Damask rose

What is Damask rose?

Damask rose is a scented garden rose, Rosa × damascena. Its petals are turned into rose water, rose oil and tea. In Bulgaria's Rose Valley it is known as kazanlashka roza.

Growers pick the petals at dawn. Steam distilling gives rose water and a tiny yield of rose oil, often called attar or rose otto. Dried petals are brewed as tea or cooked into jams and sweets.

People reach for it for calm, for mood, for mild skin care and for the smell. Long use in food and folk medicine is not proof that it works, and not proof that it is safe for everyone.

Here is the honest verdict. Rose water and rose petal tea are ordinary, low-risk foods. Good human evidence that damask rose treats any health problem is thin, and we found no trial strong enough to settle the question.

How does Damask rose work?

No one has shown clearly how damask rose acts in the body.

Most of the science is in test tubes and animals. In lab tests, rose extracts mop up free radicals and dial down some inflammation signals. Whether any of that happens in a person who drinks rose tea is not established.

In animal studies, breathing rose scent has been linked to calmer behaviour. Some researchers think smell pathways in the brain drive the effect. That idea has not been proven in humans.

A simpler idea may explain part of the calm. A warm drink, a pleasant smell and a few quiet minutes can settle you on their own. That is not unique to rose.

On skin, rose water mostly cools and adds a little water. That is a physical effect, not a drug effect. Any toning or tightening you feel likely comes from tannins in the petals.

In cell studies, rose extracts slow the growth of some bacteria. The concentrations used are far higher than what a toner or tea delivers. Do not treat rose water as a germ killer.

What forms does Damask rose come in?

Rose water, a watery distillate used in cooking, on skin and in eye lotions.

Rose otto and rose absolute, the essential oils, sold in very small bottles for scent.

Dried petals and buds, brewed as tea.

Rose petal jam, rose syrup and Turkish delight.

Capsules, tinctures and extracts of petal, sold as supplements.

Creams, toners, soaps and lip balms that list rose water or rose oil.

Strength differs hugely across these. A spoon of rose water in a dessert is a food. A drop of rose otto is a very concentrated oil and is not for swallowing.

Where it comes from:

European folk healers prized damask rose for centuries. The plant came west from Persia and Asia Minor, and crusading soldiers were long credited with carrying it home.

Herbals of the 1500s and 1600s listed rose water as a wash for sore eyes and hot skin. Rose honey and rose syrup were given for sore throats. Rose vinegar was dabbed on the brow for headache.

Petals were also tucked into pillows and strewn at feasts. The aim was scent and mood as much as medicine.

Bulgaria's Rose Valley, around Kazanlak, has distilled rose oil since the 1700s. Most of that trade served perfume houses, not doctors. The yearly rose festival still marks the harvest.

Persian, Ottoman and Indian medical writers used the same plant in similar ways. None of this old use tells you whether it treats anything.

What does Damask rose help with?

• Stress and feeling anxious (as a scent): This is the most studied use, and the evidence is still weak. Folk practice used rose water and petals to lift a tense mood. Small studies of rose aromatherapy report lower anxiety scores. The studies are short and few in number. You cannot hide a strong smell from a participant, so belief may explain much of the effect. Trying it is low risk. Expecting it to replace treatment for an anxiety disorder is not sensible.
• Low mood: Tradition treated rose as a comfort for grief and heaviness of spirit. Human evidence here is very thin. A few small trials have looked at rose scent alongside normal care. Results are mixed and the groups were tiny. If your mood has been low for weeks, speak to a doctor. Do not use rose in place of care.
• Poor sleep: Rose was used at bedtime as a calming scent and a warm drink. Direct evidence in people is limited to small studies with weak design. Any benefit may come from the bedtime routine itself. A warm, caffeine-free drink helps some people wind down. It is a reasonable thing to try. It is not a sleep medicine.
• Period pain: Rose tea and rose scent were old home remedies for cramps. Some small trials of rose aromatherapy report less pain, but they are short and poorly controlled. We cannot say it works. Severe or worsening period pain needs a medical opinion. Tell your doctor if pain stops you doing normal things, or if it is new.
• Dry or irritated skin: Rose water has long been splashed on hot, dry or tired skin. It cools and adds a little water, which can feel good. There is no solid trial showing it heals a skin condition. Tannins may give a brief toning feel. Patch test a new product on your inner arm first. Stop if you itch, sting or go red.
• Sore throat and mouth rinse: Rose honey and rose syrup were classic throat remedies in old European herbals. The soothing is likely from the honey or syrup, not the rose. In lab tests rose extracts slow some mouth bacteria. Whether that matters in a real mouth is not established. A sore throat with high fever, drooling or trouble swallowing needs urgent care.
• Mild constipation (traditional use): Rose petal syrup and rose jam were given as gentle laxatives in European folk practice. Any effect is probably mild and mostly from the sugar and fluid. We found no human trial that tests this. Treat it as folklore. See a doctor for constipation that is new, painful, or comes with blood or weight loss.

Which foods are rich in Damask rose?

Damask rose appears in food as a flavour, not a nutrient. Rose water, rose syrup, rose petal jam and Turkish delight are the usual ones. These give you the taste and the smell, with no proven health effect.

What are the side effects of Damask rose?

• Allergic rash, itching or hives after skin use
• Hay fever type symptoms from the pollen or scent
• Stinging or redness in the eyes from rose water
• Eye infection from non-sterile rose water used as drops
• Headache or nausea from a strong scent
• Mild stomach upset from strong tea or syrup
• Skin burns or blistering from undiluted essential oil
• Mouth and throat burning if essential oil is swallowed

Good to know:

Rose water and rose tea cause problems for very few people. Most reports are mild skin or allergy reactions.

The real hazard sits with the essential oil. Undiluted oil can burn skin, and swallowing it can harm the mouth, gullet and stomach.

Home-made or cosmetic rose water is not sterile. Putting it in your eye can cause an infection. Use only a product made and sealed as an eye drop.

How much Damask rose should you take?

• Recommended daily: This page gives label-style ranges only. It is not advice for you. Petal tea labels usually suggest about 1 to 2 grams of dried petals per cup, up to two or three cups a day. Food-grade rose water is used by the teaspoon in cooking and drinks. Skin products are usually rose water as sold, or rose oil diluted to about 1 percent in a carrier oil. Rose essential oil is not a food. It is for scent and diluted skin use only. Supplement extracts vary too much to quote a meaningful amount. Follow the label and ask a pharmacist if you take other medicines.
• Best time of day: Timing does not matter much. Pick what suits you. Many people use the tea or the scent in the evening, because they want to wind down. If you use it for a scent at bedtime, keep it near the bed, not on the pillow where it can touch your eyes.
• With or without food: Food makes no real difference to rose tea or rose water. If a strong tea or an extract upsets your stomach, take it with a meal. Do not swallow rose essential oil with food or anything else.
• Time to effect: A scent acts within minutes if it acts at all. Any calm you notice comes quickly. Tea and skin products give the same kind of short, mild comfort while you use them. Be ready for it to do nothing. For many people, damask rose is pleasant and no more than that.
• How long to take it: Rose water and rose tea are foods and are often used on and off for years. That tells you they are well tolerated, not that they treat anything. For a concentrated extract or capsule, long daily use has not been studied. Most people use it for a few weeks and see how they feel. If nothing has changed after about four weeks, stop. Spending money on a remedy that does nothing for you is the main cost here.