In Bulgaria in June, the roses had already unfurled their smiles. The blossoms were shaped like little wine cups, their petals opening in a slight spiral.
They looked beautiful and alluring. Leaning close and taking a deep breath, Ferdinand caught a faint, delicate fragrance!
"No wonder they call it God's back garden!" Ferdinand exclaimed as he gazed at roses blooming across the hillsides!
A sudden flash of inspiration struck him. "Roses—rose essential oil, rose tea, rose tea!" Ferdinand suddenly burst out laughing.
"I'm sitting on a mountain of treasure and didn't even know it!"
Roses belonged to the genus Rosa in the subfamily Rosoideae of the family Rosaceae. They were deciduous shrubs with thorny branches. Their odd-pinnate compound leaves had five to nine oval leaflets with serrated edges and wrinkled surfaces, while most of the stipules were fused to the petioles. Their flowers grew singly or in clusters and came in crimson, pink, yellow, and white, with a fragrant scent.
Roses were both beautiful and fragrant. Aside from their ornamental value, they were also excellent raw materials for scenting tea and extracting aromatic oil.
Rose tea was made by blending fresh rose petals with tea buds in set proportions. Roses could also be made into rose tea, whose fragrance ranged from strong to light, yet was harmonious rather than overpowering.
Roses were also a precious medicinal herb. They beautified the complexion, stimulated the flow of energy through the meridians, softened blood vessels, and had notable benefits for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions, high blood pressure, heart disease, and gynecological ailments.
They could soothe the liver and spleen, regulate qi and harmonize the stomach, promote blood circulation, nourish the skin, warm the stomach and nourish the liver, prevent constipation, reduce internal heat, act as an astringent, and regulate menstruation. They were especially