Nootka Rose Season
- May 16
- 2 min read
“Nootka Rose teaches us that softness is strength. We can hold boundaries while keeping our hearts wide open to love, beauty and the wild wisdom within.”
Each Spring when the Nootka Rose begin to bloom, it’s a reunion this heart didn’t know how much it needed...
Each year I try to learn something new about these beloved heart allies and surprisingly there isn’t too much new information or stories/myths that I could find about them. If you happen to have something you’d like to share, please comment!
Here’s a bit about this beloved wildflower:
❀ Nootka Rose/Rosa Nutkana (Latin), in Hul’q’umi’num’ is referred to as qel’qulhp, referring to the shrub itself and qel’q for the rose hip.
❀ Honored by Coast Salish peoples for its healing gifts, Nootka Rose is a doorway to deeper connection with the land, the ancestors and the ancient ways of listening to nature as medicine.
❀ Nutkana is derived from Nootka; Nootka Sound is a waterway on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia that was named after the Nuu-Chah-Nulth tribe that live in the area.
❀ Almost every part of the plant is edible. The stem, shoots, seed, fruit, flowers can all be used nutritionally/medicinally.
❀ A decoction of the roots was used to treat sore throats or as an eyewash.
❀ Rose hips are rich in vitamin C and can be used to make jams, jellies, and teas.
❀ The Nootka Rose falls under the categorization of ‘old roses’ which are classified as prehistoric roses, discovered around 1867.
❀ With its thorns and blossoms, Nootka teaches the sacred balance between setting healthy boundaries and remaining open-hearted.
❀ Though Nootka rose is Indigenous to the lands of the Coast Salish peoples and carries its own unique Earth-based teachings, she resonates with the same archetypal codes found in the Rose Lineage. Her medicine mirrors that of Mary Magdalene, a spiritual teacher often associated with the red rose.
❀ Nootka Rose has been used to support women’s reproductive health, easing menstrual cramps, labor pains and helping regulate cycles when taken as a tea.
❀ The embodiment of Spirit. Centres us in the Heart Chakra, encourages laughter and joy and helps to dissolve bitterness and resentment.
Nootka Rose can be found in the Amanita Allies products: Heart Opener & Mystic Bloom Tea & Smoke Blend
*Please remember to ethically forage anytime you are removing plants from an ecosystem. Only harvest 5-10% of the flowers in any area to ensure the plant can continue to thrive and support local wildlife. Only harvest from abundant populations of wildflowers. Avoid harvesting from areas that are already under stress or where the plants are rare. Respect the land you are on. Only remove the petals to leave the rest of the flower for the bees! And often I keep a few petals to create more space for the bees to land on the flower🐝🐝
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