Damask Rosebuds are primarily used to create rose water or rose oil, used in perfume and gourmet cuisine, and are also used for their unique flavour and aroma; they are edible and generally as dried rosebuds used in tea or for food decoration.
Interestingly Damask Rosebuds have a long history of medicinal uses; in particular being used to soothe sore throats, as well as being used to soothe eyes and skin in general. Research has shown that the reason the rosebud oil has been particularly useful in curing conjunctivitis is due to its antibacterial and antiseptic properties.
The same antibacterial properties explain why rosebuds have been used throughout the ages to help the healing of wounds and scars.
Rosebud tea is renowned for being soothing and relaxing, and much research has gone into understanding its anti-depressant and anti-anxiety qualities, and even as far as to understand why it is a remedy for menstrual pain…….fascinating! Well worth a hard google.
Dried Rosebuds have always been popular for their use in cake decoration, also beneficially being edible means they are much more attractive than using other materials for cake decoration. And recently Damask rosebuds have gained massive popularity in their use for cocktails which has largely been due to the Gin Revolution.