Rose (Rosa canina): Traditional Uses & Safety

At a glance

Botanical name: Rosa canina
Family: Rosaceae
Part used: Hip, Petal
Taste: Sour, Sweet, Astringent
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Moist

No pre-1900 source found for this exact plant. The old books hand the wild rose back to the garden rose, and what they say about the garden rose is either about roses as a group or is quoted from another writer.

Taught in Eden's Table

Sprouts (grades K-2), Week 35

Our homeschool curriculum, one plant a week. Week 1 is free.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Generally safe

While breastfeeding

Excellent safety; traditional postpartum use. Compatible with breastfeeding.

For children

Safe for all ages; gentle and nutritive

Cautions

No significant; tannins in petals — caution with heavy metal detox (may bind)

General contraindications

Generally safe — highly nutritive

Stewardship

Rose (Rosa canina, R. damascena, R. rugosa) is widely cultivated and naturalized. Hips and petals both medicinal. Stewardship: the rose in scripture (Song 2:1) — the 'rose of Sharon' — invites us into the wild scent of biblical landscape.

In the traditional record

Rose — Rosa referenced throughout Scripture (Song of Solomon 2:1; Isaiah 35:1); "Rose of Sharon" symbolic; petals used medicinally since ancient Persia

Related reading: Herbs in the Bible for Healing

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.