What Are the Benefits of Eating Rose Petals?

People around the world enjoy flowers in their food. Asian cuisine, for instance, relies on lilies and chrysanthemums, squash blossoms are common in Italian and Latin cuisines and the French used carnations for Chartreuse, a traditional liqueur. Rose petals and rose hips are popular with home cooks and professional chefs alike. While the petals provide only small amounts of nutrition, they do add benefits for you beyond their actual food value.

Health and Nutrition

Because petals contain about 95 percent water, their nutritional value is limited and their calorie count is low. However, the petals do contain some vitamin C, though less than that found in rose hips, the fruit of the rose that appears after the flowers drop. Ancient Chinese medicine used roses to treat digestive disorders, the pain from injuries and menstrual irregularities.

Culinary Adventures

Eating a varied diet full of interesting foods is the best way to ensure that you get plenty of vitamins and minerals. Adding rose petals to your repertoire allows you to explore new cuisines. Middle Eastern cuisine, for instance, uses rose water and rose petals in a variety of dishes. Try Persian stuffed dumpling squash with rose petals from Epicurious.com or Moroccan peaches from the Rhode Island Rose Society, listed in the Resources section.

Good Feelings

Cooking with rose petals and eating rose petals can make you feel good. Leon Seltzer, a clinical psychologist writing in "Psychology Today," explains that the delight of discovery, of being spontaneous and adventuresome, can make you feel good about yourself. Eating rose petals may seem like a trivial activity, but if doing so reminds you to savor your food and your life, it will take on a deeper meaning.

Connections to the Past

In eating, as in life, establishing connections with the past is important to your well-being --- witness the feelings that arise when you eat pie made from your grandmother's Thanksgiving recipe or the beef chili that you know generations of your Texan relatives have enjoyed since pioneer days. Eating rose petals will transport you to ancient Rome, where roses were added to foods when a celebration of victory occurred. You'll also travel to the White House in 1899 where the chefs made pound cake with a glass of rose water according to "The White House Cookbook."

sources:livestrong

Plant Chemicals

The petals contain volatile oil, tannic acid, coloring matter, saccharine matter, mineral salts, and salts of malic and tartaric acids, etc. In addition to substantial proportions of vitamin C, rose petals contain other chemical amalgams, which comprise 11 per cent of pectin and three per cent of a mix of malic and citric acids. Researchers are of the opinion that the presence of malic acid and citric acid are the reason behind the laxative and diuretic effects.

Uses & Benefits of Rose Petals

Rose petals are rejuvenating and prove to be a tonic.
They are used to treat internal asthma, high blood pressure, bronchitis, slow circulation, diarrhea, dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), cough, fever and fluid retention, indigestion, insomnia, palpitation, stress and urinary tract infections.
Due to their strong and pleasant fragrance, rose petals are used for making essential oils and perfumes.

• They are ingested as a tea to provide a comforting effect and diminish body temperatures during high fevers.
• The tea also effectively cleanses toxins and heat from the body.
• The infusion prepared from the rose petals is used to alleviate cold and flu symptoms.
• The infusion is also effective in treating sore throats, runny nose and congested bronchial tracts.
• The petals effectively combat infections in the digestive system and restore the normal and essential bacteria in the intestines.
• They have a diuretic effect and hence, are beneficial in relieving excessive fluids from the urinary bladder.
• Rose petals help to get rid of the waste and toxic substances in the body, through the kidneys.
• They alleviate problems of insomnia, depression, fatigue and comfort tetchiness.

Vitamin A, C, Serotonin, Anti-aging, Gastroenteritis, 
Immune System, Liver function, Asthma, Relax

How to make a Hot Tea
Start with fresh, cold water. (The better the water quality, the better the tea will taste.) Place a tea bag in your favorite cup or mug. Bring water to a rolling boil and immediately pour over your tea bag. Steep for a good 3 to 5 minutes. (Great taste can't be rushed—it really does take the full time to release the tea's entire flavor.) Remove the tea bag, relax and enjoy! (Serve it “clear” or try it with milk and sugar.)

Here's a coldwater method for clear, cloudless iced tea:
Fill a quart pitcher or container with cold tap water. Cover. Let stand at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Add 4 to 6 tea bags or 1 Family Size tea bag (remove tags). After at least 6 hours (or overnight), remove tea bags, squeezing against side of container. When ready to serve, pour into ice-filled glasses. Makes 1 quart. Recipe may be doubled.


After that, Give your feet a daily tea bath that calms, restores, and also eliminates offensive odors! 
Just boil three or four brewed tea bags in one quart of water for ten minutes. 
Once the water has cooled enough to be comfortable for your feet, soak them for twenty to thirty minutes.
Rinse your hands with water and a brewed tea bag to remove food odors, especially onions and fish.


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