Fascinating Facts from Early Cultures

The ancient history behind Rose Hips:

• I love history (well, to me, history is fun).
• Roses of all colors and shapes have always been valued for their beauty, fragrance and what they symbolize.
• Rose Hips have been known for their medicinal uses for centuries and have been a part of every culture.
• From the earliest time the fruit of rose hips and the petals of roses have been used for medicine.
• The study of history will prove that the healthy benefits of Rose hips is a fact.

Recorded uses of the effective medical use of rose hips.

1. Hippocrates in ancient Greece prescribed rose hips for different ailments.
2. Pliny, a Roman naturalist, named the plant Dog Rose because it could be used for curing the mad dog bite.
3. Curing chest illnesses in the Middle Ages was widely practiced.
4. In 1597, Gerard (a historical herbalist) wrote that they enjoyed the fruit in dishes like tarts.
5. Ancient manuscripts have referred to using roses for heart ailments.
6. It has always been an important food for Native American culture.
7. During WWII, the war effort involved gathering much rose hips to provide vitamin C for the soldiers, and for the general populations.
8. Scurvy was cured by vitamin C from oranges. Rose Hips have 50% more vitamin C content along with other vital nutrients.

It has been used as a natural medicine in many countries.

1. In Bulgaria they make sweet Rose Hip wine and teas.
2. In Slovenia they make a soft drink out of the fruit.
3. In China, they eat it as a vegetable.
4. Traditional medicine in Austria used the tea to treat viral infections.
5. Much of the tradition of Europe used Rose Hips as a medicine for a vitamin C deficiency as well as other disorders.

*Sources: 1) HIPS, HAWS AND VITAMIN C by JOLENE ADAMS
NCNH District Director, Judge, Consulting Rosarian Northern California/Nevada/Hawaii District of the American Rose Society! 2) Health Benefits of Rose Hip https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/rose-hip/ Plant Guide of USDA NRCS https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_roca3.pdf

The most well-known stories about Vitamin C from Rose Hips were during WWII. There was a campaign to collect as much vitamin C from Rose Hips as they could. They wanted to make a health syrup from them to give to the people as well as the soldiers. The gathering of this valuable rose hip fruit was so vast that it reached 500 tons of hips one year. It was called the Hedgerow Harvest Project* in Britain.

*Source: http://www.hedgerowharvest.org.uk/oral-history/snippets/eventid/48