Botanical Information - Rituals & History :
The Damask rose (Rosa damascena), Provence rose (Rosa Gallica) and Eglantine(Rosa eglanteria) are the three oldest roses in cultivation and are considered to be the most fragrant roses in the world. It takes about 10,000 pounds of flowers to make 1 pound of rose oil, so be aware that if you find rose oil at an unbelievably low price, it is almost certainly an adulteration. In China Rosa rugosa is the source of Chinese Rose Oil, which has a soft, honey like note.
The rose plays a prominent role in Greek and Roman mythology, Homer's allusions to it in the Iliad and Odyssey are the earliest records, and Sappho, the Greek poetess, writing in about 600 B.C., crowned the Rose Queen of Flowers.
Roses were grown in monastery gardens in the Middle Ages in Europe.
Rose Constituents:Vitamin C (to 1.7%), vitamins B,E, and K, nicotinamide, organic acids, tannin, pectin