Rose Hips: Benefits, Uses and Precautions

Dr. Boris Wydoff

May rosehip, or cinnamon rose (Rosa majalis), is a thorny shrub whose fruits are especially valued as a natural source of vitamin C. According to herbal medicine references, they also contain carotenoids, B vitamins, vitamins P and K, pectins, organic acids and other substances. The fruits are traditionally used for vitamin drinks, infusions and decoctions, while the seed oil is used externally.

How to recognize rosehip in nature?

May rosehip belongs to the Rose family. It is a shrub up to two meters high. Its branches are thin, rod-like, covered with shiny brownish-red bark. A good identifying feature is the thorns. On flowering branches they are relatively sparse, small and slightly curved. They are usually arranged in pairs at the base of the leaf stalks.

The leaves are compound and alternate. Each one consists of 5–7 elliptical leaflets. The flowers are large, most often solitary, sometimes gathered in groups of two or three. The corolla consists of five pink or dark red petals.

There is another interesting feature. In rosehips of the cinnamon section, the sepals are usually directed upward and remain on the fruits. After they are removed, an opening remains at the top. This is one of the signs that helps distinguish such fruits from dog rose, which forms a characteristic five-sided platform at the top.

What we commonly call a rosehip berry is botanically a false fruit. Inside there are numerous hard yellowish nuts and bristly hairs.

May rosehip is widespread in forest and forest-steppe zones from Western Europe to Eastern Siberia. It can be found in sparse forests, on forest edges and clearings, among shrubs, in ravines, gullies and along roads.

What benefits do its fruits provide?

The main feature of rosehip is its vitamin composition. Herbal medicine references report a very high vitamin C content in May rosehip fruits — 4–6%, and some samples are reported to contain up to 18%.

Besides ascorbic acid, rutin, carotenoids, B vitamins and vitamin K, sugars, tannins, pectins, the flavone glycosides kaempferol and quercetin, organic acids, lycopene and rubixanthin are described. Other reference data also list potassium salts, iron, manganese, phosphorus and calcium among the components of the pulp.

The seeds contain fatty oil. It is described as containing unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, carotenoids and tocopherols. The oil of the nut-like fruits is reported to contain vitamin E up to 200 mg%.

It is important to understand that the effects of the plant are associated not with one component alone. Herbal manuals separately emphasize the importance of the combination of substances contained in the fruits.

Why is the vitamin complex valuable?

Ascorbic acid participates in oxidation-reduction processes, carbohydrate metabolism, collagen synthesis and regulation of capillary permeability. Reference books largely associate the effects of rosehip preparations with this substance.

At the same time, along with vitamin C, the fruits contain rutin, or vitamin P, as well as other vitamins and carotene. Therefore, rosehip has traditionally been considered primarily a vitamin-rich plant material.

In medical practice, fruits in the form of infusions and ready-made preparations were used for prevention and treatment of vitamin C deficiency. In modern conditions, pronounced vitamin deficiency, anemia, prolonged weakness and other diseases should be assessed by a doctor. Rosehip does not replace diagnosis and prescribed treatment.

In my books, I also included rosehip fruits among food sources of vitamins, mineral salts, enzymes and trace elements.

How does rosehip affect digestion and the excretory system?

According to herbal medicine references, rosehip fruits are attributed with choleretic and mild diuretic effects. One herbal manual also describes a mild laxative effect.

This does not mean that homemade tea should be used instead of treating diseases of the liver, gallbladder, kidneys or intestines. Such conditions require medical care. Particular caution is needed with kidney diseases and a tendency to form stones.

Does it have an anti-inflammatory effect?

Yes. Classical reference books list anti-inflammatory action among the properties of rosehip fruits. The influence of the plant's complex of substances on tissue regeneration processes is also described.

These facts explain the traditional interest in rosehip, but they should not be turned into a promise of a therapeutic result. The composition of a particular product may vary significantly depending on the plant species, quality of raw materials and processing method.

Where is rosehip used?

The most familiar use of the fruits is preparing vitamin drinks. Dried fruits are traditionally brewed as tea. Fresh fruits have been used to make syrups and vitamin concentrates. Herbal manuals also describe jam, jelly, juice, kissel, kvass and other food products made from rosehip fruits.

A separate area is seed oil. It is used externally. According to reference data, rosehip oil was applied on gauze pads for abrasions, bedsores, trophic skin injuries and dermatoses. External use for cracks and burns is also described.

For serious skin injuries, non-healing wounds and burns, self-treatment is undesirable. Such conditions require medical assessment.

How to brew its fruits correctly?

The simplest traditional method is to brew dried fruits as tea. One reference book recommends preparing a sour, aromatic decoction from dried fruits, which is boiled for about 10 minutes.

There is also a classic vitamin tea made from rosehip and black currant. Rosehip fruits and black currants are mixed in a 1:1 ratio. Then 2 teaspoons of fruits are brewed with 2 cups of boiling water. They are infused for 1 hour, strained and sugar is added if desired. The reference book recommends drinking this tea 1/2 cup 3–4 times a day.

For a regular homemade drink, dried fruits can be brewed as tea without turning it into a concentrated supplement. Reference books also describe preparing drinks from fresh fruits.

In my recommendations, there is hot rosehip tea. I advised it as a drink within the procedure with therapeutic baths described in the book. The same section emphasized the need to consult a doctor before a course.

