Small prickly shrub between 1-2m high, with pink fragrant blooms and whitish hairy leaves. The essential oil is obtained by water or steam distillation from the fresh petals.
Properties - Antidepressant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, aphrodisiac, astringent, bactericidal, cicatrizant, emmenagogue, haemostatic, laxative, regulator of appetite, sedative (nervous), stomachic, tonic (heart, liver, stomach, uterus).
Uses - Rose, on account of its fragrance, belongs to cephalics, oils of roses is used by itself to cool hot inflammations or swellings, and to bind and stay fluxes of tumors to sores.
Cautions - Non-toxic, non-irritant, nonsensitizing.