Multiflora rose

Health Benefits

The old record — yeongsil (營實). The Donguibogam lists the fruit in the Herb section as 營實 and gives the Korean name as dirwi yeoreum. It records the nature as warm, adding that some call it slightly cold, the taste as sour with a note that some call it bitter, and no toxicity. It identifies it as the seed of the wild rose and notes many thorns along the stem and a scrambling habit. The fruit is said to resemble that of 杜棠, the flowers to have five petals, and the leaves to come in eights or sixes. Red-flowered and white-flowered forms both occur everywhere, and the white was reckoned better. The hips were gathered in the eighth and ninth lunar months, steamed with fermented millet water, and sun-dried for use. This is a historical medical record and differs from how it is judged today.

Rosehips and vitamin C. Repeated analyses report vitamin C in the fruit of Rosa species. Species, origin and ripeness make the levels vary too widely for a single figure, and the same work notes that heat reduces it. This is a compositional analysis.

The hairs around the seeds. The fruit of Rosa species is packed with short, stiff hairs around the seeds. That these irritate skin and throat is widely known, and rosehips are scraped and strained in Western practice for the same reason. This is an account of preparation.

Nutrition

• Vitamin C (reported in the fruit of Rosa species) — a water-soluble vitamin that breaks down with heat
• Carotenoids (the red of the ripe hip) — the fat-soluble pigment family behind red and orange
• Dietary fibre (in the skin of the dried hip) — what gives the skin its tough grain

Vitamin C Repeated analyses report vitamin C in the fruit of Rosa species. Levels differ so much with species, origin and ripeness that no single figure holds. It breaks down with heat, so long boiling reduces it. This entry stays with the compositional record.

The red pigment The red of a ripe hip comes from carotenoid pigments. Drying deepens the colour, and long storage fades it to brown. A hip that has gone brown has lost aroma with the colour, so use the current year's.

The hairs around the seeds Split a hip and short, stiff hairs crowd around the seeds. They sting on skin and in the throat. Scrape them out completely with a spoon when preparing the fruit, and strain the brewed tea once more through a fine sieve or filter.

Shoots picked in spring The red new shoots of spring have not yet turned woody, and peeling them leaves a tender core. The window lasts as long as a shoot snaps cleanly by hand; once it takes effort, it is already tough. The skin carries thorns, so peel it before eating.

Pairings

○ Hot water — rosehip tea — Break up dried hips whose hairs have been scraped out and steep them in hot water. Steep for about five minutes rather than boiling them. Strain once more through a fine sieve afterwards.

○ Hibiscus and apple — Two tart things that suit each other, and the colour comes up red. A little dried apple adds sweetness that softens the acidity. A glass pot lets you judge the strength by eye.

○ Honey — The tartness leads, so a little honey makes it easier drinking. Add it once the tea has cooled slightly rather than while it is scalding. Dried hips are also steeped in honey and stirred into water later.

△ The hairs around the seeds — Do not brew or eat the hips whole. Halve them and scrape out seeds and hairs completely with a spoon before drying, because the hairs sting on skin and in the throat. Strain the brewed tea once more through a fine sieve or filter.

△ Roadsides and field margins — Do not gather from verges where traffic passes or from field edges reached by spraying. Multiflora rose is commonest on roadsides, which makes choosing the site more, not less, important. Take it from further inside the hill, or from plants you grew yourself.

△ Thorns — Curved thorns crowd the stems. Wear thick gloves, cut with secateurs, and clear the cut stems away at once rather than leaving them on the ground. Where children pass, plant it well back from the path.

Varieties

• Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) (species) — White flowers in masses and small hips. The commonest thicket on hillsides and roadsides
• Rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa) (species) — The same genus, growing on coastal sand. Larger flowers and much larger hips
• Dog rose (Rosa canina) (species) — The European wild rose, the mainstay of rosehip tea in the West