Wild rose. Arkhangelsk region

Wild rose (Rosa) is a modest, unpretentious shrub of the Rosaceae family found almost everywhere, except for the Far North. It is valued for the beauty of a large bush, an abundance of greenery and a unique composition of fruits. Due to the richness of vitamins and minerals, rose hips as its fruits are called can rightfully be considered a real Russian superfood.

Wild roses are the wild ancestor of cultivated roses. Wild roses are much more unpretentious and hardy than exquisite hybrid park roses.

In Russia, there are more than 80 species of wild roses. The shrub grows, forming large clumps, often penetrating into populated areas, where it neighbors near fences with elderberry.

Wild rose is not only a decorative ornament, but also a very valuable product. The candied petals are a special treat. They are also dried or cured and used for making aromatic mixtures, decorating cakes, making jam and sherbet.

Rose hip is a record-breaker in vitamin C content, it is 8 times more in rose hips than in lemons. Therefore, it is useful for the prevention of colds. The fruit also contains: vitamin K, necessary for bone tissue and normalize blood composition, vitamin E, which stimulates the production of hemoglobin and slows down the aging process. And the beautiful red-orange color of rose hips is given by lycopene and beta-carotene - they improve vision and skin condition.

In addition, rose hips have potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, copper and zinc. Consumption of rose hips improves metabolism, strengthens immunity, normalizes the gastrointestinal tract, regulates blood cholesterol, strengthens bones and cartilage, has a wound-healing and diuretic effect. This is a real Russian superfood.

Today rose hips are presented in many different forms: decoctions, juices, pharmacy tinctures, tea. Infusion of rose hips with honey will strengthen the body's defenses, eliminate swelling, reduce blood pressure, help with coughs.

Wild rose is of special importance to the residents of Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region - the center of nuclear shipbuilding in Russia. The wild rose flowers are depicted on the coat of arms of the city, and this is due to an interesting historical fact: at the end of the XVI century on the island of Yagry in Severodvinsk, under the Nikolo-Korelsky monastery, there was the only port of Russia. It was here that the ship "Edward Bonaventure" once docked - it fought off the Hugh Willoughby expedition, which was looking for a "northern passage" to America through the polar seas. The ship was led by merchant Richard Chancellor, who, according to English tradition, did not ask the locals what the island was called, and gave it the name "Rose Island". He mistook wild rose bushes which dotted the island in those days and still do today for regular roses. It was after Chancellor's landing on Yagry Island that trade caravans of ships from Europe to Russia started to arrive. And the Arkhangelsk region became the main "northern gateway" of Russia.