Wild Rose, also known as Rosa multiflora Thunb, is a beautiful ornamental shrub that has been cultivated for a long time in villas, offices, public gardens, and home gardens. This plant belongs to the Rosaceae family and is often referred to as wild rose or wild flowering currant.
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(Image: TTO) |
It is a branching shrub with many thorns. The compound leaves consist of five leaflets with serrated edges. The flowers grow in branched clusters and come in various colors: red, white, pink, with a light fragrance. The ripe fruit is yellow.
The primary medicinal part of the wild rose is its roots, which can be harvested year-round, but are best collected in autumn. They should be washed, dried, or sun-dried. When used, they can be applied fresh or roasted until golden.
According to traditional medicine, wild rose roots have a bitter and astringent taste, are cool in nature, and have effects such as clearing heat, benefiting dampness, dispelling wind, detoxifying, and antibacterial properties. They are used in the following cases:
To treat diabetes, incontinence, and bedwetting in children: Take 20-30g of wild rose root, slice it thinly, dry it, and decoct it with 400ml of water until reduced to 100ml. This should be consumed in two doses throughout the day (as per Nam Dược Thần Hiệu).
To treat dysentery: Roast the wild rose root until golden, then mix with 20g each of pomegranate peel, the root of the sweetleaf, banana root, and guava buds. Decoction should be made to drink throughout the day. Use continuously for 3-5 days.
To alleviate rheumatism, back and knee pain, muscle atrophy, and difficulty in walking: Use 20g of wild rose root, along with 20g each of cow’s udder root, achyranthes root, morning glory vine, polygonum multiflorum root, and corydalis. These can be decocted or soaked in alcohol for consumption. Alternatively, combine 20g of wild rose root with 10g each of the root of the gourd, gac fruit root, and thorny root for decoction.
Note: Pregnant or breastfeeding women should not use wild rose root.
In addition to the roots, people in some regions also use the leaves of the wild rose, which are washed clean, mashed, and applied to treat boils, inflammation, and pain. The flowers are harvested when they just bloom, dried, and decocted for consumption, having a bitter, astringent taste and a cooling nature. They serve as a mild laxative, treating coughs, internal heat, and dry mouth; if distilled for essential oil, they should be used drop by drop. The wild rose fruit contains mucilage, vitamins B1 and C, has a sour taste, a neutral nature, and is non-toxic. It is used as a laxative, diuretic, pain reliever, and to treat rheumatism, aches, irregular menstruation, and menstrual cramps.
