivity and/or blemishes on the skin’s surface. Thankfully, rose’s cooling and sweet energetics are the perfect ally to remedy the fiery nature of pitta. Simply spritz your PAAVANI Rose Water onto your face, inhale the loving vibrations of the ‘queen of flowers’ and you will literally feel your nervous system and mind begin to relax. For the skin, Rose Water may help to reduce inflammation, even skin tone and eradicate blemish promoting bacteria from within the pores and the surface of the skin.  Lastly, Ayurveda recommends Rose Water as an eye wash to reduce excess heat in the eyes. 

Rose Water has been utilized in Ayurveda to help aid respiratory congestion associated with the heavy, watery and dense nature of kapha dosha., If you are kapha in nature or experiencing mucus or congestion, we recommend misting Rose Water directly onto your chest and drawing in deep breaths. This aromatic experience can also help to bring clarity and lightness to the mind and pairs especially well with The Nasal Care Ritual and/or after a hot, steamy shower. For kapha type skin, Rose Water has a slightly astringent or tightening effect, perfect to reduce excess sebum (oil). To boot, rose also contains antibacterial properties to help cleanse the pores. This is ideal for kapha type skin as it can be prone to cystic acne and congestion. 

We would like to note that although Rose Water has beneficial effects for people predominant in kapha dosha or people experiencing a kapha imbalance, we recommend to not use Rose Water in excess if experiencing an extreme kapha imbalance as this could increase the cool and sweet nature of kapha dosha. 

Rose has a long history of inspiring and healing humankind. Its gentle, soothing energy and heady aroma are for many, the ultimate aromatherapy experience. We are honored to share with you the gift of rose throughout our product offerings and through our pure, organic Rose Water. May they help to restore your balance, invite you to connect with your divine feminine nature and cultivate more self-love and compassion.