Cultures around the world have used roses for their taste and health benefits for centuries, so it’s only natural to wonder if they are smokable. We’ll discuss that and everything you need to know about smoking rose petals.
Keep reading to learn everything you could possibly want to know about the subject.
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Can You Smoke Rose Pedals?
Yes, you can smoke rose petals. Rose petals can be dried and smoked on their own or with other herbs, such as tobacco or marijuana. However, the rose petals have to be dried and sourced from a safe, pesticide-free origin to smoke.
It’s also very important to be aware of potential allergies or herb interactions before smoking rose petals.
Why Are They Smoked?
The rose may very well be the queen of all flowers. It is an incredibly popular, diverse, and versatile genus of flowering plants, which has an evolutionary history that goes back tens of millions of years and became part of human history at least a few thousand years ago. We often think of the ornamental purposes of roses first. They are, after all, a classic symbol of physical beauty and of love, and even a much-quoted line from Romeo and Juliet refers to their sweet scent. However, more practical uses for roses, especially medicinal and culinary uses, have been around for at least as long as the aesthetic uses.
Whether this is a familiar idea to you or not, we intend to demystify everything about smoking rose petals in this guide so that you won’t have any questions left by the time you try it out yourself (if you’re so inclined). We’ll explain a bit about rose petals, the terpenes that make them so unique, and different ways to safely smoke them in order to get the benefits of those terpenes.
What Makes Rose Pedals Smokeable?
Roses and rose petals have long been used in food, beverages, and medicines for the benefits offered by their nutrient profile and chemical makeup. Rose hips, for example, are one of the best plant sources of vitamin C, and several components of rose petals have been observed to have antioxidant activity, as demonstrated by studies like this one. You can also read about the chemical composition of one particular type of rose petal in this study.
Like other smokable herbs, a large part of both the flavor and the health benefits of rose petals come from the terpenes they contain. Two of the most significant terpenes, which are present in the greatest amounts in rose petals, are geraniol and nerolidol.
Rose Pedals Contain Geraniol
Geraniol is a terpene that is found in many fragrant plants. It’s the primary component of rose oil, and there’s a lot of it in the petals of most roses. Because it is the main part of the classic “rose-like” scent, it’s often used in perfumes and other scent products, but it also has a lot of potential medicinal uses that haven’t been explored much until recently.
Roses and rose petals have been believed to reduce inflammation and have antioxidant properties for a long time, and studies suggest that their high geraniol content could be one of the reasons. The study here takes a look at some of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of geraniol.
Geraniol also shows potential for the prevention of cancer and tumors. This study on the mechanisms of geraniol’s antitumor effects discusses this activity in more depth.
There has also been an investigation into geraniol as an antimicrobial and an antiherpetic. Check out this broad review of the different potential applications of geraniol to learn more about the ways it could be used as a treatment. Although we don’t understand all of these applications fully yet, the toxicity of geraniol is extremely low, and there does not appear to be any substantial risk in using it as we continue to investigate its applications.
Rose Pedals Contain Nerolidol
Nerolidol, like geraniol, is present in many plants and used in many scent products like perfume, but it doesn’t have the same sort of gentle floral aroma. It’s a main terpene in plants like ginger, tea tree, and cannabis, and it has a woody or citrusy scent.
Many consider nerolidol to be one of the terpenes responsible for the relaxing effects of cannabis, and it may be useful as a sedative or anxiolytic. This animal study supports the idea that nerolidol acts as a sedative as well as an antioxidant. The antioxidant properties of nerolidol are some of the most-studied and best-understood, next to its sedative properties. You can check out this study on endometriosis in rats to read about the potent antioxidant effects of nerolidol in action.
There has also been a decent amount of research, particularly in recent years, on the potential use of nerolidol as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. Its antioxidant, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, and other beneficial properties make it a promising candidate for a number of conditions. We are likely to see new potential uses for the terpene discovered in the near future, as well.
How To Smoke Rose Petals
Now that we’ve covered the potential benefits to be gained from smoking rose petals, thanks to the terpenes and other phytochemicals in roses, let’s discuss how to smoke rose petals. Rose petals can be smoked on their own, in herbal smoking blends, or in tobacco or marijuana smoking blends. There’s a lot to cover with tobacco and marijuana, so for the moment, let’s just talk about the rose petals themselves. (Don’t worry, we’ll get to herbal tobacco and marijuana blends in a little bit.)
Like any other smokable herb, rose petals need to be pretty dry before you can smoke them. You can get dried rose petals for smoking, and the rose petals in herbal blends will be dried as well, but if you want to dry them yourself, you can use a food dehydrator. Put them in the dehydrator at a low setting for as long as necessary so that you dry them out completely without damaging them.
Whether you’re using an herbal smoking blend or smoking the rose petals on their own, you can use your favorite smoking method. Cigarettes, joints, pipes, and even dry herb vaporizers are all perfectly legitimate ways to get the most out of your rose petals.
