ROSEHIPS

Latin name: Rosa Canina

Family: Rosaceae

Other names: Rosa Canina, Brier hip, brier, rose, dogberry, dog rose, eglantine gall, hep tree, hip fruit, hip tree, hop fruit, hogseed, sweet brier, wild brier, witches' brier

Habitat: Rosa canina is the dried, ripe aggregate fruits of Rosa canina L. (Fam. Rosaceae), a shrub common throughout Europe including the British Isles. It is one of the many species of wild rose found in the countryside.

Parts Used: The fruit.

It was chosen as an ingredient of Wonderup because: the high content in Vitamin C facilitates the absorption of all the other active ingredients of the natural components of Wonderup.
Besides, it also contains bioflavonoids, ie. phytoestrogens, that rebalance the natural production of female hormones (estrogens), which are 'caught' by the receptor sites of the mammary glands in the breast as food for their development.

Other characteristics and properties:
Rosehips have a higher proportion of vitamin C than any other commonly available fruit or vegetable, and provide one of the most freely available sources of this vitamin. There is as much vitamin C in a cup of rosehip pulp as in 40 oranges. Vitamins A, B1-3 and K are also present. Bioflavonoids, present in the pulp and the rind of the fruits, exert a synergic action to Vitamin C, facilitating its abosrption by the organism.

Since Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) cannot be directly synthesyzed by man (unlike animals), it must be introduced either with food, with a proper nutritional intake, or with dietary supplements, in cases when the diet is lacking in Vitamin C as often occurs. (The Western lifestyle, industrial and environmental pollution, the influence of electronic and electric devices, and cigarette smoke are all factors which increase our need of Vitamin C so that supplements are practically necessary also for the healthiest people!).

Properties of Vitamin C :
* Boosts immune system and defences. It fights any infection, from common colds to flu to viruses.

* Helps combat stress and fatigue. Makes an excellent tonic for exhaustion. Useful for convalescence.Can act like an antihistaminic making your own naturally produced cortisone work better.

* It is an excellent antioxidant. Has an antitoxic and antipollution effect. Vitamin C is the cleansing vitamin, it detoxifies teh body from foreign harmful substances.

Smokers should know that they consume 25 mg of Vitamin C for every cigarette. Rosehip thus supplies the proper quantity of Vitamin C "burned" with cigarette smoke, and also helps get rid of nicotine dependence.

* Enhances the absorption of iron from intestines.

* Controls the level of cholesterol in blood.

* Vitamin C contributes to hemoglobin and red-blood-cell production in bone marrow.

* Makes vitamin B9 (folic acid) active.

* Elderly people have a great need of Vitamin C (it prevents cross-linking, and, being an antioxidant, helps keep tissues young and healthy, protecting them against the attack of free radicals, the main factors in the ageing process).

* Helps in the healing of wounds and is very useful also in boils since it facilitates the formation of connective tissue (helps form collagen in connective tissue).

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS in Rosehips (besides vitamin C) : Tannins, pectines, carotenoids, organic acids . Rich in bioflavonoids.

PROPERTIES OF ROSEHIPS:
* vitaminic

* antiinflammatory

* improves blood circulation

* anitallergenic - reinforces immune defences especially at the respiratory level - it is therefore a useful remedy for the prevention of breathing allergies

* diuretic - Rose Hips are particularly beneficial for the digestive system, producing a diuretic effect without irritation of the kidneys.
They are also recommended for kidney or bladder inflammation. By elimination uric acid accumulations, rose hips also help gouty and rheumatic complaints.

* astringent - Thanks to the presence of tannins, substances with astringent properties, it is very useful in treating diarrhea.

According to the Nobel Prize Linus Pauling , if taken in abundant doses, it can prevent and fight cancer.

COSMETIC USE
Rosehips contains betacarotene or Vitamin A which is a powerful antioxidant against free radicals and is therefore recommended for the prevention of wrinkles, ageing of the skin, sunburns.

Culinary uses: Rose hips make an excellent jelly, and a flavorful tea.

History and Curiosities:
Rosa canina (rosehip or dog rose) is well known for its efficacy in strengthening the body's defences against infection and particularly the common cold.

In the Middle Ages it was commonly used in folk remedies for chest problems, and the hips were popular in their own right as a sweetmeat before the development of the sweet products of today. In 1597, Gerard (one of the most famous historical herbalists ) wrote that they were "most pleasant meates and banketting dishes, as tartes and such like."

Rosehips played a very important part in the provision of vitamin C to British children during World War 2 to replace the normal source from citrus fruits. By the end of the war the annual harvest was around 450 tons, and the collection of the hips continued until the early 1950's.

The eighteenth century process of pureeing the hips by hand is no longer used, but the benefits in cases as diverse as kidney, bladder and constipatory problems are still appreciated by herbalists today.

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