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What’s this
Rosa canina is one spontaneous plant which grows throughout Europe and is easy to meet in the woods or along the paths. It is a species belonging to the Rosaceae family, characterized by a shrubby habit. The rose hip plant has stems covered with thorns and imparipinnate leaves, with a finely serrated edge and pointed apex. In spring this variety of rose produces white or pink flowers load from which false fruits called rosehips develop, initially orange, deep red when ripe. THE fruits of rose hips represent the drug of this plant. They are harvested after the first frosts, before complete ripening, and are exploited above all for their content in vitamins and flavonoids.
There plant rosehip is also used for ornamental purposes to make hedges. Being a hardy and resistant plant, the cultivation of the dog rose is very simple and allows you to have fresh berries available during the winter period.
Property
The fruits of the rose hip contain predominantly C vitamin, vitamin A, carotenoids, flavonoids, anthocyanins and tannins. Collected spontaneously or used for the preparation of extracts, rosehip conorrodes are mainly used as an adjuvant in vitamin C deficiency and for support the immune system and as a mild diuretic and laxative.
Rosehip is used, for example, to counteract drops in energy and psycho-physical stress, improve concentration and muscle capacity, prevent and treat flu symptoms during the winter season or as a vitamin C supplement when the need for this molecule is increased, for example in heavy smokers.
The rosehip berries also have amildly laxative and diuretic action, given by the presence of pectins, and hypoglycemic properties, ie able to reduce blood glucose levels. Properties are also attributed to the dog rose anti-inflammatory useful for combating osteoarticular pains. Finally, in cosmetic creams, rosehip extracts help defend the skin from damage from the sun’s rays, promote microcirculation and protect delicate and sensitive skin.
How to use it
THE fruits of rose hips can be eaten fresh, after having collected them from spontaneous plants or grown in the garden. The harvest takes place after the first winter frosts and the small red berries must first be deprived of the seeds and the light hair inside them, cutting them lengthwise and digging them with the tip of the knife. Consumed fresh, the berries have a high vitamin C content, important for the immune system but also for the health of the skin and mucous membranes, since ascorbic acid intervenes in the synthesis of collagen.
Rosehip fruits can also be used for the preparation of jams or dried and used to prepare infusions during the cold season. The jam is prepared with about half a kilo of sugar for every kilogram of crushed berries, heating on the fire until a thick mixture is obtained. The drying is carried out instead in a dryer at 35-40 ° C for about twelve hours, or by leaving the berries (cut in half and cleaned) in the shade for a day. THE dried fruits they are kept in a closed glass jar, away from sources of light and heat and the decoction prepared with dried berries has a slightly sedative action. However, it must be taken into account that the cooking and drying processes destroy vitamin C, reducing its content significantly, from 40 to 90%.
In herbal medicine you can buy dry and liquid extracts of rose hips, including bud extract, mother tincture, capsules or tablets. The bud extract of rose hips is used by administering from 20 to 40 drops diluted in water, once or twice a day before meals for about twenty days a month during autumn. The intake of the bud extract is especially useful in children, to prevent flu and seasonal ailments.
There tincture rosehip, in addition to its vitamin action, has anti-inflammatory properties and has a mildly diuretic, hypoglycemic and regulating effect on intestinal function. It is indicated in influenza states and as an adjunct in the treatment of back pain, neck pain or joint pain, inflammation of the intestine that cause constipation or acute diarrhea and to stimulate diuresis. The mother tincture is administered by diluting 40 drops in a glass of water, one to three times a day.
Always for internal use, tablets and capsules containing 100-300 milligrams of dry rosehip extract are recommended as vitamin C supplements during the autumn and winter season, often combined with other immunostimulating plants such as echinacea or astragalus, to defend against the flu.
Creams and ointments prepared with rosehip extracts are used externally to soften and moisturize the skin sensitive and delicate, prevent skin aging, protect small blood vessels and stimulate microcirculation in case of couperose.
Contraindications
Rosehip is a safe remedy as well free from side effects. Its consumption, however, is obviously contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity to one or more components.
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