Leung's Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics

CHEROKEE ROSEHIP

Source: Rosa laevigataMichx. (syn.R.
sinica Murr.; R.cherokensis Donn.; R.
ternataPoir.;R.niveaDC.;R.Camellia
Hort.) (Family Rosaceae).

Common/vernacularnames: Chineserosehip,
Fructus Rosae Laevigatae, andjinyingzi.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

High-climbing shrub (up to 5 m), with slender
green prickly branches; flowering in May and
fruiting in September to October. Native to
China and Japan; naturalized in the southern
United States; now widely distributed through-
out China.
Part used is the dried ripe prickly fruit (hip)
collected when it turns red in autumn. After
partially dried under the sun, the fruits are
placed in a barrel and their prickles removed
by stirring with a wooden bat. They are then
further dried to yield wholejinyingzi. The
whole hips are normally further processed to
yieldjinyingzi rou(meat) by soaking in water
until soft, slicing in half, removing the seeds
and again sun drying. Commercial Cherokee
rosehips are either whole or sliced, the latter
yielding more extractives.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Fruits contain hydrolysable tannins (laeviga-
tins A to G,1,2agrimoniin, agrimonic acids A
and B,^1 pedunculagin, and sanguiin H-4^2 )
euscaphic, oleanolic, and ursolic acid deriva-
tives, sterol glucosides,^3 laevigatanoside
A(2a,3b,19a,23-trihydroxy-12-ursorlic-28-
glucopyester),^4 saponin glycosides; vitamin
C; sugars; plant acids (citric, malic, etc.);
amino acids,^5 starch; pigments; resin; and
others (IMM-3;JIANGSU).

PHARMACOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL

ACTIVITIES

A hot water extract of Cherokee rosehip

showed potent antimutagenic activities in the

Ames test.^6

TOXICOLOGY

Polyhydroxy pigments: LD 50 (white mice)

519 105 mg/kg i.p.; and s.c. injection of

500 mg/kg and 1100 mg/kg in white rats (ob-

served 1–2 weeks) retarded weight gain and

caused an increase in white blood cells and

decrease in red cells but no pathological

changes in heart, liver, kidney, spleen, intes-

tine, and adrenal tissues.^7

USES

Dietary Supplements/Health Foods. Used

in tonic (especially male tonic) preparations

invarious forms (drinks, soup packets, tablets,

and capsules).

Traditional Medicine. Considered one of

the most important Chinese health tonics. First

described aroundAD500, traditional Chinese

medicine considers it to havegu jing(strength-

ens male essence),suo niao(antidiuretic),yi

shen(tonic; invigorates urinary and reproduc-

tive functions), andse chang(intestinal astrin-

gent) properties. Traditionally used to treat

male sexual inadequacies, including nocturnal

emission and spermatorrhea; female problems

(e.g.,uterinebleedingandleukorrhea);chronic

diarrhea and enteritis; sweating and night

sweating; polyuria and enuresis; also used in

sexual neurasthenia, hypertension, and chronic

cough (LU AND LI).

COMMERCIAL PREPARATIONS

Mainly crude (both whole and sliced).

Cherokee rosehip 181