Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Helpful Hints

Family: Rosaceae; (includes Raspberry, Blackberry, Plum, Peach, Almond)

Genus and Species: Rosa Canina, R. Rugosa, R. Centifolia

Also known as: Hipberry

Parts used: Fruits (”hips”)

Prized since the dawn of history, the rose is queen of the flowers. But in herbal Healing, this plant becomes noteworthy only after the velvety petals have fallen away, revealing the cherry-sized fruits, or hips.

Rose hips contain vitamin C, but authorities disagree on how much. Some herbalists call rose hips “one of the best natural sources” of vitamin C. Scientific sources scoff at this claim, asserting it would take more than a dozen cups of rose hip tea to provide the recommended daily allowance and a lot more to help treat colds and flu.

While herbalists have generally overstated this herb’s vitamin C content, it still may be of some benefit for colds and flu.

Medicine Flowers

Roses were a favorite of the ancient Egyptians, who used the fragrant petals as air fresheners and rose water as perfume.

In Greece, Hippocrates recommended rose flowers mixed with oil for diseases of the uterus. India’s traditional Ayurvedic physicians have long considered rose petals cooling and astringent, leading to their use in poultices to treat skin wounds and inflammations. The Ayurvedics also used rose petals and rose water as a laxative.

Western herbalists echoed Ayurvedic uses of the herb.

Medieval German abbess/herbalist Hildegard of Bingen recommended rose hip tea as the initial treatment for just about every illness. Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper called the herb “binding and restringent [astringent]” and wrote it “strengthens the stomach, prevents vomiting, stops tickling coughs, … [is] good against all kinds of fluxes [diarrhea] … [and is] of great service in consumptions [tuberculosis].”

As the centuries passed, European herbalists recommended dried rose petal tea for headache, dizziness, mouth sores, and menstrual cramps.

Vitamin C Revival

Americans have always loved roses. They were among the first flowers planted around the White House. But American herbalists considered the rose only a minor Healing herb. The 19th-century Eclectic physicians did not use rose petals at all. They beat the hips into a pulp and used it as a base for making pills containing other medicines.

Roses almost disappeared from early 20th-century herbals. Then came the discovery of vitamin C in the I930s and the finding that rose hips may contain appreciable amounts.

Contemporary herbalists are unanimous in their praise of rose hips as a source of America’s favorite vitamin. One bestselling herbal claims: “Rose hips are rich in vitamin C, richer by far than oranges ounce for ounce. Some people say we should make rose hip tea a part of our daily diet” Because of its vitamin C content, herbalists tout rose hips for colds and flu. Some also recommend the herb as a mild laxative.

There’s nothing wrong with making rose hips a part of your daily diet, but don’t count on the bright red fruits-or the prepackaged teas containing them-to supply all the vitamin C you need, especially if you use the vitamin to try to treat the common cold and flu.

Rose hips contain a significant amount of vitamin C.

However, the drying process destroys from 45 to 90 percent of it. and infusions extract only about 40 percent of what’s left. That still leaves a fair amount of vitamin C, but considerably less than most herbals promise.

Many companies that manufacture vitamin C claim their products are “made from rose hips.” In fact. none are made exclusively from rose hips. In commercial “rose hip” vitamin C preparations, the hips are combined with ascorbic acid from other sources.

Colds and Flu - Some scientific studies have supported the use of vitamin C to help relieve the symptoms and decrease the duration of the common cold. The studies that show positive benefit-including those published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and the New England Journal of Medicine-eall for using 2,000 milligrams a day or more from the moment the first cold symptoms appear until all symptoms disappear.

That’s a lot of vitamin C-considerably more than the current Recommended Daily Allowance (USRDA) of 60 milligrams a day. It would be impractical to obtain this much vitamin C from rose hip preparations alone.

But rose hip tea can help boost cold and flu sufferers’ overall vitamin C intake. In addition, hot liquids may help relieve the sore throat. nasal congestion, and cough associated with colds and flu, and they warm the throat. which may help impair viral replication. (Cold viruses reproduce best at around 95°F.)

Rx for Rose Hips

For a pleasant-tasting, mildly astringent infusion that may help in the treatment of colds and flu, use 2 to 3 teaspoons of dried, chopped hips per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 minutes. Drink as needed.

In a tincture, use ½ to 1 teaspoon as needed.

Dilute rose hip infusions may be given to children under age 2.

High doses of vitamin C cause diarrhea in some people. High doses also strain the kidneys. This is not a problem for people with healthy kidneys, but those with kidney disease should consult their physicians before taking large amounts of rose hips.

Rose hips are included in the Food and Drug Administration’s list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, rose hips are safe in amounts typically recommended.

Consult a physician if cold or flu symptoms do not improve significantly in two weeks, if a fever develops toward the end of a cold or flu, or if a cold- or flu-related cough brings up brown or red phlegm.

Harvest the Hips

Roses have been bred for every cliMaté. “Old roses” are generally more fragrant than newer hybrids, but they have lessshowy, faster-wilting flowers. Consult a nursery for the variety best suited to your conditions and desires. Enjoy the flowers, then harvest and dry the hips.