You are probably wondering. I have all of these roses in my yard, I wonder if I can use them for tea? I wonder what I do with these roses? Is there a special kind of rose that is good for tea? No worries my friend not only are there great ways to preserve flowers for tea but there are lots of things you can do with the roses in your yard or garden.
However, there are a few things that are good to keep in mind when deciding what to do with all the lovely roses in your garden. Not only do you want to consider the type of roses that you have but also consider the medicinal benefits of roses if any and if you will be using rose petals or rose hips.
If you don’t have roses yet but would love to plant some we talk about how to plan and plant your herb (and rose) garden here in this ebook along with many video tutorials in the herbal studio.
Photo by Kayla Joy Creative
Before we start:
This herbal information is just that, information. This blog post and I DO NOT INTEND to treat, cure, or diagnose any disease or illness. This is for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult a physician before using herbs medicinally.
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Rose Tea Benefits
There are so many benefits of rose petals both externally and internally. When we are totally stressed out our body is busy creating a bunch of free radicals. You have probably heard of them before they are the “things” that antioxidants seek out and destroy.
The properties of roses are such that they aid in stress reduction and in doing so they limit the number of free radicals so that you don’t have to worry about dealing with so many of those illness-causing particles.
Drinking rose petal tea can have many medicinal benefits including:
- Weight loss - Rose petals aid in detoxification including acting as a laxative as well as a diuretic. This helps clean up the digestive system by removing toxins from the body which in turn will help your metabolism work better. Along with that stress reduction helps your digestive system also work better, and when it works better it is easier to maintain a balanced weight.
- Menstrual Cramps- Again the stress reduction factor is key here during this very hormonal time of the month for women. Rose petal tea is also very high in nutrients and acts as an anti-inflammatory which aids in cramp reduction. This is a tasty way to enjoy roses while you have menstrual pain.
- Heart Health- Roses are known to cheer us up and show people that we love them. Not only can they do that physically but also mentally as roses are also known as an aphrodisiac. They are great for helping those we love during times of sadness and depression. And aide the body in handling oxidative stress.
- Healing Wounds- Rose petals are known to be astringent which means that they can help tighten and tone tissues in the body. This helps wounds heal faster by pulling the tissue back together as well as helping to deal with the infection by decreasing the icky goo that comes with wounds.
- Side effects- Rose tea may affect antidepressant and blood thinner medications. Please consult your physician before drinking rose tea if you are on medications.
Edible Rose Petals
All rose petals are edible but there are a few things to consider when deciding which rose petals to use in your rose petal tea! Mostly there are two things to consider:
- Have your roses been sprayed with chemicals?
- What flavor and/or scent does a specific rose petal have?
Now you never want to consume rose petals that have been sprayed with chemicals. Many of those have a half-life and so the chemicals are never going to go away even if you haven’t sprayed the rose plant yourself in years.
Those toxins build up in our liver and we are working to build a healthy lifestyle with healthy rose petal tea as part of that. It would be like 2 steps forward and 1 step back to have sprayed rose petals for health benefits.
While you can technically use any rose petals for rose petal tea you want to consider how strong the scent and flavor of the specific rose that you have has when you go to drink it. Some roses are better used for perfumes or oils than they are for teas and other edible rose petal treats.
Let’s talk about a couple of the perfect types of roses for making dried rose petals.
Damask Rose
Damask roses are great to grow for edible rose petals. The Damask rose is an older variety of rose that has a very sweet scent to it, it isn’t too overpowering. The petals are usually pink or light red in color. It is also known as the Bulgarian Rose, Otto Rose, and Rose of Castille. This rose originally came from Iran and is commonly grown now in Bulgaria, Turkey, and India although it can be grown all over the world.
Rosa Rugosa
The rugosa rose is also an edible rose that can be used when making rose petal tea. While the Damask rose originally more from the middle east, the rosa rugosa comes from places like Japan, China, Korea, and SE Siberia. It prefers full sun to partial shade.
Rosa Rugosa has a musky smell with notes of citrus and vanilla. It is often a bright pink color and has a reputation for spreading all over the place. So watch out for this rose plant because you might have more than you bargained for. It spreads either by seed or by sucker and can get 10 - 20 feet wide.
Drying Rose Petals
It’s time to make your own rose petal tea, but what is the best way to dry those roses so that you can make tea? Some people like to dehydrate them on a microwave-safe plate but I’m not for using the microwave here. Again that whole 2 steps forward, 1 step back thing.
There is plenty of research, thank you Mr. Google, on the harmful health effects of using a microwave. Plus I like the old-fashioned preservation methods much better. They have been time-tested and approved!
If you have a small batch of rose petals my favorite way to dry those is to take a paper towel and lay the petals out in a single layer on that paper towel. Just let them air dry until crisp. Putting the petals in a single layer while air drying lets them dry evenly and allows the air to circulate all the way around the petals. This will make air-drying even faster and more efficient.
A rose bud can also be dried to use in rose petal tea. Make sure to check out all the ways to dry flowers here for details.
How to Make Rose Tea
You have your preserved rose petals from your yard or garden, they are dried and ready to go! Now what?
It’s time to make some rose tea!
There are plenty of other herbs, flowers, roots, and fruits you could add to your roses if you want, or use them as a base for herbal teas. Here are some of our favorite flavoring pairings for rose petals:
- Cocoa powder
- Lavender
- Calendula
- Chamomile
- Raspberry Leaf
- Red Rooibos
- Rose Hips
- Cranberries
- Hibiscus
- Chai Spice
- Black teas
- Green tea
Today though we are just going to steep a good ole traditional cup of herbal rose petal tea! I hope you enjoy drinking rose tea which is high in vitamin c.
Rose Petal Tea
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of dried rose petals
- 8 cups boiling water
- 6 beautiful teacups
Instructions
- Add your dried petals to the french press along with your boiled water.
- Place the lid on and push the plunger halfway down.
- Steep for 5-7 minutes and then serve in your teacups. Enjoy with friends!
- Note: Tea may be steeped one cup at a time with 1 teaspoon per 6-8 oz of water
Whether you are using rosa rugosa roses or damask roses, or any unsprayed rose you have in your yard, you are now set to brew your own cup of rose petal tea. Hey, you could even wrap it up as to gift for a birthday or Christmas present.
Everyone will be impressed with the natural beauty of rose petal tea. If you would like to join a group of like-minded people making some fun herbal gifts make sure to check out the Herbal Studio and Communi-tea! Also, if you would enjoy learning more about blending your own tea we have a FREE Tea blending course right here.
I’d love to know what kind of roses you have or are on your wish list! Could you let me know by leaving a comment down under this post? I can’t wait to see what you have grown!
Related Posts:
- How to Preserve Flowers for Tea
- Rose Hip Tea Benefits and Best Rose Hip Tea
- How to Dehydrate Chickory Root
- Best Food Dehydrator for Dehydrating Herbs
- Best Ways for Storing Dried Herbs
- How to Dry Herbs Without a Dehydrator
- 10 Herbs to Grow for Tea
- DIY Simple Syrup (Using Flowers)
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