Effects of <i>Rosa damascena</i> and its compounds on smooth muscle contractility

Rosa damascena, a member of the Rosaceae family, is an ancient holy plant. This ornamental plant is famous for its beneficial effects. R. damascena has been used as a traditional medicinal plant since ancient times because of its therapeutic activity. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the effects of R. damascena and its phytochemical compounds on smooth muscle contractility and their underlying mechanisms of action. A literature search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, ResearchGate, MEDLINE (EBSCO), and Semantic Scholar databases, and was limited to English and Turkish articles. The keywords used were "Rosa damascena", "smooth muscle", "relaxation", "contraction", and "phytochemical compounds". A total of 25 studies investigating the effects of R. damascena on various smooth muscles. R. damascena and the phytochemical constituents of R. damascena alter the contractile properties of the ileal, jejunal, arterial, tracheal, and uterine smooth muscle cells. It exhibits hypotensive, hypertensive, laxative, and analgesic actions in vivo. This review article presents a comprehensive study on the effects of R. damascena and its constituents on smooth muscle contractility. R. damascena may be beneficial for the treatment of certain cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, constipation, and dysmenorrhea.