Herb of the Week: Rosehips


Alright, it's been a little while since I've done an Herb of the Week.  Maybe I should switch to Herb of the Month!  That being said, it is truly an amazing time to go out and collect Rosehips.  These little ruby gems are an easy entrance to the world of Wild Medicine.  The are prolific, easy to identify, easy to collect, and very versatile.


Rose spp.


Description: The red fruits or ovaries of rose flowers, rose hips are easily identified by being one of the few fruits still on the branches in the fall and winter.  They are found on rose bushes which are also easily identified by their prominent thorns.  There are many different wild and cultivated species.  Beware of nightshade berries that may appear similar (but no thorns).  Strangely enough many species of cultivated roses do not produce "hips".

Collecting: The fruits can be collected any time after reaching maturity and ripening, however many people recommend waiting until after the first frost.  This produces 2 results: 1)It can kill off any little bugs living inside the fruits and 2)It firms up the fruit making them less mushy to handle and work with.

Properties: Edible, mildly medicinal, rich in vitamin C, slightly astringent

Medicinal Uses:
1) Medicinal and Nutritive Tea-Rosehips' big claim to fame is that they are a very rich source of winter Vitamin C.  There are many anecdotes of settlers being taught to use rose hips to prevent scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) from Native North Americans.  Pouring hot water over fresh or dried rose hips will produce  a beautiful, fragrant tart tea.  Don't boil them though as this destroys a lot of the Vitamin C content.

2) Medicinal Honey-Another wonderful way to use rose hips that is easy enough for beginners and even kids to do is to make a rose hip honey.  There are several ways to do this.  The simplest way is to clean your fresh rose hips.  Then place them in a jar after removing the vegetative part that connected them hip to the flower and the stem.  Pour honey one the rose hips (you can fill a container 1/3 to1/2 full or more) and fill the honey as close to the top as you can.  Steep the hips this way for at least 30 days and turn the jar every other day or so.  After 30 days, strain the honey.  You will have an amazing ruby-red honey flavored with tart complexities of rose hips!  This can be taken straight for sore throats and mixed into tea or hot water to help through the cold season.

3) Rose hip decorations-While not exactly medicinal, rose hips can be dried and add a lot of color and scent to natural potpourri mixes and even strung and made into necklaces.  There is some argument that this is where the word "rosary" originally came from: a string of dried rose hips that were then used to focus one's thoughts and prayers.  This is a really beautiful way to include plants in our lives as more than just food.

4) Rose hip Syrup-Finally, rose hips can be used by themselves or combined with other herbs into an herbal syrup.  This process can be quite simple, though many medicinal syrups are quite sophisticated.  To make a simple syrup, pour 4 cups of hot water over 4 cups of rose hips.  Simmer this for 15 minutes.  The water will turn a bright red color.  After 15 minute, strain the mixture and then simmer the remaining liquid for another 30 minutes.  You are reducing the liquid here to try and be half or less of the original amount.  After reducing by half, you can add sugar, honey, or maple syrup to sweeten and thicken.  Sugar will actually produce the thickest syrup, the other two will be thinner.  This Rose hip syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-6 months.  The syrup can be combined with hot water or tea as needed or taken directly for sore throats.  Rose hips also combine nicely with blueberries, black berries, raspberries, or other naturally tart berries for a more complex syrup.