Rosehip: Benefits, Temperament and Rosehip Tea
Rosehip’s profile, temperament, traditional uses, Dr Kalan’s advice and how to make rosehip tea.
Rich in vitamin C, rosehip plays an important role in liver and lung complaints and in keeping the skin supple and moisturised.
Profile
- Latin: Rosa canina (dog rose) and related Rosa species
- German: Hagebutte
- English: rosehip
- Spanish: rosa mosqueta
- French: églantier
- Family: Rosaceae (rose family)
- Genus: Rosa
- Temperament: hot and dry
- Constituents: very rich in vitamin C; vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, K, P and E; flavones, tannins, sugars, carotenoids (lycopene, zeta-carotene, beta-carotene), polyphenols, catechin, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium and iron
- Native range: Asia and Anatolia
- Grown in: Europe, especially Germany, Italy and France, and in Turkey (mostly the Black Sea region)
- Soil: rich in humus and sandy
- Harvest: early autumn; in Turkey from late August to the middle of October
- Parts used: the fruit, leaves and seeds
- Forms of use: fresh (food, jam), dried (tea), seeds (oil), extract, hydrosol
Species
In Turkic languages rosehip is also called “şilan”, “itburnu” and “bildik”. Some of its species are:
- Burnet rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia)
- Dahurian rose (Rosa davurica)
- Prickly rose (Rosa acicularis)
- Dog rose (Rosa canina)
- Cinnamon rose (Rosa majalis)
- French rose (Rosa gallica)
- Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa)
Traditional uses
- Cleansing
- Used for nerve pain and pinched nerves
- Helpful for ringing in the ears and for tooth and gum problems
- Good for headaches caused by high blood pressure
- Diuretic
Dr Kalan’s advice
For diarrhoea, with or without blood, caused by digestive problems such as colitis, rosehip brewed as a tea with natural honey is helpful. (Bloody diarrhoea should always be checked by a doctor.)
Rosehip tea is very helpful for people with diabetes and high blood pressure. For diabetes, using it with cinnamon strengthens its effect.
With natural honey it is used for stomach complaints and to help pass kidney stones. For kidney stones it is recommended on an empty stomach, at least half an hour before eating.
People with low blood sugar or low blood pressure should always take it with honey; otherwise it can lower them further and cause a severe headache.
It is effective in liver and lung complaints and increases circulation, which makes it especially good for the skin.
It keeps the skin supple. Its vitamins A, C and E help tighten pores, moisturise, fade marks and reduce wrinkles, and it helps scars fade.
It tones the uterus and the breasts.
In some regions, soups are traditionally made from rosehip seeds; they are considered very good for people with diabetes, kidney problems and high blood pressure.
Dressing wounds and burns with brewed rosehip water speeds healing thanks to its rich vitamin C content.
People with weak immunity can use it to strengthen their defences.
Traditionally, rosehip tea is said to ease childbirth and to help expel intestinal parasites.
For people who sweat heavily, both drinking the tea and pouring it over the body as the last rinse after a bath reduce sweating.
Rosehip seed oil helps regulate blood pressure.
Rosehip tea recipe
Put 25 to 30 dried rosehips in a porcelain or glass teapot. Add about 1 litre of boiling water, cover and leave to steep for 4 to 5 hours.
Safety
- Rosehip can lower blood sugar and blood pressure: take it with honey if yours tend to be low, and monitor them if you take medication.
- People with a history of kidney stones linked to vitamin C, or with iron overload (haemochromatosis), should not take large amounts.
This article is for information only and is based on traditional medical sources and general health knowledge. It is not a medical diagnosis, treatment or prescription and does not replace an examination by a doctor. If you have a health complaint, take regular medication, are pregnant, or are considering this for a child, consult your doctor before applying anything. Herbal products can interact with medicines.