Rose Petals And Tobacco
There are a number of herbal tobacco blends available, and rose petals are one of the most popular herbs to include. You can also purchase dried rose petals and tobacco separately, then create your own blend with whatever ratio you’d like. However, you prefer to go about it, smoking rose petals with your tobacco can add a lot to your experience.
Some tobacco users like to add rose petals to their smoking blend for the taste, the same way we might add roses to baked goods or tea for an extra hint of floral flavor. Others add rose petals for the health benefits (the anticancer activity of rose petals may not be enough to cancel out the carcinogenic properties of the average tobacco cigarette, but it’s a step in the right direction). There are even those who use rose petals to help with smoking cessation. Smoking rose petals allows you to continue with some sort of smoking habit, albeit a healthier and less addictive one. The anxiolytic effects of rose petals can also ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal to make the transition easier.
Rose Petals And Marijuana
In some ways, the combination of rose petals and marijuana is similar to the combination of rose petals and tobacco. You can purchase marijuana smoking blends that include different herbs, including rose petals, or you can add your own rose petals to marijuana and create a blend with a personalized ratio.
One thing that is unique to the combination of rose petals and marijuana is the “entourage effect.” Although the existence of the entourage effect has yet to be proved, the theory behind it is that the compounds found in cannabis, like cannabinoids, terpenes, and other chemical elements, have a stronger effect on the body when they are consumed together. Nerolidol is a terpene that is commonly found in both cannabis and rose. Geraniol, although found in much greater quantities in a rose than in cannabis, is still present in both plants. This means that if the entourage effect does exist, then rose petals and marijuana may be better smoked together than separately.
Even if the entourage effect isn’t real, the combination of the known, scientifically proven effects of marijuana and rose can be beneficial. For example, you are likely to have a stronger anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, or sedative effect from smoking both together than from smoking either one separately. The cancer-fighting activity of rose also pairs well with the fact that marijuana is popular among people undergoing difficult cancer treatments. In fact, no matter what your reason for using marijuana or smoking rose petals, you’re likely to see more significant effects when you use the two together.
Rose Pedal Blunts and Rose Petal “Paper”
You may or may not have heard of a “rose blunt” before, but it became a trend to roll blunts using rose petals a few years ago. Today, you can even buy rolling paper or cones made from rose petals if you’re looking for a different way to add rose petals to your smoking experience.
This is a perfectly fine option if it’s the one that appeals to you the most, but keep in mind that the amount of rose petals you will actually end up smoking is different from what it would be if the rose petals were directly in your smoking blend.
The ratio of rose petals to tobacco, marijuana, or whatever other herbs you’re smoking will depend on the size and shape of the cigarette, joint, or blunt. You could do the math to figure that ratio out if you really wanted to, but in general, you should assume that you’re getting way less of the rose petal than of the other herbs; when used as rolling paper, rose petals are more for taste and smell than for health benefits.
Smoking Rose Petals Safely
Rose petals are safe to smoke and generally safe to add to your smoking blend of other herbs. Although it’s always important to consider how the effects of the different herbs will combine (for example, if you’re combining different sedative herbs, you should know that you’ll be getting pretty sleepy), rose petals don’t have harmful “drug interactions” with anything you might be smoking them with.
Allergies are one of the only safety concerns with smoking rose petals, so if you have a known allergy or sensitivity to rose pollen, rosewater, rose hips, or any other part of the rose plant, then it’s probably best to avoid smoking rose petals.
You should also be careful about the source of your rose petals. Roses intended for ornamental use are often treated with pesticides, preservatives, or other harsh chemicals that you don’t want to be putting in your lungs. Make sure that you either get rose petals specifically sold for smoking or obtain them from someone who verifiably did not use any dangerous chemicals while growing them.
TLDR: Can You Smoke Rose Petals?
- Roses have been used for their taste and health benefits in various cultures for centuries, and yes, they are smokable.
- Rose petals are the tiny flowery part you see at the top of a Rose. They’ve been used in food, beverages, and medicines (mostly due to their nutrient composition).
- Two significant terpenes found in rose petals are geraniol and nerolidol, which have potential medicinal properties such as reducing inflammation, acting as antioxidants, and helping with preventing tumor growth.
- Prep them by drying them before smoking, or just go to your local dispensary and see if they have Rose petals for smoking.
- You can either smoke the petals by mixing them with tobacco in your rolled cigarettes or mixing them in your joints. You can even throw them in a bong for flavor.
The terpenes and other phytochemicals in rose petals offer a variety of health benefits when smoked. Dried rose petals, whether smoked on their own or with another herb, can reduce inflammation, anxiety, and even the risk of serious diseases like cancer or neurodegenerative disorders. Before smoking rose petals, make sure that they are grown safely and without pesticides, and thoroughly research the expected effects of every herb in your smoking blend.