The Essential Properties: The Rose
by the Doctor Matteo Politi
Pharmacological activity
There Damask Rose It is one of the most important species of the Rosaceae family, known as an ornamental plant and for its various pharmacological properties including anti-HIV, antioxidant, antitussive, hypnotic and antidiabetic.3; it is also known as an antibacterial4, relaxant of the respiratory system, especially at the level of the trachea5, and as a useful support in premenstrual syndrome.6 The essential oil obtained by distilling fresh flowers mainly from Bulgaria, Turkey and Morocco, is one of the most expensive on world markets.7
Sexual disorders
Damask rose essential oil improved sexual function in male and female patients with opioid use disorder receiving methadone therapy, using various types of clinical assays.8–10
Phytochemical profile
Distillation of fresh petals and whole flowers (petals and sepals) of Damask rose from Lebanon gave colorless to yellowish essential oils in a yield of 0.033-0.065% w/w of fresh plant matter. Eighteen compounds were identified, representing 71.6% to 84.9% of the total. The main essential oil compounds analyzed by GC-MS were for fresh petals and whole flowers, respectively: β-phenylethanol (7.2-44.9%) followed by citronellol (9.9-33.9%), nonadecane (7.1-15.3%), heneicosane (2.7-15.1%) and geraniol (2.3-4.8%).1 In other samples from Turkey, the essential oil content and composition were significantly different in petals collected on various dates (24 May, 1, 8 and 15 June 2002). The highest oil content was detected on 24 May (0.040%), then a gradual decrease was observed until the last collection date (0.032%). The highest percentages of geraniol, nerol and phenylethyl alcohol were obtained from petals collected on 24 May. However, the highest percentages of citronellol and linalool were found from petals collected on 8 June. The fresh petals were then fermented for various periods (0, 12, 24 and 36 h) at 25 ◦C. The highest essential oil content was found in unfermented petals. With increasing duration of fermentation, the essential oil content gradually decreased. The most significant changes during fermentation were observed in the contents of citronellol and geraniol. The citronellol/geraniol ratio increased from 0.57 to 10.31 during fermentation.2
Rose × damask Sir.
- Angiosperms
- Rosaceae
- Rose
Bibliography
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8. Farnia V, Tatari F, Alikhani M, et al. Rosa Damascena oil improved sexual function and testosterone in male patients with opium use disorder under methadone maintenance therapy–results from a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017;176:117–125. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.02.008
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