Today, we’re talking about rockrose again. In my blog post last week, I already mentioned that there are a number of studies on the effectiveness of rockrose. I found one study on Lyme disease and others on cancer, Candida, influenza, and more. What I find interesting is that many of these studies point in a similar direction: Rockrose is a plant from which a medicine might one day be developed—emphasis on might. Almost all of these investigations are laboratory studies, and their results cannot yet be used to infer an effect in humans.
I don’t want to present rockrose as a cure-all. I simply find it exciting to see that there are already so many promising studies. Especially considering how we deal with our animals, for example, when it comes to antibiotic resistance, and so on. It is not unlikely that humanity will encounter even more strangely mutated viruses in the future. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if nature provided a candidate that was inexpensive to produce and proved effective in clinical trials—but that is still a long way off. Outstanding work in this area is being carried out particularly at the University of Regensburg.
In a 2016 study published in Scientific Reports, part of the Nature group, it was shown that rockrose extract is even capable of inhibiting the replication of HIV, Ebola, and Marburg viruses in vitro. I find that extremely remarkable! Perhaps this could also be of interest to veterinary medicine! Instead of routinely giving antibiotics to livestock, why not research traditional natural medicine for a change?! That could still prove useful to us.
I also mentioned that rockrose oil has already been found in the beards of ancient pharaohs, and rockrose is mentioned in the Bible as well. In Greece, it remains part of folk medicine to this day. In my last post, I explored the molecular mechanism that seems to underlie the effects of rockrose observed in studies: polyphenols.
One hypothesis from research is that these polyphenols, which belong to the group of secondary plant compounds, attach themselves to the envelopes of viruses, making it more difficult for them to dock onto our cells. Polyphenols also act as antioxidants, meaning that they neutralize free radicals.
I find that fascinating. On the other hand, I naturally also wonder whether I am really getting to the essence of rockrose if I focus only on processes at the cellular level. Of course, this is exciting and has only become possible thanks to the natural sciences. At the same time, I think I miss something if I look only at the details.
If I want to arrive at an “essential understanding” of rockrose (a term I borrowed from Heidegger and Goethe), I must not only look at rockrose under a microscope; I must also view it from a greater distance, as part of a system, a whole. Where does rockrose grow? What does it mean for its healing properties, for example, that its seeds must first undergo a “trial by fire” before they germinate? What does it tell me that rockrose, known in English as “rock rose,” thrives in extremely inhospitable terrain?
Rockrose grows in the mountains, amid barren volcanic scree. It is exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations. It can even cope with the extremely acidic environment of pine forest soil. Pine needles suffocate almost everything, but not rockrose. Rockrose seems to unite a very interesting polarity within itself: on the one hand, it is extremely adaptable and resilient. On the other hand, it is incredibly delicate and beautiful.
Rockrose also gives off a wonderful fragrance. I found it amusing when I discovered that rockrose, or “rock rose,” is also an ingredient in “Rescue Remedies,” the Bach flower remedies. In aromatherapy, rockrose is apparently used for “emotional coldness.” Rockrose therefore seems, on the one hand, to create a protective shell and, on the other, to create the conditions that allow me to show myself and bring my essence into view.
I experience it in much the same way. I feel strengthened; something like a leathery “dragon skin” forms around me as a sensation, protecting me. At the same time, I become softer and more vulnerable, like a baby. This reminds me of Joseph Beuys’s artwork “Show Your Wound.” True beauty is not Botox beauty, in my opinion, but rather the revealing of what is essential and hidden—the unveiling of what was concealed. True beauty comes from within. I wonder whether rockrose could also be used to make cosmetics... that would be something! I would also be delighted to hear your comments and experiences with rockrose.
All the best, Your Adaptonix
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