Zastosowanie lecznicze i kosmetyczne wody różanej według dziewiętnastowiecznej literatury farmaceutycznej oraz medycznej
Medicinal and cosmetic uses of rose water according to 19th century pharmaceutical and medical literature

Summary/Abstract: 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.

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