Rosehip

Common name: Dog rose, wild briar, wild rose

Botanical name: Rosa canina

Botanical family: Rosaceae

Cultivation

It is so hardy and grows in the most difficult conditions.

It is easy to propagate from seeds.

How does it do here in Central Otago? It is wild and grows (almost) everywhere! It is so resilient, it grows in the driest and harshest places.

Traditional medicinal uses

Rosehips are an incredible source of vitamin C. They are also high in antioxidant and anthocyanins. They are great to support the immune system. They can be used as a general tonic.

How to use it?

Part used: flowers, hips (fruit).

The flowers can be used dried or fresh as a herbal tea, or added to bath.

The hips can be used fresh to make jelly, syrup or herbal tea or can be added to vinegar. Dried, the hips can be infused in oil to use topically (the seeds are high in vitamin E), or used as a herbal tea.

Rosehips contain tiny hair that are irritant, so it best to remove them before processing them.

Mythology/Folklore

Roses have a long history in traditional western herbal medicine and poetry! Roses are often associated with love and passion.

The name Rosa canina or dog rose is attributed to the Roman Pliny who believed that the root of this plant could cure the bite of a rabid dog.