Wild Roses & Rose Hips
Ya know what is pretty darn fabulous?? Being able to go out into my own backyard and pick wild rose petals and rose hips! Love having healthy plants in my yard that I can pick for free. Vitamin C here I come!
This information is provided for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. It is important that you do thorough research from multiple reliable sources before using herbs. While herbs are generally considered very safe there are exceptions. This is by no means a complete monograph of this particular herb. My intent is to peak your interest enough to begin a lifelong journey using herbs.
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Wild Rose Botanical Name
Rosa acicularis
Family
Rosaceae (rose family)
Where it Grows
The wild rose bush can be found nearly around the world. In North America it grows all the way from Alaska to New Mexico. They love to grow along waterways, mountainsides, and on the edges of forests. Specifically willow, cottonwood, and conifers.
Parts Used
Leaves, flowers, and fruits (hips)
When to harvest
Leaves: early spring
Flowers and flower buds: summer
Hips: Fall, after the first frost
Plant properties
Flowers: emollient
Leaves: Astringent
Hips: Antimicrobial, high in vitamin C, high in flavonoids, astringent, and diuretic
Energetics
Cooling
Preparations used
Tea/tisane/infusion, oil infusion, hydrosol, honey, syrup, vinegar, food
Uses for Wild Rose
Rose hips are extremely hight in vitamin C. 1 ounce of rose hips contains about 200% of your daily value. The only bummer is, about 40% of the vitamin C is lost during the drying process. But, that's still quite a bit of vitamin C!
Due to the high amount of bioflavonoids, rose hips make an excellent tonic for the heart and entire circulatory system. Including helping to heal varicose veins and strengthening the capillaries. Bioflavonoids are known as a super antioxidant (along with being antiinflammatory) and are extremely beneficial in combating arthritis and even Alzheimer's disease.
Because of the high vitamin C content, along with all the other vitamins and minerals, rose hips are a great herb to take during cold and flu season to boost the immune system.
The rose petals are well known in many cosmetic preparations due to their emollient property. Which means it softens and soothes the skin. They are also humectant and help retain moisture in the skin. This is very useful for dry, mature, and dull skin.
Things to note
The small hairs on the seeds can be mildly irritating to some people. In that case, removing the seeds is ideal. Personally I don't worry about it, but it's worth mentioning.
Harvesting the rose hips after the first frost, when the hips are bright red is best. However, I've found that in Alaska if I wait until it freezes the rose hips turn limp and mushy. So I pick them whenever they are firm and bright red.
After I harvest them, I bring them inside and pluck off all the little ends and then dry them. You can either air dry them or use a dehydrator. I prefer the dehydrator only because since they are on the fat side, they take awhile to air dry and I have had them mold on me before. Using the dehydrator eliminates that.
To extract the most vitamin C out of the hips, make a tea by pouring boiling water over them and allowing them to infuse for a minimum of 10 minutes.
Harvesting sustainably
If you’re out picking the rose petals, I know it’s tedious, but be sure and leave one petal on each rose. This ensures that the bees will continue to pollinate that flower and a hip will still form. If you wipe out all the petals, the bees will not pollinate and no hips will form.
Be sure to harvest in places you are welcome, and places that are away from polluted areas such as busy roads.
Put it in to practice
Now that you know all about how wonderful the wild rose is, here are some ideas to get you started!
Make a tea with the hips (in a combination or alone)
Put some hips into a tincture
Make rose hip syrup
Make rose flower honey
Eat the hips right off the bush (not too many as they can have a laxative effect due to the vitamin C!) :)
Make rose hip or rose petal jam
Make a lovely rose petal hydrosol
Where to purchase if you don’t have access to wild roses
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If you are unable to grow your own herbs, or find ingredients locally, then here are two of my favorite places to buy bulk ingredients:
Now let me know your favorite thing to do with wild roses!