It isnt surprising that a popular flower like the rose should have invited investigation for possible medicinal properties over the ages. The ancient Greek physician Dioscorides recommended an elixir of roses cooked in wine for headaches, while in the Americas, Indigenous people treated colds, coughs and fevers with various potions derived from the flowers, leaves or roots of the plant. Rosewater has also been used cosmetically, incorporated into creams for its supposed anti-inflammatory properties.

Such traditional uses, while mostly anecdotal, have stimulated some serious research into potential medicinal properties, especially since roses do contain numerous terpenes, glycosides, flavonoids and anthocyanins with potential pharmacological effects. Unfortunately, virtually all the studies have been carried out in animals or in cell culture with a paucity of human data. For example, aromatherapists have claimed that rose essential oil can have a soothing, sleep-inducing effect. However, the citations provided deal with mice. When mice are put to sleep with a barbiturate, their sleeping time increases if their food is supplemented with some rose extracts. Only specific extracts work, and only at doses far greater than any to which humans would be exposed. Furthermore, the extracts were ingested, not inhaled.

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The Right Chemistry: Maybe it's time to smell the roses - Montreal Gazette