Roses and their healing properties

Many flowers have medicinal effects, including roses. They were therefore grown for their medicinal properties in mediaeval Europe. The Ancient Romans had already discovered that the rose helped against toothache. And Roman legionaries carried both roses and the associated knowledge across the Alps northwards.

At the end of the 8th century, Charlemagne made an important contribution towards their inclusion as crop plants in the Imperial and monastic apothecary gardens. In his capitulary De Villis, which provides rules to be observed in administering the king’s private domain, he recommended the cultivation of roses because the petals of the Rosa gallica (Gallic rose) in particular were useful for gargling as well as bathing slow-healing wounds and inflamed eyes. To this day, herbalists say that the Rosa centifolia and Rosa gallica are good for hay fever and alleviate headaches.