That’s right – this flower isn’t just beautiful. It’s also surprisingly versatile – and can help aid you in a survival situation.
From stopping criminals in their tracks to nourishing your body, you can use this survival plant for a variety of things before/during a crisis.
And, considering this is an ideal time to plant containerised and bare-root roses, the timing of this article couldn’t be better.
You’ll be surprised to discover these…
5 Incredible Ways to Use Roses For Survival
Stop Criminals In Their Tracks
Ever hear the phrase “Every rose has its thorn“? Well, you can use this to your advantage. Since roses have thick, piercing thorns you can use these to defend your home from criminals. Not to mention, investing in roses provides an efficient and fairly cheap home security system!
Purchase a few rose bushes and plant them outside the home directly underneath windows (and around other vulnerable areas). You may want to go with the bare-root variety, as these extend their roots further than the containerised versions.
When a criminal comes lurking in the night, they won’t just get pierced with a bush full of prickly thorns. They’ll also likely tear their clothing (and/or their skin) in the process, leaving behind DNA. You can use this evidence to press charges.
Not to mention, rose bushes are an excellent survival plant, since their thorns prevent hungry animals from eating them.
Use As Cordage
If you run out of paracord or rope, rose stems can be useful as impromptu cordage.
To do this, simply remove the thorns by running a thick rag down the stem. This will force the thorns to detach and fall off. Then use the stems to tie things together, to secure things in place or to even make a tourniquet.
These stems are fairly flexible, and so you may even be able to twist them together to form an even stronger piece.
Nourish Your Body
There’s various ways that rose plants can provide nourishment in a crisis.
For one, they offer rose hips. These are edible fruit the rose plant bears – you might recognize them as an ingredient in various types of tea. (Side note: rose hip tea can be very beneficial for helping stop diarrhea and ease stomach cramping.
Rose hips taste good, and are highly nutritious, containing high amounts of vitamin C. They are also known to help treat urinary tract infections, heal flu symptoms, and boost the immune system.
Remove the blossoms, stems and seeds before eating the rose hips. Watch the videos below to see how to consume raw rose hips, and then how to make tea out of them.
Meanwhile, the rose flower itself can be eaten raw or boil it. In addition, you can even peel the stems and eat them. You can also take fresh rose petals and boil them in tea.
Furthermore, when you dry out rose hips, grind them up and use them as flour. Drying out roses and then consuming them can also help ease heartburn.
Heal Wounds
If you get a cut or scrape while bugging out, you can conserve your Band-Aid supply and use rose petals instead. These are an excellent replacement, seeing as rose petals contain antibacterial, antiviral and antiseptic properties.
Simply apply fresh rose petals to a wound, and bind them to the area to make a compress.
Make Your Own Arrows
Need a self-defense weapon to add to your arsenal? You can bind up a bunch of rose stems together to make an arrow shaft. Just make sure to scrape off the thorns with a thick rag first.
BONUS: Grow Your Own Roses
Did you know you can grow your own roses using just the stems? Check out this cool video below.