A Hydrosol Story ~ Drinking Rose Geranium oil
By Jeanne Rose
Several years ago I was being televised and interviewed live, in my home, regarding aromatherapy and hydrosols. I had a number of show-and-tell items in front of me and our interview was going along quite nicely. I had a glass full of water and an identical glass full of Rose geranium hydrosol to show that the hydrosol is colorless and clear just like water. I had not as yet mentioned to the interviewer that when I distill I do not remove the small amount of essential oil that is present so that the glass of hydrosol I was discussing actually had a thin layer of essential oil on it. During the interview, I reached for the glass of water and took a drink and immediately knew I had made a mistake. With my mouth quite full of the very strong floral hydrosol and essential oil, I could only swallow so as not to interfere with the interview, inwardly trying not to gag and hoping that Rose Geranium was truly the ‘oil of beauty’ and would not kill me. I continued with the interview all the while exhaling the scent of Rose Geranium. It was a shocking and not a planned experience. Later on, I kept an account of my symptoms which were that I got slightly sleepy, my hot flashes diminished and my body and secretions all took on the odor of Rose Geranium and I had a mild stomach ache.
A Hydrosol Story. However, please know that I do not recommend drinking essential oils or undiluted hydrosol. These are very powerful products, that will collect in the liver to be metabolized and may cause serious side effects to the organs and the mucous membranes of the body. If ingested, they can also cause extreme harm as they are so concentrated. Remember to label all your products —JeanneRose 1995
I love this Story! It shows the scientists you are especially dedicated to your craft. Thanks for educating us.
Joanne
Thank you. I love getting responses to my blog posts as it lets me know someone is reading them.
this is soooo hilarious. Well rose geranium is in any case better than wintergreen when it comes to drinking
I love this story, and don’t know how you managed to keep a straight face.
Great story!
Great story Jeanne, thanks for sharing
This is such a great story! I love Rose Geranium Hydrosol but drinking it and maintaining the way you did is classic! Great breathe too! I love how you always take something like this and turn it to a good science project!
To exhale rose geranium… People would want to stand awkwardly close to you.
I got some rose water from Isparta and the distiller said his rose water is drinkable but as you mentioned in this post, rose water should not be ingested too, is that right?
There are many ways to use Rosewater and if you will read the blog post on it, you will see. https://jeanne-blog.com/roses-used-for-scent/ But it is wise to use only the tiniest amounts of Rosewater to flavor drinks or cocktails, maybe a teaspoonful in soda water and ice for an afternoon aperitif and larger amounts in the bath or as body/facial spray. Rose infusion with honey has been used as a aperient. Read the Rose article for more information.
Thank you for explaining.
I am reading your old posts everyday. Much gratitude to your sharing.
I have soooo much to learn. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.