Almost every base behind an herbal tea or herbal extract is going to have benefits – the same is true for Rosehip extract. Not familiar with Rosehip? We’d suggest that you take a quick read through of HerbalTeaHour.com’s Rose Hips Ultimate Guide so that you can get up to speed on all things related to this awesome supplement. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be excited to learn about Rosehip Extract and all of the awesome benefits that come along with it. Are you ready to get started?
ROSEHIP EXTRACT: GUIDE
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Rosehip Extract is one supplement that we are particularly excited to write about! We have written this post to contain all of the important details about Rosehip Extract so you can determine whether it is something that might be right for you. To make sure all of this article’s information is presented in an easy to follow format, we’ve organized this post into a number of separate categories. We start by discussing a little basic background information – what are Rosehips and what is extract?
Next, we talk a little bit about the process of how Rosehip Extract is made before moving into a section about a number of the benefits associated with this awesome product. After that, we’ve linked to one of our favorite kinds of Rosehip Extract so that you can visit the product page to learn more and to determine whether you’d like to try some for yourself. Finally, we’ve included a short write up about our own experience using Rosehip Extract and discuss some of the benefits that it has had upon us and our lives. Let’s dive in!
Rosehip Extract: The Basics
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Ok, so what are Rosehips? Well, first, you should know that the terms “Rosehips” and “Rose Hips” are often used interchangeably. Why? Because technically it is two words. The word “hips” is actually used to refer to the fruit associated with a rose (usually you’ll see this used in conjunction with roses that are “wild”). The Rose “hip” is the rounded portion of the rose flower (yes, the romantic rose flower) that is located just beneath the petals of the flower. The purpose of the hips is to contain the seeds of the rose plant itself.
So what about extract? While there are many different kinds of extract, and the term is a particularly broad one, we care about herbal extracts. An herbal extract is essentially a super concentrated liquid that is derived by using a solvent (commonly alcohol or vinegar) to pull (or “extract”) the desired herbal properties from the underlying herb itself. The result is a very concentrated product, where you’ll only need to take a small amount (usually just a number of droplets from a dropper like pictured above) to get the same benefits as if you ingested multiple herbs at once.
Sometimes referred to as a “tincture”, many consume Rosehip Extract by placing small droplets under their tongues. This results in a more quick exposure to the user’s bloodstream and thus a faster impact. This ease of ingestion is often cited to as one of the benefits of Rosehip Extract, along with many other types of herbal extracts for that matter. The downside? Oftentimes the super concentrated Rosehip Extract is described as having a significantly bitter or unpleasant taste. There are ways to mitigate the taste, of course, and we describe some of them below!
Rosehip Extract: How its Made
HerbalTeaHour.com has created the checklist below to show how Rosehip Extract is made. You can follow this checklist to make the Rosehip Extract for yourself or, if you are like us, you can use it to further your understanding of the process and instead rely on quality manufacturers to do all the hard work for you! Either way, we found the process to be very interesting and were surprised to learn that nearly any type of extract, oil or tincture can be created in the same way!
- First, fresh Rosehips are acquired (just like as shown in the photo above). Many use both the flower and the steam to create Rosehip Extract. Two different tastes result and differing amounts of herbal properties will be extracted depending on your preference.
- The Rosehips are reduced to an appropriate size so that they can be added to a blender.
- A lot of our readers suggest using specialty blenders. This is particularly true when working with “hard” herbs, but the Rosehips are soft enough that many different types of blenders, even if “non-specialty”, will perform equally well.
- When you are reducing the Rosehips in size, you’ll want to use care to always use food grade scissors. Don’t mix your garden shears with your kitchen scissors! Clean the scissors beforehand and afterwards to avoid any cross contamination. This is wise advise for any utensils used in the kitchen without regard as to whether you are making extract!
- We’ve had success using a ratio of 1 part (weight of Rosehips) to 2 parts (volume of the fluid) when making Rosehip Extract.
- Most rely on 95% (190 proof) ethanol as the solvent of choice. For those who have alcohol sensitivities or outright intolerances, you can also use vinegar. The two different methods will produce different tasting extracts, of course.
- Add roughly one pound (16oz) of Rosehips with with roughly 32oz of alcohol into your blender. Remember, you can proportionately reduce (or increase) the ingredients to create lesser (or greater) volumes of Rosehip Extract.
- We usually blend for 45 – 90 seconds, and then pour the mixture into large mouth mason jars , which are then sealed air tight and placed on shelves.
- It is important to allow the mixture to rest in a temperature controlled setting (in your home, basement, shop or most garages) for approximately two weeks. Depending on your altitude, solvent, and any number of other factors, the suggested period of time may increase or decrease.
- After resting for the appropriate period, you’ll want to expose the mixture to a tincture press (we’ve included an image of a basic tincture press below – there are many different types and sizes of tincture press).
- After running the mixture through the tincture press you’ll have your very own Rosehip Extract!
A Few Benefits of Rosehip Extract
Like the extracts from many other types of herbs, Rosehip Extract has a number of awesome benefits of its own! While we have written a more all encompassing article about the benefits of Rosehips Extract here, it is worth mentioning a few of our favorites in this post.
First, the nutritional benefits of Rosehips are off the charts! Rosehips contain proteins, amino acids, Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, among others, and even thiamin and riboflavin! What’s more, the mineral constituents of Rosehips include calcium (great for the health of your bones) potassium (helps you maintain constant blood pressure), and zinc (great for healing of cuts and blood clotting). It is worth reemphasizing that Rosehip Extract is a fantastic source of Vitamin C. HerbalTeaHour.com has written an all encompassing article about ingesting Vitamin C with Rose Hips here.
