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Skin & Beauty Women's Health Digestive Health

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Apothecary's Rose

Rosa gallica

Also known as French Rose, Rose of Provins, Gallic Rose, Red Rose of Lancaster

At a glance

Family

Rosaceae

Type

Deciduous flowering shrub

Parts used

Petals (flowers), hips

Size

3 to 4 feet tall and wide

Bloom

Late spring into early summer, a single glorious flush

Habitat

Cultivated hedgerows and cottage gardens; native to southern and central Europe and western Asia

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Soothes and tones skin

Calms a restless mind

Eases digestive discomfort

Rich in gentle antioxidants

Traditional uses

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Rosa gallica is thought to be the oldest garden rose in Europe, prized long before the damask and tea roses arrived from the East. Its deeply perfumed, deep pink to crimson petals made it the workhorse of the medieval apothecary, dried by the sackful in the French town of Provins and shipped across the continent as conserve of roses, rose water, and rose honey. Herbalists reached for it as a gentle astringent for the skin and throat, and as a comforting flower to ease a heavy heart or an unsettled stomach. It also became deeply symbolic, carried home from the Crusades and later claimed as the red rose of the House of Lancaster.

Growing guide

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Sun

Full sun, at least 6 hours a day, for the fullest bloom and strongest fragrance

Soil

Rich, well-drained loam with generous compost worked in; tolerates poorer soils better than most roses

Water

Regular, deep watering through the growing season; established plants are fairly drought tolerant

Planting

Set out bare-root or potted plants in early spring or fall, spacing 3 feet apart; it spreads by suckers, so give it room or a barrier if you want it contained

Fresh to dried

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Harvest

Pick petals in mid-morning once the dew has dried but before the day's heat, right as blooms are fully open and most fragrant

Drying

Spread petals in a single layer on a screen or towel, out of direct sun, and let them air dry for several days until papery and crisp

Storage

Keep in an airtight, dark glass jar away from light and heat; well-dried petals hold their color and scent for about a year

Best forms

Dried petals for tea, rose water, rose honey, and infused oil

Traditional preparations

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Featured preparation

Rose Petal Tea

A softly fragrant, rosy infusion traditionally sipped to soothe the stomach and calm frayed nerves.

How it's made. Steep 1 tablespoon of dried Rosa gallica petals in 250 ml of just-boiled water, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes, then strain.

Secondary preparation

Rose Petal Toner

A simple rose water traditionally patted onto the skin to refresh and tone.

How it's made. Steep 2 tablespoons of dried petals in 500 ml of just-boiled water for 20 minutes, strain, cool, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Pairs well with

✦Chamomile
✦Lavender
✦Hibiscus

Substitutes

✦Rosa damascena (damask rose)
✦Rosa canina (dog rose, for the hips)

Choose it when

“When you want comfort that smells like an old garden after rain.”

Did you know?

The town of Provins in France became so famous for growing and drying Rosa gallica that the flower earned the name Rose of Provins, and by the Middle Ages the town's apothecaries were shipping rose conserve and rose sugar across Europe.

Safety

This rose has a long history of gentle culinary and cosmetic use, but anyone allergic to roses or other Rosaceae plants, like apples or strawberries, should avoid it, and only petals or hips grown without pesticides should be used.