สารบัญ

Thai name  น้ำมันกุหลาบ  (NAMMAN KULAP)

Category  Pharmaceutic aid.

             Rose Oil is the volatile oil distilled with steam from the fresh flowers of Rosa gallica L., Rosa × damascena Herrm., R. alba L., R. centifolia L., and varieties of these species (Family Rosaceae).

Origin of plant  Rose Oil-yielding plants (Rosa gallica L.) are native to Mediterranean to East Central, East Europe, and Caucasus.  While Rosa gallica L. is a naturally occurring plant,  other plants species-yielding Rose Oil are artificially crossed.  In other words, Rosa × damascena Herrm. is an artificial hybrid between R. gallica L. and R. moschata Herrm. in Europe; Rosa alba L. is the hybrid between Rosa gallica L. and Rosa corymbifera Borkh., both hybrid species found in Europe.  Another specie yielding Rose Oil is Rosa centifolia L., with the hybrid formula of Rosa canina × R. gallica × R. moschata.

Constituents  Rose Oil contains predominantly geraniol and citronellol.  It also contains other monoterpenes such as -pinene, sabinene, β-pinene and linalool, flavonoid glycosides, mucilages, etc.

Description  Colourless or yellow liquid; odour, fragrant; taste, characteristic of rose.  At 25°, it is a viscous liquid.  Upon gradual cooling, it changes to a translucent, crystalline mass, easily liquefied by warming.

Packaging and storage  Rose Oil shall be kept in well-filled, tightly closed containers, protected from light, and stored at a temperature not exceeding 25°.

Solubility test  One mL is miscible with 1 mL of chloroform without turbidity.  Add 20 mL of ethanol (90 per cent) to this mixture: the resulting liquid is neutral or acid to moistened litmus paper and, upon standing at 20°, deposits crystals within 5 minutes.

Specific gravity  0.848 to 0.863, at 30° compared with water at 15° (Appendix 4.9).

Refractive index  1.457 to 1.463, at 30° (Appendix 4.7).

Optical rotation  –1° to –4° (Appendix 4.8).