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DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for the efficacy of any herb nor for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Additionally, some of these plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals who have the means to process them properly into appropriate pharmaceuticals. One final note: many plants were used for a wide range of illnesses in the past, but be aware that many of the historical uses have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied.

ROSE
(Rosa canina, R. eglanteria, R. gallica officinale, R. rugosa)

Images
PROPAGATION: By cuttings and seed. Perennial.
For seeds: Place seeds from ripe hips in a bowl of water; discard any that float; place seeds in a plastic bag with moist sand or vermiculate and refrigerate for 3 months; to plant, sow seeds 1/4 inch deep, cover and put in a warm place to germinate.
HARVEST: Petals when fresh; hips just before the first frost.

USES
MEDICINAL:
Rose vinegar used for headaches.
Chinese use the rose hip tea for stomachache and to regulate vital energy.
Rosehip tea with a pinch of cloves and cinnamon and a slice of lemon is considered stimulating and restorative.
To refresh, the cold rosehip tea can be diluted and served with fresh peppermint, lemon and ice.
Daily use of rose hip tea is a good source of Vit. C since the hips require infusion to release the vitamin. Should be avoided at night since it is an adrenal stimulus.
Contains Vitamins C, P and K.
CULINARY:
ALSO SEE: Cooking with Roses
Petals used in salads. Dried petals and hips used for tea.
VINEGAR = Steep petals in white wine vinegar for 2 weeks in a warm place out of direct light.
ROSE PETAL JAM = 1/2 lb. rose petals, 1¼ C. sugar, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 3/4 lb. honey; simmer petals in a small amount of water until tender; add sugar, honey, lemon juice and cook gently until mixture is a thick syrup; allow to cool a little then pour into warm sterile jars and seal.
ROSEHIP SYRUP = 1¼ C. boiling water, 1/4 lb rose hips, 1/2 C. sugar; pour boiling water over rosehips; cover and leave to get cold; strain, add sugar and bring slowly to a boil; simmer gently til syrupy; cool and bottle; use as topping or with sparkling water as a beverage drink.
ROSEHIP EXTRACT = For each cup of hips, bring to boil 1½ C. water; add hips and cover and simmer for 15 minutes; let stand for 24 hours in crockery; strain and bring to a rolling boil; add 2 Tbsp lemon juice per pint; pour into jars and seal.
COSMETIC:
Rosewater used as aftershave lotion or afterbath splash. Is mildly astringent and used as a cleansing skin tonic. For a cooling spritz, keep a small bottle of rose water in the fridge during the summer.
CRAFT:
ROSE PETAL BEADS #1 = Beads have a grainy texture and are dark brown or black regardless of color of petals used. Approximately 20 roses will make a dozen small beads. Grind the petals through a food grinder four times; the result will be a mush that looks like grape jam with quite a bit of juice. Mix some of the juice back in with the pulpy mush so you can shape it and roll it into balls; make balls about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in diameter for small beads and twice this size for larger ones; pierce each ball with a toothpick, nail or straight pin and stand beads up in a piece of plastic foam to dry. As they are drying, the beads shrink quite a bit, so turn them on the toothpicks from time to time so they won't shrink tightly to the picks and be unable to be removed. On the 2nd day it should be possible to remove the picks which will speed up the drying process.
ROSE PETAL BEADS #2 = Gather approximately 3 C. of rose petals to make enough beads for one necklace. Mix 1/3 C. flour with 2 Tbsp of water; mince the petals and the roll them between your palms to crush them; gradually stir the petal pieces in the flour mixture, adding as many as you can, but being careful not to let the dough become too crumbly; roll the dough into balls and pierce with toothpicks or straight pins and mount pins on a piece of saran wrap covered styrofoam or other suitable material. On the 2nd day begin to twirl the picks or pins so they don't stick. After the beads have dried for a couple of days, but before the dough becomes too hard, pull out the picks/pins and let beads finish drying.

©2000 by Ernestina Parziale, CH