What is rose petal tea and the Health Benefits?

The properties of roses have been widely used both for cultural and medicinal reasons for thousands of years. You may not have known it, but the rose family actually has more than 130 species and thousands of cultivars. All types of roses are edible and can be used in tea, but their taste can vary significantly with some being sweet whilst others are more bitter. In this article, we’ll be exploring what rose petal tea is, the potential health benefits of drinking it, and where you can buy it.

What is rose tea?

Rose tea is an aromatic herbal tea that is produced from the fragrant petals and buds of rose flowers. Over time it has been claimed that rose tea has a large number of health benefits, but many of these are not well supported by science. So, if you’re thinking about switching to rose petal tea as your daily brew it’s important to know that the possible health benefits we discuss below are not guaranteed.

Every person is different, and some might experience multiple benefits of rose tea whilst others may not have any. This doesn’t take away from the unique and delicious flavour you get from this tea though and it remains massively popular with tea drinkers.

The potential benefits of drinking rose tea

Hydration and weight loss

Rose tea is mostly made up of water. So, by drinking one or more cups of it per day you can significantly add to your total daily water intake. Not consuming enough water will result in dehydration which can cause fatigue, headaches, acne, muscle cramps, low blood pressure, and a rapid heart rate. Therefore, it’s essential to get enough water throughout the day by drinking plenty of water in teas, coffees, and other beverages as well as eating water-rich foods like fruit and vegetables.

Also, water can help with weight loss by increasing your metabolism. Research has even shown that drinking 500ml of water can boost your metabolism by up to 30%. In addition, some studies imply that drinking water before meals can help with weight loss by making you feel fuller and so lowering the number of calories you consume. Lastly, suitable water intake and hydration could help to prevent the development of kidney stones.

High levels of antioxidants

Another rose petal tea benefit is it is rich in antioxidants, the main source of which is polyphenols. Antioxidants help fight reactive molecules that cause damage to cells and oxidative stress. Diets that contain plenty of polyphenols are thought to lower the risk of some types of cancer, heart disease, and type two diabetes. A study of twelve rose cultivars discovered that the phenol content and antioxidant activity of rose tea was the same as or more than in green tea.

Rose tea has a particular abundance of gallic acid, an antioxidant compound that makes up 10-55% of the tea’s combined phenol content. The acid is known to have anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. The tea also has anthocyanins which are coloured pigments linked with good urinary tract, improved memory, and healthy ageing. Other phenols in rose tea include kaempferol and quercetin.

Potentially help with menstrual pain

Menstrual pain affects roughly 50% of women and girls, with research into pain relief constantly being done. Rose tea produced from the buds or leaves of Rosa gallica for example, has been used to treat menstrual pain in traditional Chinese medicine for years.

One study examined the effects of rose tea in 130 students in Taiwan. Some of the girls were asked to drink two cups of rose tea every day for twelve days, starting one week before their period, and to continue for six menstrual cycles. The participants who drank the tea reported less pain and better mental well-being than those who didn’t.

Other claimed benefits

Several other claims have been made about rose petal tea benefits, but they’re based on studies that used highly potent extracts of the flower. Some of these benefits include:

• Mental health benefits like relaxation, reducing stress, and antidepressant effects
• Reducing the severity of allergic reactions
• Better insulin resistance and general heart health
• Laxative effects

Despite some promising outcomes of this research, only the effects of rose extracts, isolates, and oils of very specific types of roses have been tested. Therefore, the findings can’t be applied to rose tea in general.

Where to buy rose petal tea

If you’re interested in flavoured tea and are looking to give rose tea a try you can buy it from us at Pumphrey’s Coffee. Our rose petal tea has distinctive floral flavours that make for a lovely cup of tea. Order a bag of this unique tea today and potentially experience the health benefits it can offer.