Rose Hip Fruit

Health benefits of dog rose, how to use it
Dog rose is a thorny rose tree that can grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall.

Whether it’s called wild rose, hedge rose, dogberry or witch’s briar, this plant bear edible fruits called rose hips. These are used in cooking, in the medical field and in cosmetics.

Dog rose in cooking
Culinary use of wild rose tree berries date back to the American Indians, who used it as an excellent survival food.
Since Roman times, dog rose flower petals have been used in infusions to flavor pastries.

Although the petals were eaten directly in some cultures, others would prepare a decoction from it and turn it into beer.

Alaskan eskimos prepared a type of pudding from it: mashed rose hip flesh, water, seal oil and sugar) or would add the dog rose berries to a meal of pre-chewed salmon tails.

Other Alaskan tribes either paired them with fish spawn or fat to make ice cream.
Some would use it to season meals baked under cinders, or would crush it and blend into pemmican.

Today, in places that aren’t so extreme, the edible portion of the dog rose berry is either prepared alone or with other fruits in the form of jam, syrup, ketchup, jelly or marmalade.

In Armenia, people find rose hip juice delicious.

In Sweden, rose hip soup is a dessert usually served with cream, milk and vanilla ice cream.

Chechen know rose hip tea very well: it is a culinary staple food.

Medicinal use of dog rose
As for medical use, dog rose berries, which are a bit tangy, is said to contain 20 times more vitamin C than an orange!
It also contains vitamin B, vitamin PP, provitamin A and minerals.

This is a choice plant for persons wanting to follow a dietary course at the beginning of winter. It has often been used to fight off the flu and, more generally, infections.

On top of that, when used as a tonic for its invigorating effects on the immune system, rose hip has medicinal properties known to treat asthenia.

In China, berries from various cultivars are used to treat chronic diarrhea and urinary disorders.

In Denmark, scientists have shown that dog rose berries has properties that tend to alleviate arthritic pain.

When drunk in infusions, dog rose flower petals are used to fend off headaches and treat dizziness.

Note also that rose hip syrup is often mixed into children’s medicine to make it taste better.a