Products
Commercially available products include rosehip teas, tea blends with rosehips, fruit teas, cold teas, rosehip jam, the medicinal drug and rosehip powder. The deep red color of rosehip tea does not come from the rose hips at all, but from the hibiscus flowers, which are usually additionally contained in the tea. Rosehip tea as an infusion has only an unspectacular, light, yellow-red to brownish color.
Stem plant
The dog rose from the rose family (rose family) is used as the parent plant. Other species of the genus are also allowed for obtaining the medicinal drug (see below).
Medicinal drug
From the botanical point of view, rose hips are so-called pseudo-fruits (Rosae pseudofructus) and collectible fruits. The rosehip peels are mostly used as a medicinal raw material. According to the Pharmacopoeia, they consist of the axillary cups of L., L. and other species of the genus, freed from the nutlets and containing remnants of the dried sepals. The pharmacopoeia requires a minimum content of ascorbic acid. However, the nutlets – they are the actual fruits of the plant – can be included in the drug (photo).
Ingredients
The ingredients of rose hips include:
- Organic acids: ascorbic acid (vitamin C), malic acid, citric acid.
- Anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, flavonoids (polyphenols).
- Carotenoids such as lycopene
- Pectin
- Tannins
- Vitamins, minerals
- Carbohydrates, sugars
- Fatty oil in the nutlets
Effects
Rose hips have antioxidant, antitumor, health-promoting, anti-inflammatory and mild tanning properties.
Indications for use
- Rosehip tea is drunk as a health-promoting stimulant.
- As a mild astringent, for example, in cases of diarrhea.
- To promote the immune system, for flu and colds.
- The specially prepared rosehip powder is used for osteoarthritis. It can also be used for rheumatic complaints and chronic back pain.
- As food (processed pulp).
- The hairs of the nutlets were used by children in the past as itching powder.
