Dog Rose: Rosa canina
You can harvest rosehips from late summer through early Winter. Look for the bright red, oval-shaped hips of the wild dog rose. The fresh hips are surprisingly high in Vitamin C – much of which is lost in the drying process. Try making this rosehip infused apple cider vinegar for a tasty way to keep colds and flu at bay.
Ingredients:
- Wild Rosehips
- Apple Cider Vinegar
You will need a Kilner jar or jar with an airtight lid.
Directions:
- Gather enough rosehips to fill ½ of your jar.
- Top and tail the hips, then rinse well in a colander.
- Cover and leave to dry.
- Use a sharp knife to cut a small slit in the side of each hip before putting it into the kilner jar, this is to release more of the goodness from the hips.
- Cover with apple cider vinegar and close the lid. The hips should be fully covered leaving enough space for to give it all a good shake. I usually leave a third to a quarter space.
- Leave in a sunny window for 3 – 4 weeks. Shake regularly.
- Then strain and bottle. The vinegar will have taken on a lovely warm red colour.
Rosehips have 20 – 40 times more Vitamin C than oranges, plus Vitamins A, B and K.¹ Use rosehip vinegar in salad dressings. For a sore throat add warm water to a tablespoon of vinegar, gargle and swallow.
To keep colds at bay mix a ½ – 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with a teaspoon of wild rosehip vinegar, add room temperature filtered water, stir and drink. Consume 1 – 3 times a day.
CAUTION: Do not eat fresh rosehips, the seeds within have been likened to very fine fibre-glass, which can irritate your throat and digestive tract.
The hips are taken internally in the treatment of colds, influenza, minor infectious diseases, scurvy, diarrhoea and gastritis.²
References
(1) Bruton-Seal J., Seal M. Hedgerow Medicine.
(2) Rosa Canina – L. Online article. Available at: https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=rosa+canina (Accessed 27/08/2018)