The Pagan Heart
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February 2005 Issue
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Herbs Under Scrutiny: The history behind Roses
By Mary Q. Contrari
Greetings to you, gentle people! I've just come into the house, fresh from relaxing near my dear Stanley's roses. Ah, the man loves to tend to his "flock", as I so lovingly refer to them. I will admit that I don't know much about the raising and tending of these wonderful soil dwelling friends of ours - I leave the technical aspect to my dear Stanley - but I do enjoy them! My love affair with roses is all about their past. Please join me in a cup of my favorite Rose tea, and relax, while I tell you about the history of that lovely plant, the Rose! For, as the Persian proverb goes, "the world is a rose, smell it and pass it to your friends". William Wordsworth said, "A primrose by the river's brim, a yellow rose was to him. And it was nothing more". "Nothing more". If this is true, then why are roses so important to us? Why was it an important enough fact to note that fossils of roses have been found dating from 35 million years ago? Our pretty friends disappeared from history for a while after that, resurfacing again around 5000 years ago, in China, where it is believed that they were first garden cultivated. By around 2000 BCE, the Sumerians were becoming well known for their production of rose oil and water, which they extracted from wild roses. They were also in great demand as confetti, to be used at celebrations, and of course as perfume, known also as Rose water. The ancient Greeks looked upon the rose as the symbol of both purity and passion. The Romans, true to form, were, according to books, the first to grow roses in huge quantities for commercial use. The Roman nobles of that time created a public garden, in the south of Rome. And it is said that Cleopatra once received a suitor in a room filled knee deep with rose petals! Imagine the grandeur. Mayhap I should let this little tidbit slip to Stanley, as a hint? However could one top that? Roses also became a status symbol for many. The common man surely couldn't have afforded the beautifully cultivated roses available to the nobility - although wild hedge blossoms were freely available. The true value of the rose lay in its sweet scent, something many wild roses lack. "I'd rather have roses on my table, than diamonds 'round my neck" as Emma Goldman said. Roses have been used medicinally throughout our times as well. Keep in mind, though, that not all roses can be used for the same purpose, and those that use roses and/or their oil, only use the best quality. 2000 years ago, Pliny the Elder found 32 uses for roses, in medicine. The Romans used the wild rose for rabid dog bites. Cherokee roses have been used to treat diarreah. One must wonder if you truly do smell like roses afterwards! Up into the 1930s, the Apothecary rose was used to treat sore throats. Native Americans have used roses to treat such ailments as diarrhea, fever, influenza, and colds, and the Omaha were known to steep the hips and make a rinse for eye infections. Rose has also been used to treat burns, cataracts, snow blindness, and swelling. There is even mention of it being a menstrual regulator! Whoever said that diamonds are a girl's best friend was surely wrong! "The red rose whispers of passion, and the white rose breathes of love; O, the red rose is a falcon, and the white rose is a dove" - John Boyle O'Reilly. Roses have been known as the symbols for beauty, love, politics, war and death. In the 1400s, two factions warred over who would control England. The house of York was symbolized by the white rose, and the house of Lancaster, by the red. The fight is called the "War of the Roses". (And we, of course, remember the movie with delicious little Michael Douglas of the same name!) And who can forget Romeo and Juliet? "What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But on with the rest of my tale. The people of the Dark Ages were a very practical lot, but even they were known to grow the beauties just for something pretty to look at. A little "something" to brighten up their "dark" days? Oh, goodness me! In the 17th century, roses and rose water were also used as legal tender and for barter. What a wonderful way to pay for your purchases at market! Josephine Bonepart, wife to Napolean, possessed an immense collection of roses at her estate, Chateau de Malmaison, in the 19th century. Interestingly, Pierre Joseph Redoute, renowned botanical illustrator, used this garden as the setting for his watercolor collection, "Les Roses". It is the finest record available, to date. "From the thorn bush comes forth the rose." -Old Jewish Proverb. There are now over 150 species of rose. And there have been more than 4000 songs written about them. Amazing, even though it was in the late 1800s that roses were introduced into Europe, from China. Roses are used everyday, from food, drink, and home decoration, to weddings and funerals. I remember my fascination with this beautiful flower first blossoming when, as a child, my mama Ann and my papa John took me to Tombstone, Arizona. While there, I saw a Lady Banks rose tree. This amazing tree has a 40 inch thick trunk, and is 9ft high! It is supported by 68 posts, and thousands of feet of iron pipe. The area covered by this gem is over 5,000 square feet. Seeing this tree was the high point of my 13th summer. I will never forget it. And what a feeling to sit beneath a rose tree grown from a cutting brought over from Scotland, all the way back in 1884. It is no wonder that this dear specimen holds a world record. But enough of that. I do try to keep in mind what JB Yeats said - "If the rose puzzled its mind over the question how it grew, it would not have been the miracle that it is." Enjoy the flower for what it is, not the records it holds. Gentle people, love your soil dwelling friends, tend to them. And reap their bounty. I think I may return to the garden to join my Stanley. Maybe I shall take him some rose tea... Be well, my friends.
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