Red Porch Co. Miessence Certified Organic Products: Ingredient Spotlight: Rose

"Amber Flush" hybrid rose Source: Wikipedia

Everything's coming up roses!

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Stop and smell the roses...

Roses are almost mythical in their sensuality, fragrance, symbolism, and romance. These characteristics are well deserved and earn roses a place in many Miessence products.

Some fun facts about roses...

Most roses that we in the States are familiar with are hybrid roses, not bred before 1867. These roses were bred for their beautiful flowers, and roses from varieties known pre-1867 are known as "old" roses, heritage roses, antique roses, and various other names indicating age. One particular type of old rose is the Damask rose.

Damask Roses Source: Wikipedia

Damask roses tend to be a little rangier, but more than make up for it with their strongly scented flowers. These are the flowers that are used to make rose essential oil.

So we know roses are fragrant, but did you know they've been used to unite a divided people? The
war of the roses wasn't just an interesting movie, but also a series of wars fought over the throne of England? The house of Lancaster was represented by the red rose, the house of York by the white, and they fought for the throne in spurts between 1455 and 1485. Eventually, Henry Tudor won it for the Lancasters when he defeated King Richard III and married Elizabeth of York, and the Tudor Rose was created, blending the two houses.


Not an egg in the middle: the Tudor Rose Source: Wikipedia

Nobody has ever managed to actually breed a Tudor Rose, but nonetheless the rose's place in history is cemented as a symbol of peace and unity.

So we know about the rose's epic fragrance and visual beauty. but what about the taste? Yes, taste! Those of you unfamiliar with Middle Eastern cuisine might not know that roses feature prominently. Persian desserts are often flavored with rose water, and spice shops around the Middle East traditionally offer their own proprietary blend of herbs and spices known as Ras el hanout, which often includes rosebuds.

Not to be outdone, Mexican cuisine also has a delicacy called Quail in Rose Petal Sauce, featured in Laura Esquivel's Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water For Chocolate) and the film of the same name. In this story, the roses contain all of Tita's forbidden passion for Pedro, and everyone at the table (including her mother!) is, shall we say, overcome. The end result was Tita's sister Gertrudis catching the ranch shower on fire from her heat, being rescued by a revolutionary soldier, and going on to become an officer in the army herself. I can't promise the same results, but you can sure try by making it yourself!

Quail in Rose Petal Sauce Source: Cooking with the Movies

So we have sight, smell, taste...how about touch? Roses have a multitude of benefits for the skin (why we're talking about it in the first place!), including offering soothing relief to sunburn, and being good for both dry and oily skin. Rose oil is very nourishing and moisturizing for dry skin, while having a mild astringent quality to tone oily skin. The antibacterial properties of roses also make it an effective treatment for acne.

WOW! What can't this beautiful flower do?

Just some of the gorgeous Miessence products that contain roses in some form or another...