Rosehip / dog rose
Rosa canina(?)
Other names: Rosehip / dog rose, Dog Rose / Rosehip, ასკილი (askili), Dog rose, шиповник (shipovnik), Rosehip (dog rose)
Edible plantPhoto credit: Roberta F.
Safety information
Safety information
Toxicity: Hips none known; the seed hairs inside the hip are a mechanical irritant (must be removed). | None known for prepared pulp. Key safety point: hip interior contains irritant hairs/achenes which must be removed (historically itching powder). | None known as food/tea. Inner seed hairs (achene trichomes) mechanically irritant — must be removed/strained (historically 'itching powder'). | None known at food/traditional doses. Fine hairs inside the hip are a mechanical irritant and must be removed before eating.
Contraindications: None documented. | None specified by source. | No major ones; very high-dose vitamin C caution in those prone to oxalate kidney stones or with iron-overload conditions (haemochromatosis — vitamin C enhances iron uptake). | None major at food amounts. Heavy/chronic high-dose intake a general caution for those prone to oxalate kidney stones (dose-unspecified, not verified). Pregnancy: culinary amounts are food.
Interactions: None documented. | None specified by source. | High vitamin C enhances non-haem iron absorption and in large amounts may affect some lab tests (glucose/creatinine assays); otherwise minimal. | None well established. Vitamin C enhances non-heme iron absorption (well-documented). Theoretical anticoagulant interaction not verified.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Culinary amounts are food.
Evidence level
Supported by clinical trials in humans.
Preparations
decoction · hip
Part used: hip
Traditional use: urinary retention, hemorrhoids (buasili), burns, male sexual weakness (kacobis daklebis)(Folk and historical sources have not been validated by clinical research.)
confection of hips, preserve/jam, fermented wine, leaf infusion, edible raw · hips
Part used: hips
Traditional use: diarrhoea/dysentery, to allay thirst, pectoral qualities; strengthening to the stomach
Proposed mechanism: hips very rich in vitamin C (modern fact); astringency tracks tannin content
decoction/infusion · rosehip
Part used: rosehip
Traditional use: vitamin-C tonic tea for colds and general health (Caucasian household staple)(Folk and historical sources have not been validated by clinical research.)
syrup/jam · rosehip/petals
Part used: rosehip/petals
Traditional use: preserves, syrup(Folk and historical sources have not been validated by clinical research.)
standardized powder (Litozin) · rosehip
Part used: rosehip
Traditional use: osteoarthritis pain (Western RCTs)
Proposed mechanism: GOPO galactolipid anti-inflammatory
decoction/infusion · dried hips
Part used: dried hips
Traditional use: vitamin-C tonic for colds/immunity, 'general strengthening'; folk mild cholagogue/diuretic
Proposed mechanism: High ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenolics, galactolipid GOPO (studied in osteoarthritis with standardized hip powder)
seed oil · seeds
Part used: seeds
Traditional use: applied to skin (topical)(Folk and historical sources have not been validated by clinical research.)
Associated conditions
Edibility
Edible parts: Hips (deseeded) edible cooked, rich in vitamin C. | hip pulp (raw dessert or cooked into tarts/preserves/wine) with seeds and inner hairs removed; petals edible | ripe hips (flesh) cooked into tea/syrup/jam with seeds/hairs strained out; petals edible | Hips raw or cooked (syrup, tea, jam, wine); petals edible (jam, syrup).
Toxic lookalike warning
Do not confuse hips/whole plant with other red autumn berries (e.g. toxic Bryonia, Solanum dulcamara, yew aril surrounding a toxic seed). Identify the shrub, not just the berry. | Red autumn berries are a high-risk forage class - do not confuse with nightshade or bryony berries; confirm the thorny rose shrub with persistent calyx on a flask-shaped hip. | Rosehips are distinctive, but red autumn fruits in general should never be gathered without confirming the rose (thorns, pinnate leaves, dried sepal crown on the hip); avoid confusion with unknown red berries. | Remove irritant internal hairs and seeds before eating; rose hips have no deadly lookalike, but avoid confusing with red berries of toxic shrubs when foraging.
Nutritional notes
Hips rich in vitamin C. | Malic/citric acids, sugar, tannin; (modern) very high vitamin C plus carotenoids. | Exceptionally high vitamin C (among the richest temperate fruits); carotenoids (lycopene, beta-carotene), polyphenols, pectin, anti-inflammatory galactolipid GOPO. Recognised functional food. | Very high vitamin C; provitamin-A carotenoids (β-carotene, lycopene, lutein), tocopherols, flavonoids; seed oil rich in linoleic and α-linolenic acid.
Healing traditions
Sources (7)
- Bussmann et al., A comparative ethnobotany ... Republic of Georgia, J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2016;12:43
- Bussmann et al., Unity in diversity — food plants of Sakartvelo, 2021
- MK glossary (ასკილი)
- KH lexicon (Rosa canina)
- Grieve M., A Modern Herbal — botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/d/dogros17.html (redirects to r/roses-18.html)
- Rosa canina — Wikipedia (cited to peer-reviewed sources), 2025
- Mármol et al., Int J Mol Sci 2017;18(6):1137 (PMC5485961)