Mountain Folk Forage: Rosehips

**Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I pretend to be. This article is informative and only covers the traditional uses for edible plants commonly found in the Appalachian region. It’s always best to consult a health care professional or medical doctor when suffering from any ailment, disease, illness, or injury before trying any traditional folk remedies. **

There is no sport like foraging, especially in the frigid winter months. Venturing out into the cold and aimlessly wandering down the streets alone has its advantages, but walking with a purpose and meeting many colorful green-leafed friends along the way is the ultimate joy of any season. 

No berry stands out against barren-looking winter brush like the rosehip, a bright pseudo-fruit (it’s really a seed pod) that shines in shades of vibrant crimson. These small, round pods are versatile and incredibly healthy to eat and use on your skin. 

At the store, you’ll find them in all kinds of gourmet teas, tonics, cleansers, and jams. However, these sweet, citrusy berries are probably sitting right outside your door, fresh for the picking at this time in January. 

So, let’s walk through the properties of rosehips, a traditional Appalachian winter tonic. I’ll tell you how to identify and use rosehips and share some of my favorite recipes with you so that you can reap the benefits of these cold-loving, delicious seeds. 

About Rosehips

Folk Names: Hip Tree, Dog Brier, Wild Brier

Medicinal Properties: Anti-microbial, Antipyretic, Antiseptic, Anti-spasmodic, Astringent, Mild laxative

There are over 100 varieties of roses, and it’s common to find them growing alongside pasture fences, near recently developed land, on the edges of wooded areas, and along highways. You might even have a few bushes in your yard. 

Roses are a close relative to apples and crab apples, and they are incredibly healthy and safe to eat (as long as there are no pesticides involved). 

The flowers, hips, and leaves of rose plants are edible. They are also often used in cosmetics since rosehips can soothe dry skin, alleviate symptoms of eczema, and reduce the appearance of aging. 

Rosehips contain several essential vitamins, but even the smallest serving of about seven fruits can give you 100% of your daily recommended dose of vitamin C. In fact, rosehips are one of the richest sources of vitamin C in the world, and they contain 20 to 60 times more vitamin C than citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons. 

This vitamin content makes them ideal for preventing sickness and relieving oxidative stress on the body, so they are the perfect winter treat!

On the Appalachian homestead, people usually used them to make a wintertime tonic since fresh, vitamin-rich produce is difficult to come by in the colder months. In addition, some of you might remember being given rosehip syrup as a child to help fight off sicknesses. 

Rosehips are also used to attract fertility and wealth in some veins of Appalachian culture, and placing the seeds underneath your pillow is believed to ward off nightmares. 

How To Identify and Harvest Rosehips

When left to flower, roses leave behind a round seed pod that looks a bit like a miniature pomegranate. This seed pod is green only until the first frost of winter when the fruits ripen and turn bright red, orange, purple, or black (which is actually a darker shade of purple). 

Inside this seed pod are usually around 10 to 30 seeds with tiny hairlike fibers. These hairs are edible, but you probably won’t want to touch or eat them since they are sharp and have the consistency of fine cactus needles. In fact, these hairs were traditionally used to make itching powders. 

So, when you eat or process rosehips, it’s always best to leave the fruits whole unless you want to scrape out the seeds from the center. 

Once your rosehips change color after the first cold snap, you can pluck them off the bush.

You can eat rosehips raw as long as you scoop the seeds out first since these seeds will be scratchy and uncomfortable going down. 

Otherwise, you can also make tea, syrup, jelly, a tincture, or a salve out of these red fruits. So, let’s look at some traditional Appalachian recipes for rosehips. 

How To Prepare and Use Rosehips

Rosehip Tea

The most popular method to use these berries is in a tea since preparing it is so simple.

To make rosehip tea, dry the fruits out using a dehydrator, a mesh screen, or your oven. If you choose to use your oven (the simplest, most effective method), bake the rosehips for around 4 hours at 100º F or until they are brittle. 

This low temperature will ensure that you don’t burn or steam out the enormous quantities of vitamin C in the berries. 

Then, steep the dry berries in hot water for around 10 minutes. You can also add other teas to your rosehips, such as green or black tea, to get an extra boost of energy and a fantastic, balanced, and fruity taste. 

Rosehip Syrup

Rosehip syrup is still a classic back-to-school immunity tonic for children since this seed’s medicinal qualities can help prevent common illnesses. The syrup is also sweet, making it a delicious addition to cakes, bread, and beverages. 

To make rosehip syrup: 

1. Wash your rosehips and freeze them overnight to soften them. 
2. The next day, defrost the berries, then slice them in half, scooping the seeds out with a spoon. 
3. Crush your rosehips in a mortar and pestle, blender, or food processor until they form a paste. 
4. Place the rosehips in a pot and cover them with water.
5. Simmer your rosehips and water over medium to low heat for around 10 to 20 minutes until the water turns yellow to red. 
6. Strain out the rosehip pulp from your water using a coffee filter, piece of cloth, or a fine-mesh sieve. 
7. Return your liquid to the pot and add 1 cup of sugar or honey for every cup of water in the pot. 
8. Simmer the water and sugar/honey while constantly stirring until they have combined into a smooth, thick syrup. 
9. Pour your syrup into a jar or airtight container and let it cool. 
10. Store the syrup in your fridge for the longest shelf life or keep it in a cool, dark place in your pantry. 

This syrup can be taken on its own, but I find that it makes a lovely addition to cocktails, teas, cakes, and anything else that deserves a touch of sweet, citrusy, floral freshness. 

Rosehip Salve

My favorite way to use rosehips is to make a salve, which you can use on minor burns and scrapes for quick healing. However, I have to say that I use this moisturizer every day, especially in winter, since it fights away the dryness that always comes in with the cold months. 

To make a salve, you can use any combination of oils, but I recommend using coconut oil and olive oil since both are very healthy for your skin and have a long shelf life. The coconut oil also gives the salve more thickness, making it more like a balm or body butter. 

Still, for a more traditional Appalachian moisturizer, you should probably use corn oil or another type of vegetable oil, which will give you a runnier, more liquid salve. 

To cook up your rosehip salve: 

1. Put a 1:1 mixture of coconut and olive oil into a small saucepan or pot. 
2. Warm up the mixture on low heat until the oils combine. 
3. Mix in a handful of whole rosehips and any other herbs or essential oils you desire (I like to use lavender and plantain, but you can also use tea tree oil, chamomile tea, green tea, or rosemary, which are all excellent for your skin) 
4. Heat the oil for around 20 minutes, ensuring that it never gets so hot that you fry your ingredients. 
5. Use a strainer or cloth to strain out the rosehips and other herbs, then store your salve in a jar, plastic storage container, or anything else that you can seal. 
6. Let the oils cool and solidify, then seal and store your salve. 

This salve can last up to a year as long as you keep it sealed between uses. It will reduce the appearance of wrinkles and help you heal from almost any minor skin issue, from sunburns to bug bites. 

More Reading

• Ritchason, Jack. The Little Herb Encyclopedia. “Rosehips.” 
• Parsi Teb: Rosehip Has Much More Vitamin C Than Lemon. 
• USDA PubAg: Genetic diversity and differentiation in roses. 
• Healthline: Rose Hips. 
• West Virginia Public Broadcasting: Edible Mountain: Rosehips. 
• Grow Eat Gift: Hip and Haw Lore. 
• The Appalachian Homestead: Foraging In Central Appalachia.