BT-016 · Rosaceae

Rose hip

Rosa canina

Evidence: LimitedGenerally safe

In wartime Britain, cut off from citrus, children were mobilised to pick rose hips for vitamin C.

Other names: Dog rose, kuşburnu (Turkish)
Part used: Fruit
Region: Anatolia and the Mediterranean
Use: Food, Healing

Photo: Ermell · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In short

What is Rose hip?

Rose hip (Rosa canina) is a plant of the Rosaceae family. Traditions that use it: Anatolia and the Mediterranean. Part used: fruit.

What is Rose hip used for?

Traditional use: Made into jam, tea and molasses and drunk in winter against colds; a regional speciality of Gümüşhane and Bayburt. Scientific evidence: limited. The fresh fruit is very rich in vitamin C; drying and boiling destroy much of it.

Is Rose hip safe?

Safety label: generally safe. Generally safe. The hairs around the seeds irritate the mouth and gut; strain before drinking.

Traditional use

Anatolia

Made into jam, tea and molasses and drunk in winter against colds; a regional speciality of Gümüşhane and Bayburt.

In nature

Where it grows: Hedges and forest edges throughout Türkiye, especially the mountains of the eastern Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia.
Harvest season: Fruits are picked September–November, once softened by the first frosts.
Local names: kuşburnu, itburnu, gül elması, yaban gülü, şilan

Mix-up risk

Wild rose species have similar fruits. There is no known poisonous look-alike, but the hairs around the seeds must always be removed.

Preparation

The fruit is crushed and steeped or boiled; the hairy seeds are strained out.

What science says

The fresh fruit is very rich in vitamin C; drying and boiling destroy much of it. A few clinical trials with rose hip powder report less pain in knee osteoarthritis.

How strong is the evidence?

Claims often repeated online about Rose hip, and what science says today.

Claim	Evidence	Note
Rich in vitamin C	Clinical evidence	Very high in the fresh fruit; drying and boiling destroy much of it.
Eases knee osteoarthritis pain	Limited evidence	Less pain in a few controlled trials with rose hip powder.
Prevents colds	No evidence	Vitamin C has not been shown to prevent colds in the general population.
Dissolves kidney stones	No evidence	No evidence; high vitamin C may raise stone risk in some people.

Common mistakes

Drinking it without straining the hairy seeds: they irritate mouth and throat.
Expecting jam or long-boiled tea to have as much vitamin C as the fresh fruit.
Taking high-dose rose hip powder while on blood thinners.

Frequently asked

How do I make rose hip tea?

Crush the dried fruit, steep in boiling water for 10–15 minutes and strain through a sieve fine enough to catch the hairs.

Does rose hip raise blood pressure?

No such effect is known.

Can I eat rose hips in pregnancy?

No known risk at moderate amounts as fruit or tea.

Safety

Generally safe

Generally safe. The hairs around the seeds irritate the mouth and gut; strain before drinking.

Culture bridge

Two continents’ vitamin C stores. Anatolia’s rose hip and the Amazon’s camu camu are people’s vitamin C sources against winter and the rainy season. Read the comparison →