Home > Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine > Rose Hip

Description

Rose hips are the edible and nutritious fruit of the beautiful deciduous rose, a perennial member of the most extensive genus of classified plants. Botanists disagree on the number of species of rose, claiming 30–5,000, or more. There are more than 10,000 cultivated varieties of this fragrant native of Europe and the Middle East. Roses have been a garden favorite as far back as 2,600 B.C. during the time of the ancient Sumerians. This beneficial beauty was named the "Queen of Flowers" by the Greek poet Sappho writing in 600 B.C. Since that time legend and history have intertwined and volumes have been written about the cultivation and virtues of the much-loved rose. Garlands of roses decorated the statues of gods and goddesses in Greece and Rome. Early Christians considered rose hips to be sacred, and crafted the first rosary beads from rose hips. The rose is considered a symbol of love everywhere, despite, or...