The Medicine & Magic of Rose

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Ah, the delights of Rose. Beloved friend and ancient ally, humans have been communing with this sweet bloom since time immemorial. 

Roses can be used in love spells, beauty spells, and as powerful magical protectants. In Herbal medicine, they are used to reduce inflammation, open the emotional heart, and increase cell integrity throughout the body. 

Read on to discover the art, magic, and science of Roses, inspiring you to bring this powerful herbal ally into your everyday. 

Traditional Magical Uses of Rose

Few plants have captured the human imagination as universally as the rose. Renowned worldwide for their beauty and aroma, roses have been growing wild in North America, the Middle East, and Europe for over 30 million years and cultivated for at least a millenia.

We can imagine that our fascination with this ubiquitous plant has been with us throughout our evolution, making the rose one of humanity’s primary plant allies. 

Many cultures have magical traditions surrounding the rose, the most well-known being, of course, the love spell. 

Love Spells

There are countless spells for drawing in love using rose petals and rosehips. These love spells are not only for romantic or sensual love, for friendship as well. For example, in some Arabian countries it is typical to welcome guests with a sprinkle of rose water on their palms. 

To conjure a lover, rose petals can be added to a bath or placed into a small red cloth bag and pinned inside one’s clothes. Rosehips can be worn as beads to invite more love into your life. You can also make a necklace of rose petal beads (check out this tutorial) and hang it over your bed or wear it to call in a new love. 

You can anoint a pink or red candle with rose oil to invite in sensuality and romantic love. Light the candle and let it burn until it naturally goes out. 

Fertility Spells

Fertility often goes hand in hand with love, and baby-making spells can also be cast with rose. Drinking a brew of pomegranate seeds, apple slices, and roses can invite a new baby into your life, as can wearing a vial of rose petals in oil around your neck. 

You can invoke a fertility/love goddess to protect and heal your womb by circling a white or pink candle with rose petals. You can place the candle before an image of the goddess or inscribe the candle with her name or symbol. Light the candle and say your prayers and invocations. Allow the candle to go out on its own.  

Love spells require caution, and performing them to make a specific person fall in love with you can bring unintended consequences. Love magic is best performed with an openness to receive a love beyond what you can imagine.

Beauty Enhancement

Rose water and rose oil are wonderfully effective at inviting more beauty into your life. Daily spraying of the face with rose water not only has medicinal value due to the astringent properties of rose, but can create a certain “glow” of beauty.

Traditional spells often call for placing a drop or two or rose infused oil behind the ears to enhance one’s beauty and attractive powers. Bath spells for beauty are also wonderfully effective, as rose is deeply associated with the element of water. 

Protection/ Banishment Spells

The thorns of rose are used in protection or banishment spells. You can create a powerful door ward for your home or bedroom by braiding 9 lengths or red and/or black yarn into 3 braids. You can leave the braids as is or make a super braid. Then, insert rose thorns into the braids until the whole length has been covered. Hang this out of the reach of pets and children over your doorway. 

You can also place thorns into a black or red candle, light it and focus on what you wish to be protected from for as long as you're able. Allow the candle to burn down naturally. Declare “May it be so” and continue on with your life. 

Rose Vinegar is often used for magical protection. Washing the home in rose vinegar casts a protective spell around it.  A vial can be filled with rose vinegar, rose petals, and other protective herbs like rosemary, alder, or rowan. The vial is then capped and sealed with red wax. The vial can be buried, worn on your person, or placed under your pillow. 

The Language of Flowers 

The novel The Language of Flowers first introduced me to the Victorian lore of sending messages of love and friendship with flowers. In the novel a young woman grows up in foster care, and upon release from the system finds herself working in a floral shop with a knack for helping people say the unsaid with flowers. It is both heart-wrenching and beautiful in its arc, and if you haven’t read it yet I highly recommend it.  

The meaning of rose blooms depends on the color used, and sending a certain color or rose to a loved one or including a certain color of rose in your magical work can be a wonderful way to invite love into your life. 

Rose Color Meanings:

  • White: Young Love & Innocence

  • Red: Passion, Desire, & Romance

  • Pink: Gratitude & Sweetness

  • Yellow: Friendship & Joy

  • Lavender: Wonder & Enchantment

  • Peach: Sincerity & Gratitude 

  • Ivory: Grace & Charm

Rose in Herbal Medicine 

Rose plants in and of themselves offer great healing just by being in their presence. The scent of rose wafting on the breeze and the buzz of bees bumbling their way from flower to flower lifts the spirits effortlessly. 

Typically, the flowers, leaves, and rosehips are used in herbal medicine. Wild species of rose are used medicinally, as are some potent cultivars such as Rosa damascena. Look for roses with 5 petals and a strong scent for your medicinal remedies, as the horticultural varieties with many petals have lost much of their medicine and tend to be grown with incredible amounts of pesticides. 

Rose petals are antibacterial, astringent, anti-inflammatory, and may help stop excessive bleeding. Rosehips are antioxidant, highly anti-inflammatory, demulcent, nutritive, and are rich in Vitamin C and flavonoids. 

Energetics

Roses are very specific for opening the heart, both physically and emotionally. The rose is used to help move grief, release trauma, and open up the heart to the possibility of love. Rose helps us hold joy in the midst of hardship,and reminds us that beauty can always be found amongst the thorns of life. 

The thorns of Rose are potent for creating boundaries. The astringent quality of rose literally tightens the boundaries of our cells, bringing them closer together to create greater integrity to our tissues. In the same way, we can invite rose in to teach us how to hold strong to the boundaries of our being, increasing discernment about who and what we allow into our personal space. 

Common Uses

Rose, especially the rosehips, are commonly used as syrup or tea to ease sore throats and reduce phlegmatic coughs. A wash of rose can reduce inflammation and irritation for the eyes, nether regions, and any infected areas. 

Regular use of rose has traditionally been used to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, mid-cycle bleeding, or menopausal flooding. It is considered a supportive herb for healing discomfort associated with fibroids and endometriosis, often used along with other female tonic herbs. 

Rose is healing not just for our emotional heart, but our physical heart as well. It can help reduce inflammation caused by stress, calm our emotions, and reduce tension held in the chest. Its gentle astringency can help increase the integrity of our circulatory system, strengthening blood vessels throughout the body. 

Rose is often used as a supportive herb in formulas, but certainly can be enjoyed on its own as a tea, tincture, glycerite, vinegar, herbal honey, or hydrosol.  

To make your own Rose Elixir with apple-cider vinegar and honey, download the recipe card below! 

Hooray to the Rose, ancient friend and lover. 

Rose Elixir Recipe 

Ingredients: 

  • Rose petals with 1/4 part rose leaves. 

  • 1 pint Apple Cider Vinegar

  • Up to ¼ cup of honey

Method:

  • Fill a pint jar 3/4 or the way full with Rose petals (and optionally, leaves). If you wish to enhance the protection of this elixir, add in thorns as well. 

  • Pour over apple cider vinegar, leaving ½1/2 “ of headspace at the top. Stir to saturate herb. 

  • Cap with a non-corrosive lid or place wax paper under a metal lid. 

  • Allow to steep for one full moon cycle, shaking daily. 

  • Strain, and add honey to taste.

  • To make a powerful elixir, repeat this process in the fall with rosehips, and then combine the two remedies into a large quart jar.  

    Sources:

This information is of an educational and general nature and should not be construed as legal advice. You should consult appropriate written and professional sources to answer questions related to your individual situation. Exercising one's rights often entails some element of risk, and you should verify all information relevant to your situation before acting; the author and publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for any loss incurred as a consequence of the use of any information herein.

Susan Hughes