What is a dog rose? The description, properties and application of this plant can be found in this article.
General plant information
Dog rosehip is a type of plant that belongs to the genus rosehip and the pink family. Other names for this shrub are "rose canina" and "dog rose." These names were formed when comparing the plant in question with garden roses. There is also another version. According to her, in the 18-19 centuries, dog rose was used to treat animal bites.
Dogrose: a botanical description of a bush
The mentioned plant is a deciduous shrub that can reach a height of 1.5-2.5 meters. Its shoots are thick, straight or arcuate. The bark of the stems is green, and on the sunny side it is slightly blushing.
Like all members of the pink family, dog rose hips have spikes. They are rare and sickle-shaped, laterally compressed and with a very short base. On the main stems, the thorns are almost straight, and on the flower-bearing shoots - hook-curved and plentiful.
The length of the middle leaves of flower-bearing shoots often reaches 7–9 cm. They are bare and are only dotted with short hairs along the main vein. At the base of the leaflets there is a glandular-ciliated narrow stipule with sharp ears.
Dogrose, the description of which we are considering, blooms in May and June. Its flowers are odorless. They are single or collected 3-5 pieces in a corymbose apical inflorescence.
The flowers of the plant in question often reach a diameter of 5-8 centimeters. They are white or hot pink.
Below, the sepals of the flowers are dotted with small hairs, and above - bare. They can reach a length of 20-25 millimeters. After flowering, the sepals bend back and fall off before the ripening of the rose hips.
As for the flower petals, they have a flat or conical shape, as well as a diameter of 4-5 millimeters.
After fruit ripening, dog rose hips are strewn with smooth and glossy orange-red berries. In mature form, they reach a length of 15-26 millimeters. Also, the fruits have a wide oval shape. They are devoid of glands and contain seeds in the form of hairy nuts. Rose hips ripen in August.
Plant spread
Where can I meet dog rose, whose photo is presented in this article? According to experts, such a shrub grows in Europe, West Asia and North Africa. It can also be found in the European part of Russia. Sometimes it grows north (for example, in the Crimea, the Caucasus, and Central Asia).
Most often, the plant in question is found in sparse forests, on clearings, clearings, grassy and treeless shrub slopes, on the banks of rivers and streams, in wastelands and along roads.
Chemical properties
In medical practice, the dog rose hips are very often used. Experts say that such berries contain flavonoids, vitamins and other compounds.
It should also be noted that in terms of ascorbic acid content, the fruits of the plant in question are significantly inferior to cinnamon rose hips and other high-vitamin species.
Dogrose: application
Most often, the plant in question is used for medicinal purposes. Moreover, the use of dog rose hips is common not only in traditional, but also in folk medicine.
The fruits of this shrub are actively used to obtain the drug "Holosas". It has a pronounced choleretic property, and is also used for hepatitis, cholecystitis and other diseases of the gallbladder and liver.
Supporters of traditional medicine very often use tea made from dog roses. In their opinion, such a drink is highly effective for inflammation of the kidneys, scarlet fever, typhoid, as well as for diseases of the liver, stomach, intestines. In addition, this remedy is used for tuberculosis.
How to use?
Before proceeding with the treatment of various diseases by means of the plant in question, medicinal raw materials should be carefully prepared.
Dog rose hips along with grains are poured with boiling water and steamed for several hours. Following a strict diet, this drink is taken with a stomach ulcer and duodenal ulcer, as well as with a catarrh of the stomach with reduced secretion and anemia.
Dog rose leaves are good for making tea. Experts say that such a fragrant drink soothes pain in the stomach, and also helps to reduce urge for diarrhea and improves digestion.
An infusion made from the plant in question is used for diseases of the bladder, liver, kidneys and biliary tract.
As for the medicinal decoction, which is prepared from the roots of dog rosehips, it dissolves stones well and kills malaria parasites.
Plant features
Now you know what a dog rose is. How to distinguish this plant from other species? Experts say that the bracts of the bush in question are tightly pressed to the fruit. As for bracts of other types of wild rose, they usually stand upright.
Harvesting dog rose hips
Harvesting of ripe fruits occurs in late August - early September. Do it manually. After collecting the berries, they are dried in ovens and special dryers. Finished medicinal raw materials must necessarily meet all the same requirements as raw materials of other types of rose hips.
Contraindications
Despite the fact that the fruits and leaves of a shrub such as rose hips have been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times, the plant in question has several contraindications.
According to experts, the uncontrolled use of this raw material can quite easily lead to a malfunction of many internal organs. Therefore, before using it, you should always consult a doctor.
Doctors say that the use of infusion, decoction and tea, prepared using fruits and leaves of rose hips, is contraindicated in case of high acidity. This is due to the fact that it contains ascorbic acid.
It should also be noted that the listed medicines are strictly prohibited for people who are prone to thrombophlebitis and thrombosis.
Patients with heart disease need to be very careful about consuming rosehips. This medicinal plant is forbidden to take in large quantities with inflammation of the inner lining of the heart (that is, with endocarditis) and some other diseases.
If the patient has high blood pressure, then in no case should he use alcohol tinctures of rose hips. As for hypotonics, for them, on the contrary, such a remedy will be very useful.
To reduce blood pressure, patients should take only water extracts of rose hips. Moreover, such a decoction is contraindicated for people with low blood pressure.
Long-term use of drugs from dog rose can negatively affect the liver. In some cases, this use of drugs has even caused non-infectious jaundice.