October 17, 2020, 6:36 am | Read time: 6 minutes
Its remarkably high vitamin C content is just one of the rose hip’s advantages. The bright red fruits, now ripe on bushes everywhere, contain many healthy ingredients. But only proper processing turns the rose hip into a top-tier local superfood–and a durable dietary supplement that is said to help with back pain. FITBOOK shows how to make rose hip powder yourself.
In the cold season, the red rose hips are visible from afar–but have you ever processed them? Next time you pass a rose hip bush (also known as wild rose), pick a few. This rose plant (Rosa Canina), cultivated by humans for thousands of years, is a true superfood. How to process it into a durable, vitamin-rich dietary supplement (such as to stir into muesli) is explained in this text and our video.
Rose Hip Is a Vitamin C Powerhouse
One hundred grams of rose hip contain (depending on type and ripeness) up to 1,250 milligrams of vitamin C*. That’s more than ten times the daily requirement for an adult and nearly 25 times the amount found in lemons (53 mg). “Rose hip can also combat bladder ailments and infections. It has an appetite-stimulating effect, which is why it is often used as tea for older people,” explains nutrition expert Sven-David Müller in an interview with FITBOOK.
The pectin in rose hip is good for gut health, according to Müller; the secondary plant compound lycopene is said to protect against cancer, and the pectin also has a diuretic effect. The flavonoids are credited with a positive influence on blood pressure and a preventive effect against cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, the red fruits contain magnesium, copper, zinc, potassium, vitamins B1, B2, and beta-carotene, which can protect skin and body cells.
Health Benefits of Rose Hip: What Research Says
A study by the University of Freiburg found in 2007 that rose hip powder not only helps with hip and knee osteoarthritis but also alleviates back pain. One hundred twelve participants took between five and ten grams of rose hip powder daily for up to a year–two-thirds reported a pain reduction of up to 50 percent. Another study by doctors from Berlin’s Charité and Danish researchers found in 2010 that taking five grams of rose hip powder daily for six months significantly reduced pain in rheumatoid patients.
Also interesting: Which foods can be frozen–and for how long?
How to Harvest Rose Hips
Rose hips are best picked from September to December. The later, the riper the fruits, and they contain fewer of the otherwise abundant bitter substances. After the first frost nights, the sugar content and sweetness in the fruits increase. It’s best to harvest fruits that grow far from roads–due to pollutants. Wear gloves when picking, as many types have thorns.
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Processing Rose Hips into Puree or Powder
Rose hips can be dried or processed fresh. For the first option, place the fruits whole or halved in a dry, sunny spot indoors, or put them in the oven at 35 to 80 degrees. Then separate the seeds from the pulp, and rub both through a sieve again. The reason: Rose hips have fine hairs with barbs on the seeds; rubbing them through the sieve removes them. (These hairs were once used to make a very effective itching powder.)
For rose hip puree, place the whole rose hips (with stems and leaf remnants removed) in a pot, cover them with water, and let them simmer for about 20 minutes. Then puree the fruits in their water, resulting in a more or less thick mass depending on the water content. Now pass this mass through a food mill over a second pot so that ideally only the seeds and little pulp remain.
Boil the thick liquid again; the relatively sour taste of rose hip can naturally be balanced with some sugar–or more cleverly, with fewer calories: add some vanilla and a peeled, sweet apple instead.
The longer you let the mass simmer on low heat, the thicker your jam or puree will become, stirring well in between. Fill the end product hot into sterilized jars. Seal tightly and place upside down on a kitchen towel; this allows the air to escape completely, preserving the product.
Once opened, you should consume the rose hip puree quickly. Since vitamin C is sensitive to heat, its content decreases in the puree version… but there’s another use:
To make rose hip powder, first roughly chop the fruits (pulp and seeds) and let them dry slowly in the air or at about 80 degrees in the oven. Then rub the fruit with some pressure through a fine sieve to remove the annoying hairs. Grind the seeds with a coffee grinder until the powder is beige to light brown. You can see the production of this vitamin-rich dietary supplement in the video above.
Make Rose Hip Tea Easily Yourself
From the dried pulp, you can naturally make tea–a classic among cold remedies. First, wash and halve the rose hips. Then remove the hairs and seeds and dry the fruits. For a cup of tea, one to two heaping teaspoons of dried and crushed rose hips are enough, steeped in hot water for about ten minutes. Don’t be surprised if the water doesn’t turn red–this effect is achieved in many commercial teas by adding hibiscus.
If you don’t want to make it yourself, you can buy rose hip tea at any supermarket or health food store.
*The vitamin C content of rose hips varies greatly. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports only 426 milligrams per 100 grams, the Consumer Center cites a value of 1.25 grams.