Second, Rosehip Extract is great for the treatment of a number of skin conditions. Many HTH readers report incredible results through the direct application of Rosehip Extract to their skin to heal scars, treat and prevent acne, and even sooth and mend minor burns. Most cite to the fact that the Rosehip Extract does not “dry out” their skin, but rather aides in its rehydration. These benefits are undoubtedly created, in part, because of the content of Vitamin A within the Rosehip Extract. Vitamin A is a very important part of a healthy diet as it boosts the production of healthy skin cells!
Third, Rosehip Extract contains Pectin. Not familiar with Pectin? Pectin is best described as a naturally occurring substance that is typically contained within types of berries or fruits (it is contained in the primary cell walls of the fruits and berries). Research has shown that Pectins can aide in regular bowel movements, ease pressures associated with bloating, and even assist in any number of other gastrointestinal problems (like slight constipation – yikes).
Rosehip Extract: Buy the Best
While it is fun to experiment by making Rosehip Extract the old fashioned way (like we’ve described above), sometimes its easier to let someone else do all the all hard work for you. After all, its nice to just avail yourself to the benefits of someone else’s hard work every once in a while!
Luckily, there are a number of high quality manufacturers of Rosehip Extract in the marketplace today. We’ve linked to the particular type of Rosehip Extract above because it is USDA Certified as Organic (one of HTH’s #1 priorities).
Also, it is “unrefined” (which, in our experience, yields the best results for our skin). The manufacturer is careful to warn that the Rosehip Extract can have somewhat of a “fish smell”, but assures that such a smell is totally normal. Honestly, I’ll take a little bit of smell because, in my opinion, it is indicative that the Rosehip’s properties have not been refined away!
This particular type of Rosehip Extract is cold pressed. In our opinion, buying a Rosehip Extract that has been produced via cold press (instead of a different way – like heat) is critical. Not familiar with cold press? “Cold pressing” is basically a process of separating the properties of an herb (like Rosehips) without using heat. Essentially, hydraulic power (like “presses”) smash and crush the properties out of the Rosehips. You might have correctly guessed that this process takes longer than the “heat” generated method. It also produces less juice. Why would a manufacturer follow this method?
Longer duration and less juice is a clear indicator that this Rosehip Extract manufacturer is in it for the right reasons – to create a high quality, very concentrated Rosehip Extract! They don’t cut corners! Available in either 1oz or 4oz sizes, we always place orders for the 4oz size. Why? Well, its usually takes 2 – 3 weeks of daily use to notice the initial benefits, and we want to be certain not to run out!
Also, we tend to use more in the winter months than the summer time (this is because our skin is much, much dryer at this time), so its nice to have some in reserve. Also, buying in the larger sizes is better for the environment – Why separately buy and ship 4 of the 1oz bottles when you could just buy the 4oz size?! Plus, there is a nice volume discount!
My Experience: Rosehip Extract
In November of 2014, I started using Rosehip Extract to help hydrate my skin. I had long struggled wth keeping my skin properly hydrated, especially during the winters, and this problem would result in dry flaky skin and a worsening of acne. Then, a friend told me about Rosehip Extract. I was familiar with Rosehips Tea, and had long incorporated it into my diet to get a nice boost of Vitamin C. I did not, however, know that it could be applied directly to my skin!
I used the Rosehips Extract on a daily basis for about 2 weeks. Being ever impatient, I was close to ceasing use, and then something amazing happened. Almost overnight the dry patches on my neckline and on my cheeks disappeared. What’s more? Where previously I had always experienced razor burn after shaving, there were no longer any small bumps or spots of irritation! I have continued using the Rosehips Extract (by way of the included dropper) to this day.
Typically I use one dropper’s worth of extract once in the morning and once in the evening (during the summer months). During winter time, I use one dropper’s worth of extract in the morning, and two dropper’s worth of extract right before bed. This keeps my skin clear and hydrated. Plus, the Rosehip Extract doesn’t have that greasy appearance that my store bought lotions did!
ROSEHIP EXTRACT: CONCLUSION
I hope this article about Rosehip Extract has been helpful to you. Rosehips are pretty amazing and this post has only scratched the surface of some of their many benefits. Rosehip Extract is particularly powerful because of its super concentrated nature and its wide range of beneficial uses. I know that it has helped many HTH readers and I have personally benefitted from its use. Any time there is a product like this on the market, I am thrilled to spread its news on this herbal tea community!
If you have any questions about Rosehip Extract, or even about Rose Hips in general, I would request that you post on the comment board below. The comment board is a great way to interact with your fellow herbal tea (and Rosehip Extract) enthusiasts! I read and reply to all comments and truly believe that this free resource is of tremendous benefit to our community!
Rosehip Extract: Comments
Were you familiar with Rosehip Extract before you read this article? Did you know that it could be applied directly to your face? Some even consume it orally (though you should check with your doctor prior to doing so)! Have you noticed any benefit of the Rosehip Extract upon your skin, acne or scarring? When do you apply it and how often? Do you use a cold-pressed Rosehip Extract or some other kind? Have you noticed how much more effective the cold-pressed generated Rosehip Extract is? Be sure to comment below! We love interacting with this community!
HerbalTeaHour.com is an herbal tea community that truly values transparency and disclosures. We want to be very clear about one thing. In addition to being herbal tea enthusiasts, we do participate in the Amazon Affiliate program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.