It is important to distinguish ordinary food tea from powders, capsules and concentrated extracts. The amount of active components in such forms may differ significantly.

How to collect and dry the berries?

Harvesting rosehip requires care. Reference books give slightly different recommendations regarding the degree of fruit ripeness. One guide recommends collecting them a few days before full ripeness, while the walls are still firm and the fruits do not become crushed during transportation. Another describes collecting ripe fruits in autumn.

For medicinal raw material, the period from the end of August until the onset of frost is indicated. One guideline is a normal bright red or orange color. Fully softened fruits are easily damaged. And bruised fruits with broken skin develop mold faster. Therefore, they should be collected carefully. It is better to harvest early in the morning or in the evening. Juicy fruits collected in strong daytime heat spoil faster.

Because of the thorns, herbal manuals recommend using thick gloves. Collected fruits should not be left in baskets for a long time. They are spread out for drying soon after collection.

For raw material rich in ascorbic acid, reference books recommend rapid drying at high temperature. One guide gives 70–80 °C for rosehip, another — 80–90 °C. Such drying is used to reduce oxidation of ascorbic acid.

After drying, the fruits become orange-red, with a shiny wrinkled surface. Their wall is thin and brittle. Light yellow nuts and numerous bristly hairs remain inside. Frost is undesirable for harvested raw material. Herbal manuals note that fruits affected by frost quickly lose vitamins after thawing.

How to find May rosehip abroad

Abroad, May rosehip may have different names:

• USA: cinnamon rose; the fruits are more often sold under the general name rose hips.
• Germany: Zimtrose or Mairose; the fruits — Hagebutten.
• France: rosier cannelle or rosier de mai; the fruits — cynorrhodons.
• Latin name: *Rosa majalis*.

Look specifically for rosehip fruits (hips), not flowers or roots. They are sold as:

• dried whole fruits;
• dried crushed fruits for preparing infusions.

Tea bags and capsules with rosehip are also available, but the name itself does not confirm the presence of *Rosa majalis*. Tinctures made from one species of *Rosa majalis* cannot be confirmed as a common retail form.

Where to look:

• USA: health food stores, tea shops, online herb sellers;
• Germany: Apotheken, Reformhäuser, tea shops, online sellers;
• France: pharmacies, health food stores and herbal tea shops, online sellers.

On the packaging check for: "Rosa majalis" and the plant part indication — rose hips/fruit, Hagebutten or cynorrhodons. Also check whether it is a single ingredient or a blend, a food tea or a medicinal product, and whether there is an organic certification mark. The name only "rosehip" does not confirm the species. Sales rules differ: in the USA supplements are regulated by the FDA, but are not approved by the FDA before sale; in Germany medicinal tea should be separately confirmed as Arzneitee in a pharmacy.

Are there any contraindications?

If you are interested specifically in May rosehip contraindications, it is important to distinguish between food use and concentrated preparations.

For Rosa majalis, there are few direct modern clinical data. Much of the safety information relates to fruits of different rosehip species, particularly Rosa canina. In ordinary food amounts, rosehip is generally well tolerated. Concentrated extracts have been studied less.

If you have a known allergy to rosehip, roses or components of a particular product, it should not be used. Allergic reactions have been described, including contact dermatitis and eye irritation in sensitive people.

Among the most well-known unwanted effects when taken internally are loose stools and flatulence.

People with kidney diseases, a tendency to form stones or iron overload should discuss concentrated and high-dose products with a doctor beforehand. Such caution is partly related to differences in vitamin C content.

There are few data on drug interactions. No registered interaction has been found between rosehip and warfarin, but this does not prove its complete absence. When taking warfarin, you should not suddenly change the usual amount of regularly consumed rosehip without discussing it with your doctor and monitoring INR.

Rosehip tea, including rosehip blends with hibiscus, may affect the results of some laboratory tests for digoxin and give a false-positive result with a certain analysis method. This does not mean a proven change in the amount of the drug in the body. If you drink such tea, inform your doctor and laboratory.

Before surgery, it is reasonable to stop taking herbal supplements and inform your doctor about all products you use.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding, there is insufficient safety data on medicinal doses, powders and concentrated extracts. Regular use should preferably be discussed with a doctor. An ordinary food product and a standardized supplement are not the same thing.

For children, the safety of concentrated supplements has also not been studied enough. Extracts, capsules or high-dose powders should not be given to a child without a pediatrician's recommendation.

When is a doctor needed?

Herbal medicine should not delay seeking medical care. If after taking rosehip you develop a rash, swelling of the face or throat, wheezing, severe abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea or eye symptoms, stop taking it and seek medical help.

A doctor's advice is especially important during pregnancy and breastfeeding, for young children, before surgery, with chronic diseases and regular medication use. If you take anticoagulants, digoxin or other prescription medicines, concentrated rosehip extract or powder should be discussed in advance with a doctor or pharmacist.

Rosehip remains primarily a valuable plant and food raw material. But the higher the concentration of the product and the more serious a person's condition, the less reason there is to treat it simply as ordinary tea.

Boris Wydoff — naturopath and author, Ph.D. in nutrition. For over fifty years I have helped people restore health through nutrition, cleansing and the power of the mind — in Europe, America and Asia. About the author →

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