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Open Source Apothecary At Home / The herbs
High in vitamin C, lovely to grow, and the source of the classic infused oil. — Rosa rugosa and others
remedyRose hips are genuinely one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C, and rose petals are used for a soothing, mildly astringent topical preparation and for the classic rose-infused oil.
What is real. Rose hip vitamin C content is high — high enough that rose hip syrup was a wartime vitamin C source in Britain, and rose hip preparations have small trials in osteoarthritis and in menstrual pain. Rose petal water and infused oil are genuinely soothing topically.
What is not. Rose is not a treatment for a disease, and the vitamin C in a hip tea is variable and destroyed by heat — a boiled rose hip tea retains much less than the raw hip.
Grow Rosa rugosa — it is tough, disease-resistant, thorny enough to be a boundary hedge, and produces large hips in quantity. Harvest hips after the first frost, which sweetens them; petals in the morning at full open.
The infused oil is the best use of a large petal harvest, and rose water the best use of a smaller one.
Recent studies have reported conflicting findings on the antianxiety, antidepressant, and anti-stress properties of Rosa Damascena Mill (RDM).PubMed 34405933 ↗
We could not find conclusive evidence that CHM taken by mouth or applied topically to the skin could reduce the severity of eczema in children or adults.Well-designed, adequately powered RCTs are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CHM for managing eczema.PubMed 24018636 ↗
However, further research timing and duration of intervention are needed to extrapolate the findings.PubMed 35653142 ↗
The results of this study indicate that Rosa damascena can improve sexual function in menopausal women.PubMed 39580876 ↗
| | | |---|---| | Life | Deciduous shrub; long-lived | | Propagation | Cuttings, or bare-root in dormancy | | Light | Full sun | | Soil | Any; rugosa tolerates poor and sandy soil | | Spacing | 1.5 m; good hedge | | Harvest hips | After the first frost — higher vitamin C and sweeter | | Harvest petals | Morning, at full open | | Dry | Hips warm; petals quickly, and they fade |
Rose hip tea — 1-2 teaspoons dried chopped hips per cup. Do not boil hard — vitamin C is heat-labile.
Rose hip syrup — simmered, strained, with sugar or honey. The traditional vitamin C preparation.
Rose petal infused oil — dried petals in a carrier oil, gentle warmth, 2-4 hours. The classic cosmetic oil.
Rose water — petals steeped in water, strained, refrigerated briefly.
Hips in food — jelly, jam, and the traditional syrup.