Medicinal and cosmetic uses of rose water according to 19th century pharmaceutical and medical literature

Floral water, also called hydrolate, is a secondary product of the distillation process of aromatic plants. In the Middle Ages, rose hydrolate, according to medical advice of the time, protected against plague spread by ‘miasma’. In nineteenth-century medical and cosmetic applications, rose water was often used as an aromatic and soothing ingredient, forming a base while giving the product the right consistency. It was also the main ingredient in eye medications (in Latin: Collyrium), anti-inflammatory ointments and cosmetic products, including perfumes, aromatic waters, nourishing creams, lubricating pomades and numerous fragrances. In the 19th century medical and pharmaceutical literature, rose water was seen as a mainly aromatic substance which added a pleasant fragrance to medicines and cosmetics. The aim of this article is to compare the recipes for medicines and cosmetics containing rose water from 19th-century apothecary’s manuscripts in the library of the Pharmacy Museum of the Jagiellonian University Medical College with the medical and pharmaceutical literature of the period.

Floral water, also called hydrolate, is a secondary product of the distillation process of aromatic plants. In the Middle Ages, rose hydrolate, according to medical advice of the time, protected against plague spread by ‘miasma’. In nineteenth-century medical and cosmetic applications, rose water was often used as an aromatic and soothing ingredient, forming a base while giving the product the right consistency. It was also the main ingredient in eye medications (in Latin: Collyrium), anti-inflammatory ointments and cosmetic products, including perfumes, aromatic waters, nourishing creams, lubricating pomades and numerous fragrances. In the 19th century medical and pharmaceutical literature, rose water was seen as a mainly aromatic substance which added a pleasant fragrance to medicines and cosmetics. The aim of this article is to compare the recipes for medicines and cosmetics containing rose water from 19th-century apothecary’s manuscripts in the library of the Pharmacy Museum of the Jagiellonian University Medical College with the medical and pharmaceutical literature of the period.