image: rosa canina growing on a purple gradient background.

Is there any plant ally more beloved than the rose? Its beauty and scent have inspired love poems, fueled winter holidays, and helped countless people open their hearts to love.

Roses are high vibrational, and although that’s a term I generally hate, the shoe fits. Roses soften us. Roses keep things flowing and keep our hearts open in a world that can feel way too rough.

It’s no surprise that roses have an association with the heart. Rosehips, the fruit of the rose bush, are a powerful cardiotonic that some studies have found to reverse hardened arteries! (You don’t have to take my word for it, here’s what the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry has to say about it.)

I’ll discuss:

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✹ Actions

✹ What rose petals and rose hips are good for

✹ Who shouldn’t work with rose petals or rose hips

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Common Name: Rose Petals, Rosehips

Latin Name: Rosa Canina

Nicknames: Dog rose, rose haw, rose hep,

Region: Native to Asia, though they grow throughout the world

Planetary/Astrological Associations: Venus, Water

Family: Rosaceae

Energetics: Petals: Cool, Moist Rosehips: Hot, Drying

Taste: Bitter, Sour

Impressions: Aromatic

Description

Alternate pinnate leaves on a thorny stem. Flower of five petals with two lobes per petal.

Parts Used: Aerial Parts

Foundational Action: Aromatic Astringent, Demulcent

Primary Actions: Carminative, Nervine

Secondary Actions: Antioxidant, Anxiolytic, Aphrodisiac, Cardiotonic, Anti-inflammatory, Expectorant, Hypotensive, Nutritive, Tonic, Troporestorative, Vulnerary

Bioactive Compounds

steroids, coumarins, quinones, anthraquinones, phlobatannins, magnesium, iron, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, phytate, sodium, potassium, calcium, antioxidants, flavonoids, polyphenols, vitamin e, anthocyanin, betacyanin, carotenoids, β-carotene.

Physical Indications

anxiety, unwanted lack of desire/sexual interest, longevity, heart protection, inflammation, particularly auto-immune inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, loose stools/diarrhea, indigestion, skin infections

Contraindications

Avoid rosehips if you have any diseases of the blood, especially blood clotting diseases. Pregnant or chest/breastfeeding people should ask their doctors about working with rosehips. Rose petals are potentially safe for most people.

As always, this isn’t medical advice. For that, you need to ask your doctor 🙂

Cultivation

You can grow roses from starts or from seed. NOTE: Commercially sold roses are sprayed with pesticides and preservatives, you shouldn’t ingest those if you can avoid it. You can buy roses appropriate for herbal use at your grocery store, apothecary, or online.