ROSE FLOWER
ROSA DAMASCENA FLOWER WATER
ORIGINS
Known since Antiquity for its delicate fragrance, this flower (the name of which refers to the city of Damascus) grows spontaneously in Syria and parts of the Caucasus. It was brought back from the Holy Land by Crusaders.
Damascus rose floral water, or hydrolat, is obtained by steam-distilling fresh flowers. A liter of this precious liquid requires several hundreds of flowers!
The phenetyl alcohol (1) contained in Rosa Damascena’s petals is known for its soothing and anti-microbial properties (2), which are beneficial in ophthalmology (3).
(1) Verma RS, Padalia RC, Chauhan A, Singh A, Yadav AK. Volatile constituents of essential oil and rose water of damask rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) cultivars from North Indian hills. Nat Prod Res. 2011 Oct;25(17):1577-84.
(2) Corre J, Lucchini JJ, Mercier GM, Cremieux A., Antibacterial activity of phenethyl alcohol and resulting membrane alterations., Res Microbiol., 1990; 141, 4: 483-497.
(3) Mahboubi M. Rosa damascena as holy ancient herb with novel applications J Tradit Complement Med. 2016 Jan; 6(1): 10–16.
