Rosehips: A Bouquet of Benefits For Your Health

Rosehips: A Bouquet of Benefits for Your Health

One thing about herbs, as if all their incredible medicinal qualities wasn’t enough, is that they exemplify multitasking at its finest . We have herbs for digestive upset that double as a calming nervine. Or a digestive bitter benefiting the liver. And today, we're discussing one of my favorites, an immunity-boosting herb that also enriches the skin! Introducing Rosehips; a beautiful, versatile herb perfect for the change of seasons (and anytime for that matter) to nourish you from the inside out.

You may well have seen rosehips in oils and supplements. "Rich in vitamin C", "powerful antioxidant" and the list goes on. There are so many ways to consume this wonderful rosehip herb and reap the full rosehip health benefits. Stay tuned for some recipes, but first allow me to share a little bit more of the reasons behind why rosehips are so incredibly beneficial.

Rosehip Herb Benefits: Immune Boosting and Skin Health

Rosehips are immune-boosting: not only are rosehips extremely high in vitamin E, quercetin, and betacarotenes, but in particular, they are incredibly high in vitamin C (more than 20 times higher than an orange!). In fact, 100 grams of rosehips contain 426 mg of vitamin C, equal to 473% the daily value! As we know, vitamin C plays a crucial role in helping white blood cells fight disease and infection. It also helps provide a defense against harmful viruses by boosting your immune system when exposed to illness. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant protecting the body from damage caused by free radicals and can help your body heal internally and externally at a faster rate when health is compromised.

Rosehips are excellent for the skin: frequently touted to be "anti-aging", rosehips are a favorite in the beauty aisle for the oil their seeds produce, but for the sake of this article, we are focusing on the part of the fruit that is actually consumed and taken internally, which just so happens to also be a marvelous ally for retaining youthful skin. We've already learned that rosehips are brimming with vitamin C, boosting the immune system, but did you know that vitamin C also promotes collagen production? That's right, the collagen that we hear about in the beauty world so often is easily and accessibly found in the fruit of a lovely rose - how fitting! As it turns out, many of the immune-boosting properties serve a dual purpose in beautifying and enriching the skin. Antioxidants help with skin elasticity and youthful glow. And it's also high in vitamin A which helps regenerate skin cells and retain moisture.

Rosehip Tea Benefits and How to Enjoy Rosehips

What a winner! I love rosehips for my whole family and especially this time of year to combat illness with its powerful antioxidant support and to help keep our skin soft and supple in these dry winter months.

Not every rose will produce rosehips, but autumn is the perfect time to go foraging for the roses that do and start researching which ones may grow in your area. You can enjoy the rosehip herb benefits by consuming it in various ways, including:

• Rosehip tea: Enjoy a warm cup of rosehip tea for its immune-boosting and skin-enhancing properties.

• Rosehip powder: Add rosehip powder to smoothies, yogurt, or baked goods for an extra boost of nutrients.

• Rosehip tincture: Take a few drops of rosehip tincture daily for its concentrated benefits.

Remember to consult with a healthcare professional before using rosehips medicinally, especially if you have any existing health conditions or are taking medications.

3 Simple Rosehip Recipes for Daily Wellness

Here are 3 simple recipes to incorporate rosehips into your daily rhythm.

1. Rosehip Concentrate

This is a very strong tea! I make it this way so that I can add it to my daily large water tumbler for the rosehip health benefits as well as flavor for multiple days in a row rather than making a new cup every day. I believe this to be the most potent form of rosehips because water extracts the most vitamins and minerals - even more than a tincture.

Supplies:

• 3 tablespoons organic dried rosehips (another option)

• Boiling water

• 32-ounce mason jar

• Raw honey (even better if its local!)

• Optional: additional dried herbs like nettle, tulsi, red raspberry leaf or lemon balm

Directions:

1. Take 3 tablespoons of organic dried rosehips and add them to a 32-ounce mason jar.

2. Pour boiling water over the rosehips all the way to the neck of the jar and let steep for 5-10 minutes.

3. Strain into a new jar and at this point, you can add honey to your liking - it's best to add honey once it has cooled slightly so as not to kill the beneficial enzymes found in the honey.

4. I refrigerate mine after screwing on a spout and add 4-8 ounces of it to my water bottle for a daily vitamin C boost. Sometimes I will add additional herbs during the steeping process like nettle, tulsi, or lemon balm depending on what my goals are.

2. Rosehip Elixir

This is more of a standard tincture, but I feel the addition of honey is important not only for the flavor and medicinal benefit but also because honey will help extract those desirable vitamins and minerals we've discussed. Don't overthink measurements too much on this one! This is a "folk method" recipe which means you can "eyeball" amounts and adjust based on the supplies you have available and your preferences.

Supply list:

• A jar of your choice (I used an 8-ounce mason jar)

• Organic dried rosehips

• Raw honey

• A high-proof alcohol (I recommend 80-100 proof)

Directions:

1. Fill your jar about ⅓ to ½ full of dried rosehips.

2. Pour the alcohol over the rosehips and fill the jar until it's about ⅔ full.

3. Top it off with honey all the way to the very top of the jar.

4. Close the lid tightly (if using a metal lid, place parchment paper over the top of the jar before screwing on the lid) and give it a good shake.

5. Label your elixir with the contents and date and store in a cool, dark place, shaking daily or as you remember :)

6. After 4-6 weeks, strain and bottle in an amber glass bottle (or bottles) and use as needed.

3. Rosehip Syrup

This is a fun and versatile way to consume rosehip!

Supply list:

• 2 cups organic maple syrup

• ¼ cup dried rosehips or ¾ cup fresh rosehips

• An instant pot or slow cooker

Directions:

1. Pour maple syrup and rosehips into the instant pot and stir to combine.

2. Cook on the lowest setting for 12 hours, then strain, bottle, and refrigerate! You can use it over pancakes, to sweeten herbal tea, to drizzle on oatmeal…would be delicious in so many ways.

I hope you enjoy the wide range of benefits from this small but mighty fruit!