Rosehip Spiny.

Rosehip needle: description, application and medicinal properties

Rosehip (lat. Rosa acicularis) is a small shrub that belongs to the Rosaceae family. It grows in the European part of the USSR, Western and Eastern Siberia, the Far East and Central Asia. Rose hips grow in the undergrowth, along the edges of coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, in forest clearings, clearings, in bush thickets, on rocky and gravelly slopes, in river floodplains and ravines, often forming thickets.

The rosehip needle bush can grow up to 2 meters in height. The branches are brownish, densely planted with thin, straight, uniform shields. The leaves are alternate, imparipinnate, with elliptical or sharply serrate bare leaflets; there may be two thin spines at the base of the leaf. Rose hips bloom from mid-May to July. The flowers are large, single or two or three or more at the ends of the branches. The fruit is berry-shaped, false, oval, with many small, angular seeds covered with numerous hairs. Ripens in August - September and remains on the bushes until winter.

Use of rose hips in food and industry

Young branches of rose hips are used for food. Fresh essential oil is obtained from the petals, which is used to flavor tea and make jam. Dried petals are used in the confectionery industry to produce rose water and vinegar, they are used as an additive for the preparation of caramel fillings and ketchup. They go to soap production. Jam, jam, marmalade and pastille are prepared from the fruits.

Medicinal properties of rosehip needle

Rosehip needle has many medicinal properties. Fruits, flowers and sometimes roots are used for medicinal purposes. The fruits of the rose hips contain sugars, organic acids, vitamins C, Bi, B2, P, PP and K, carotene, tannins, flavonoids, salts of iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, etc. In terms of vitamin C content, they surpass almost all plant products. The amount of ascorbic acid in fruits depends on the degree of ripeness, place of growth, quality of drying and storage method.

Preparations of rosehip needles have