The Romantic Rose - not just another pretty face...

The Bulgarian Rose Valley

The rose has always been valued for its beauty and has a long history of symbolism. Roses are ancient symbols of love and beauty. 'Rose' means pink or red in a variety of languages. The rose was sacred to a number of goddesses and is often used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with their goddesses of love referred to as Aphrodite and Venus. In Rome a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secret or confidential matters were discussed. The phrase sub rosa, or "under the rose", means to keep a secret, derived from this ancient Roman practice.

Early Christians identified the five petals of the rose with the five wounds of Christ. Despite this interpretation, their leaders were hesitant to adopt it because of its association with Roman excesses and pagan ritual. The red rose was eventually adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs. Roses also later came to be associated with the Virgin Mary.

Rose culture came into its own in Europe in the 1800s with the introduction of perpetual blooming roses from China. There are currently thousands of varieties of roses developed for bloom shape, size, fragrance and even for lack of prickles.

It takes around 770lbs of flowers to produce 2lbs of rose absolute. The Bulgarian Rose we use in our products: Simply Rosewater Toner, Simply Roses Cream, and Gentle & Healing Rosewater Eye Cream comes from the Bulgarian Rose Valley.  Located between the Balkan range and Sredna Gora mountains, the Bulgarian Rose Valley is the home of the exquisite Bulgarian rose oil, also known as 'attar of roses' or 'rose otto', and world center for rose otto production. There are over 7000 varieties of roses worldwide, yet only few are known as oil producing. The Bulgarian Rosa Damascena, cultivated for over 300 years, is considered to be the finest and best oil-bearing rose renowned worldwide.

Unique climatic and soil conditions make the Rose Valley, also known as the Kazanlak Valley, one of the biggest producers of rose otto in the world. The air humidity, cloudiness and precipitation in May and June contribute to the cultivation of roses that yield very high percentage of oil.

The rose is the national flower of England and the United States.

Properties

• Anti Depressant: Rose Oil boosts self esteem, confidence, hope and mental strength and efficiently fights depression. This can be very helpful to drive away depression from those who are suffering from depression due to any reason. This also relieves anxiety. Being an anti depressant, patients of acute depression or who are undergoing rehabilitation can be given routine and regular doses of this essential oil to bring hope in their lives. This oil is widely used in aromatherapy and invokes positive thoughts, spiritualism and feelings of joy, happiness and hope.
• Aphrodisiac: Better I don’t try explaining this property of Rose Oil! Right from Cupid himself to modern day’s high tech lovers, every body knows how roses are indispensable in romance. And so is this Essential Oil of Rose. The very scent of it can arouse you. It boosts up libido and invokes romantic feelings which are essentials for successful lovemaking.
• Cicatrisant: This property of Rose Essential Oil can be of great interest for those who care a lot about their looks. It makes the scars and after marks of boils, acne and pox etc. on the skin to fade away. This includes fading of stretch marks and surgery marks, fat cracks etc. associated with pregnancy and delivery.
• Nervine: It acts as a tonic for the nerves. It gives them strength to bear shocks and protects them from disorders resulting from age, injuries etc. It won’t let your hands tremble or let you go nervous when saying those three magic words to your dream girl for the first time, of course, with a rose in your hand.
• Stomachic: Rose Oil is a stomachic too. It soothes stomach, sedates inflammations in it, helps it function properly and protects it from infections. It also protects it from ulcers which often happen due to over production of acids and their release into the stomach.
• Other Benefits: It regulates hormone production and helps balance them. It is one of the best oils which can give you a shining, fresh and youthful skin. Its aroma keeps you charged and feeling happy and helps cure headaches.

Folklore

The rose is perhaps one of the most powerful symbols in the metaphysical world.

The gift of a rose is also one of the simplest ways to say, "I love you" without too much hocus-pocus. The thorns on its stems represent the "prick" of love and the overcoming of obstacles to achieve your desires. It is the pinnacle of metaphorical purity and symbolizes completion and perfection.

The element associated with the rose is Water, so it is particularly friendly to the astrological signs of Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio. Both Mercury and Venus rule this flower. A bath in rose petals or rose water (which is distilled from the buds) is said to attract love to the bathing beauty.

An ancient custom is to sprinkle the bed of newlyweds with rose petals to sweeten the honeymoon. In ancient alchemical formulas the red rose is used as a masculine principle and the rose represents the feminine or receptive principle. The combination of the two (perhaps growing the two bushes intertwined in the garden) represents harmony and unity.

Rose oil, which is extracted through a rather expensive process from the petals of the flower, is also prominent in both love and healing rituals. When applied the temples the oil is said to cure a headache. When applied to the thighs or breasts it is supposed to attract a suitor. As an essential oil, the rose's essence is thought to relieve depression, PMS and postnatal depression.

Taking drops of this under your tongue is thought to help the patient free themselves from a rut or feelings of hopelessness and being trapped by fate. Rose water is used in cooking spells and added to curries and cake mixes to infuse the dish with good spirits and love attracting qualities. The water is also splashed on the skin (but not around the eyes) to give you a complexion as dewy as the flower.

The color of the rose is also significant. Red roses symbolize love, sex and passion. Pink roses suggest friendship, joy, gratitude and fun. Yellow roses can symbolize enthusiasm, but according to some folklore, the yellow rose can symbolize deception or "the perfect crime." Orange roses signify enthusiasm, passion and a lust for life. White roses are symbolic of significant landmarks in life (such as death, birth and marriage), unconditional love, purity and innocence.

The flower is not the only part of the rose that is used in divination and magic. To discover their romantic future, women used to pluck three green rose leaves and name one after each of their suitors. The one that stayed green the longest was her soulmate. Rose hips can be strung like beads on a thread and worn as a necklace to attract love. Drinking rose-hip tea is thought to increase one's powers of prophecy.

Ironically, for a flower that is often given as a gift, the most powerful roses are said to be those that have been stolen from another person's garden.

Warnings

Rose oils are for external use only. Keep rose oils away from children. Avoid eye contact. Do not use rose oils during pregnancy. Rose oils are not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any disease. Familiarize with pure essential oils before use.

Rose Oil can take away your headache if used in mild concentrations, but its strong aroma can just play the opposite if very high concentration is used. Being an Emenagogue, it should not be used during pregnancy.