Dog rose / Rose hip (Rosa canina)

Everyone knows the dog rose. Very few people know that it is a medicinal plant. This rose plant can grow up to three metres high as a shrub and live for up to 300 years. The dog rose grows wild in Europe, Western and Northern Asia and North Africa.
Doctors in classical antiquity valued the fruits of the dog rose, the red rose hips, for treating infections and strengthening the body. The plant was also highly valued in the Middle Ages. In addition to vitamin C (up to 2.4%), the fruits contain valuable ingredients such as carotenoids, pectins, fruit acids, tannins, galactolipids and triterpene acids.
The high vitamin C content of the fleshy fruits exceeds that of lemons. Rose hips therefore have a strong antioxidant, cell-protecting effect. The main areas of application for rose hips in folk medicine are flu-like infections, intestinal diseases, gout and rheumatism, and urinary tract infections.
Nowadays, rose hips are mainly used to treat joint problems. They have anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, they support blood circulation in the end vessels and, in extensive clinical studies, have been shown to have a positive effect on osteoarthritis by stimulating collagen formation and inhibiting cartilage degradation in the joints. The native rose hip is said to have similarly good results to the exotic devil’s claw.