Ancient and Modern Flower Power
Kathleen McCaul Moura
Lan Health Rose Water and Rose Oil combine three centuries of rose-distillation history with leading medical research into bioactive plant-based extracts to produce therapeutic quality 100 percent organic rose water and rose oil, making these some of the most powerful natural plant essences in the world.
Of all medicinal plants and flowers, the most iconic, the most historic, is perhaps the rose. Rose fossils over 30 million years old have been found in America and it is rosewater that the infamous empress of ancient Egypt, Cleopatra, was said to have bathed in to keep her skin beautiful. The Greek historian Athenaeums writes of how the Egyptian queen seduced Roman Mark Antony by covering the floors of her palace in rose petals of over half a metre deep and drenching the sails of her royal barge in rose perfume. In Iran, where the distillation of rose oil is said to have begun in the late 7th century, the flower has almost holy status, called Gole Mohammadi - the prophet’s flower. Petals, water and scent were used in weddings to bless a happy marriage and at funerals, to calm anxious mourners. The Persians and the Egyptians were correct to value the rose so highly - today we know the flower contains powerful chemicals, the same produced by the brain when falling in love, which alleviate nervousness and panic.
Until today rosewater and rose oil have been valued for their powerful anti-ageing skincare properties and bewitching scent. Knights returning from the Crusades to Europe bought back rose plants for their wives, along with tales of enchanting rose gardens. The flower become a foundational part of mediaeval women’s skincare. The Trotula compendium of Women’s medicine, known as the most influential Mediaeval book on beauty, advises rosewater for the treatment of sunburn and freckles as well as beautiful hair. Today, rose is still one of the most expensive and highly prized essential oils, with clinical trials proving that the biochemical properties of both rose water and oil are antioxidant, antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, cell rejuvenating as well as effective in treating anxiety and depression.
Genuine rose oil is expensive, called liquid gold in Bulgaria, where some of the best oil is produced, because it is more valuable then gold. The distillation process is delicate and labour intensive requiring skill and knowledge - experienced human touch as well as complicated traditional distillation machinery. The harvesting of the petals must be done by hand in a way which requires skill, patience and dexterity, done in the very early morning, before sunrise, in order to preserve the scent and oil of the flowers, which is burnt by the rays of sun. The petals must be distilled the very same day as they are picked. Sacks of pink rose petals are mixed with water in large copper stills, which are fired for up to an hour and a half. The vaporised water along with the oil flow into a flask and are separated. The water is then redistilled and combined with the oil from the first distillation, to make the final rose attar product. Because of the expense and difficulty of extracting pure rose oil, many rose waters and oils are mixed with other flower essences, such as Citronellol, Geranium, Palmarosae. Some ‘rose oils’ are, in fact, up to 90 percent Geranium or Palmarosa and only 10 percent original attar rose.
Lan Health Rose Water and Rose Oil are both 100 percent certified organic therapeutic grade and unadulterated. Our world class products come from Bulgaria’s Valley of the Roses, known for centuries for producing some of the highest quality rose oil in the world. Located just south of the awesome Balkan Mountains, two important rivers water the rich and protected soil, making the Valley of the Roses one of the best geographical locations in the world for roses. Plantations first appeared in the 16th century and today fields of many coloured roses surround the towns of Kazanlak, Karlovo, Sopot, Kalofer and Pavel Banya. It is in this historic region that Lan Health has used the latest biological research to source the rare rose strain 169, known for its powerful bioactive properties, making Lan Health Rose Oil and Water some of the most effective therapeutic rose products on the world market today. As we continue to honour the legacy of the rose, we invite you to experience its transformative power firsthand. From ancient rituals to modern science, the rose remains a symbol of beauty, healing, and renewal. Join us in celebrating this historic, ancient flower and discover the contemporary power of Lan Health's bewitching rose water and rose oil.
