A Hedge of Wild Roses

Wild Roses create a hedge dividing the beach from the forest at our family’s traditional camping spot. They grow and bloom flowers of pink and white and even sometimes a darker almost red pink. If you catch them in the late summer early fall, you’ll find the plant laden with rose hips.

Rose hips can be used to make jam or tea and even be added to desserts! The hips are packed with vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps maintain integrity of our cells and help protect against damage to them.

The rose hips can be harvested after the first light frost, something that helps make the sometime bitter fruit a little sweeter! From there they can be washed and cut in half to remove the seeds. There are plenty of ways to enjoy rose hip, even if you just like the beauty of the wild roses.

Medicinally and traditionally, rose hips have been used to treat:

• Osteoarthritis

• Soothe mucous membranes in the digestive tract

• Weightloss

• And more!!

Whether you want to eat the fruit, make a tea, or plant some flowers, I recommend doing your research to learn not only how to care for the plant but also how to safely prepare the hip for consumption!

As always this is not medical advice and is meant for educational purposes only!

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Resources

Cohen M. Rosehip - an evidence based herbal medicine for inflammation and arthritis. Aust Fam Physician. 2012;41(7):495-498.

Nagatomo A, Nishida N, Fukuhara I, et al. Daily intake of rosehip extract decreases abdominal visceral fat in preobese subjects: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2015;8:147-156. Published 2015 Mar 6. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S78623

https://www.thespruce.com/what-are-rose-hips-and-what-do-they-do-1403046