Rose-hip is the ripe reddish-orange fruit of the rose. Best rose-hips are gained from the Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa) which is widely grown in central Europe.

Flesh of the hip is used to make jellies, jams and purees, preserves, syrups, fruit soups, tea, wine and health drinks.

Rose-hips are highly rich in vitamin C (about 800 mg/100 g in fresh hips) and even when dried, they preserve this vitamin better than any other plant. The amount of vitamin C varies according to the species of roses, being in some fresh rose-hips as high as 1250 mg/100 g.

Besides vitamin C, rose-hips are also rich in carotenoids (eg beta-carotene), lycopene, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin E and fibre. Some of them also contain an anti-inflammatory galactolipid, which has been shown to be effective in alleviating pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Average nutritional values/100 g of selected Finnish fresh, unprocessed fruit, berries and vegetables compared to rose-hips (edible portions only)
Nutrient factor:	Food item:
	Rose- hip	Black- currant	Broccoli, raw	Carrot	Cloud- berry	Orange	Red bell pepper	Tomato
Energy, kJ (kcal)	441 (105)	247 (59)	147 (35)	137 (33)	225 (54)	197 (47)	122 (29)	95 (23)
Fibre, g	6,1	5,8	2,5	2,5	6,3	2,1	1,9	1,4
Potassium, mg	410	340	400	390	170	150	290	290
Magnesium, mg	104	24	24	14	29	13	14	11
Calcium, mg	257	72	48	29	16	54	9	9
Iron, mg	0,5	1,2	1,1	0,5	0,7	0,2	0,6	0,3
Vitamin A, µg	946,2	8,2	85,9	774,1	14,4	7,4	243,8	66,8
Vitamin C, mg	1250	120	120	6,5	100	51	184,8	14,1
Vitamin E, mg	4,1	2,2	0,7	0,4	3	0,4	2,2	0,7
Carotenoids, µg	11400	542,2	2858,2	11326,1	240,9	166,8	6196,2	4106,2

Abbreviations and symbols used in the above table:   g - gram mg - milligram µg - microgram   kJ - kilojoule kcal - kilocalorie

Table data source: Food Composition Database of the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare

In Finland, rose-hips are mainly sold dried, powdered or as a frozen, sweetened puree, usually containing about 15 % of sugar. Dried hips are soaked in water before use. A brand of most commonly available dried rose-hips contains 270 mg/100 g of vitamin C.

Picture on left: dried rose-hips.

See recipes for rose-hip puree, rose-hip soup, rose-hip crêpes or sweet rose-hip dip.