Rose and its fragrance has been typically associated with romantic feelings as well as feelings of affection and love. It is one of the most popular flowers out there, as it is widely believed to be able to melt the hardest and coldest of hearts when you receive one.

However, did you know that an essential oil can be extracted from the flowers? Yes, rose essential oil is extracted through a process of steam distillation of Rosa Damascena, which is the scientific name of the flower. With useful and therapeutic compounds that are known to promote healing, it undoubtedly has various health benefits beyond just smelling nice and fresh, thus making the oil a lovely addition to add into your essential oils collection!

Health Benefits of Rose Essential Oil:

1. Helps Ward off Depression

Rose essential oil contains potent antidepressant attributes, thus making it a viable natural remedy for those who are suffering from depression or are feeling melancholic all the time. Rose oil is widely and frequently used in aromatherapy for this very purpose of uplifting your emotional spirits and invoking positive thoughts, spiritual relaxation and feelings of hope and happiness within your soul.

In fact, scientific research supports this! A 2012 study published in the Journal of Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice wanted to find out if aromatherapy would improve anxiety and/or depression in high risk postpartum women, as a complementary therapy tool. The treatment group was assigned an essential oil blend of rose otto and lavender and asked to inhale the blend twice a week for 4 consecutive weeks.

The results indicated that there were positive findings as seen in how the women in the treatment group reported having experienced a significant decrease in postnatal depression and an improvement in anxiety levels.

Therefore, rose oil can be a viable alternative to antidepressant medication and drugs which are available in pharmacies because it does not carry so much chemical risks, unlike such prescription drugs, since it is all-natural. So, the next time you feel overwhelmed or bogged down by an issue in life, try rose essential oil to help boost your emotional health.

How to Use it: Like the experiment suggests, try adding 5 drops of rose oil and 5 drops of lavender oil into your diffuser or vaporizer and let its aromatic wafts engulf and heal you. You can place it on your bedside table, next to your bed.

2. Promotes Skin Health

Rose essential oil is also great for your skin! It is a good bactericide as it contains antimicrobial properties, perfect for eradicating bacteria that can potentially clog up your pores and acne. In this way, it helps to promote a much smoother and healthier complexion! Furthermore, it has cicatrisant attributes, which means it facilitates the healing of acne scars, pox scars and other dark spots on the skin. This also includes stretch marks and surgery scars. Thus, such scars and marks will disappear faster and you will be on your way to a much smoother complexion!

A 2010 study carried out by Chinese researchers actually found that the essential oil of rose exhibited one of the best antibacterial activities towards the bacteria that is responsible for causing acne, notably the P. acnes bacterial strain. In fact, it is so powerful that only at a concentration of 0.25%, it could completely kill off the bacterial strain after 5 minutes!

How to Use it: For acne, you can try to dab one drop of the pure rose essential oil onto your blemishes thrice a day. However, if you suffer from sensitive skin or if the antibacterial properties are too much for your skin, then you can dilute the oil with equal amounts of coconut oil.

3. Helps Improve Libido and Hormone Health

Rose oil also greatly helps in improving libido and enhancing your performance in the bedroom. Because it promotes relaxation and soothes anxiety levels, it is perfect for those who are experiencing sexual dysfunction due to performance anxiety or even due to stress.

A 2015 study published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment found that sexual dysfunction actually improved for those who took rose oil and self-rated symptoms of depression were also reportedly to have been significantly reduced!

Therefore, if you are ever looking for something to make your evening lovely for you and your partner and to arouse those romantic and sensual feelings towards one another, then try rose essential oil!

How to Use it: You can diffuse a few drops of the oil in your diffuser or vaporizer and place it on your bedside table, next to your bed to put you in the mood. You can even blend rose oil with sandalwood, jasmine and ylang-ylang essential oils together. Alternatively, you can rub this blend on your neck. If you are looking to give your spouse a real treat, then try mixing rose oil with a carrier oil such as jojoba or almond oil and massage the blend onto your partner.

Safety Precautions:

• Be sure to dilute rose oil with a carrier oil (such as coconut, jojoba, almond or olive oils) in a 1:1 ratio before topical application onto the skin, especially if you have sensitive or delicate skin. Always perform a skin patch test first to ensure no sensitive or allergic reactions crops up.

• If you are pregnant or nursing, please consult with your doctor first before using rose essential oil as a form of treatment.

• Keep out from the eyes, ears and nose area.

References:

Conrad P, Adams C, “The effects of clinical aromatherapy for anxiety and depression in the high risk postpartum woman - a pilot study”, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice (2012); 18(3)

Yuangang Zu, et al., “Activities of Ten Essential Oils towards Propionibacterium acnes and PC-3, A-549 and MCF-7 Cancer Cells”, Molecules (2010); 15(5)

Vahid Farnia, et al., “Rosa damascena oil improves SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction in male patients suffering from major depressive disorders: results from a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial”, Journal of Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (2015)