I was enjoying a long (very long) hike over the weekend that brought me in contact with a wide variety of plants and animals. While taking a breather at a ranger station, I was admiring a plant which had what looked to be cherry tomatoes or some kind of red berry sprouting from its branches. The ranger said I was looking at a rose bush and the red fruit it was producing went by the name of rose hips.

“Rose Hips” I shrieked. I had known of the supplement for years but had never seen a real live rose hip. I was informed that rose hips form after the rose bloom has died. Almost any rose variety will produce hips but the ranger informed me that the Rosa rugosa formed the tastiest variety if you planned on eating them. Further research confirmed that Rosa rugosa is the bush of choice for tasty rose hips.

Why Eat Rose Hips?
Probably the best reason to eat or drink rose hips is the incredible source of vitamin C that it provides. Studies have shown vitamin C to be helpful with fighting infection, colds/flu, sore throat, fatigue and stress to name a few. Hips provide almost 20 times the amount of vitamin C found in Oranges.

How do I Grow Rose Hips?
As I have mentioned, there seams to be a consensus that Rosa rugosa is the best plant to use for growing rose hips. Let the blooms die on the bush (resist the temptation to cut the beautiful blooms, the more you cut the less hips you will produce) and the hips will begin to form. They will start out green and begin to turn red similar to the way a tomato ripens. Harvest them when they become completely red but not overripe, this usually occurs after the first frost.

Preparing the Hips
You can use rose hips either fresh off the vine, dried, or preserved. To dry the fruit spread the hips out on a clean surface. Allow them to dry until the skin begins to feel dry and slightly shriveled. At this point, split the hips in half and take out all of the seeds and tiny hairs in the center. Remember not to use aluminum pans or utensils as this will destroy some of the vitamin C.

After the seeds are removed you can let the hips dry completely. Don’t wait to remove the seeds until hips are completely dry or you will have trouble with de-seeding.

Store the dried hips in sealed plastic bags. Freeze for long term use or put in the refrigerator if you plan on using over a two or three month period. Hips can be eaten as a semi-sweet snack at anytime. You can also make tea and preserves; I have listed two recipes below to get you started.

What about Supplements?
Rose hip supplements are available at most health food and vitamin stores. For me, the fun is in making your own hips. If you just want vitamin C there isn’t really a whole lot of difference between taking regular vitamin C supplement and vitamin C with rose hips (except the price, hips will cost a bit more).

Recipes
If you are fortunate enough to have roses at your home, here are some recipes you might want to try:

Hip Tea Recipe

Place 4-6 hips (prepared as noted above) in the bottom of a non-aluminum pan
Add 2 cups of cool water
Allow water to come to a boil
Let simmer for about 30 minutes (less if you like a weaker tea)
Strain and add sweetener to taste

Hip Marmalade

Prepare hips as noted above and soak in cool water for several hours
Bring hips soaking in water to a boil for about 20 minutes
Strain out water
Add one cup of brown sugar or granulated sugar per one cup of the strained water
Boil the sweetened water until it becomes thick and syrupy
Add the previously boiled hips and continue boiling until hips are tender
Pour into jars and seal

Enjoy!

Author Bio
Mike Brooks has been a life long follower and proponent of the fitness lifestyle. Through his avid research, Mr. Brooks has come to the realization that being healthy is a choice and encompasses not only proper diet but also a fitness regimen that includes the mind, body and soul. Mike Brooks is the publisher and editor-in-chief for the health information site www.Ultimatehealthreport.com

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An insomnia cure. Hmm… Before we go for a cure it may be a good idea to try and know our enemy. What are our signs and symptons. What type of Insomnia do we have. Perhaps a working definition would be helpful.

The experts seem to agree that something along these lines would suit.

“Insomnia” is any episode of unrefreshing sleep,  difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings, or waking  up too early in the morning and not being able to drop  back off. Women and the elderly seem to be the most  frequent sufferers. We can divide these episodes into  three collective groups and label them Short-term  Transient or Chronic.

A quick explanation of these three would be as follows;

Transient, a simple disturbance in sleeping patterns.  A  short illness, a sudden change in lifestyle, stress,  isomething that leads to a short term change

Short-term insomnia is is less fun. It lastsfor about 2-3  weeks. Causes could be something like a new job,  divorce, serious illness, financial problems, or a family  berevement.

Chronic as the name suggests is the real thing. Chronic  insomnia is the rarest and most serious type, with  Insomnia lasting longer than a few weeks. I’ve just been  reading a learned article that says Chronic Insomnia is  fairly rare. That may be so but if 10 percent of the US  population suffers from it thats over 20 Million people  leading a life of misery.

While it would be nice to blame insomnia on things outside our control , many cases of insomnia are self inflicted by such things as caffeine,  smoking, poor eating habits,  alcohol and lack of exercise.

Caffeine is one the most widely blamed  causes of insomnia.  An ingredient in coffee, tea, colas, chocolate,  and some medications, caffeine is a stimulant . We insomniacs DO NOT NEED stimulants. Quite the reverse. Insomnia solution number one - Cut out the caffine.

Alcohol is often reccomended as a nightcap. Forget it. Thats only beacuse your Doctor drinks it.  Alcohol actually lightens and fragments sleep, causing  you to wake up as your body metabolizes it. You may  think you’re in a deep sleep, but your not getting the deep sleep  that Insomniacs need for a cure.  Insomnia solution number two - No Alcohol with a couple or four hours of bedtime.

Eating. Yes, I know I can’t ban you from eating but I can jump on the slimmers bandwaggon. Eat a light last meal a couple of hours before going to bed.  Avoid spicy and fatty foods that   cause indigestion.  Lets hear it for MILK. Milk has an amino acid that the  body converts to a sleep-enhancing compound in the  brain. Calcium is a natural relaxing agent along with  several other vitamins such as the B vitamins and  magnesium. Have a look at the bottom of the page for details on how to find others. If you get hungry at night, have a light snack before  bedtime. Some foods are helpful and actually promote production of  melatonin, a hormone associated  sleep. Try  cheese, soy nuts, chicken, pumpkinseeds, and turkey. High-carbohydrate foods such as bread act  upon another  hormone, serotonin, which  helps to reduce anxiety and contribute toan insomnia solution. Insomnia solution no three. Be careful what you eat.

Nicotine products are universally bad for you.  For the  Insomniac nicotine has to go. It’s a stimulant that  increases blood pressure, speeds up the heart rate, and  stimulates brain activity. Insomniacs do not need increased blood pressure, a fast heart rate and a stimulant. Insomnia solution number four. No more ciggies!

Regular exercise is good in fact its excellent, (here comes the but) but, not just before bed. If you work out  too close to bedtime, the increase in your heart rate and  metabolism will make your body too excitable to sleep.  Exercise earlier in the day and give the body a chance to produce that warm rosy glow and relax as the body reacts by producing  melatonin to take your temperature down to normal. Exercise for an insomnia solution!

Make your bed as comfortable as possible. Experiment with what works best for you. Choose a position conducive to sleep.  If your partner is the source of your insomnia consider a change of rooms for a while. Get rid of the alarm clock . It only acts as a stressful reminder that you aren’t sleeping.

Control the amount of light in your bedroom. Excessive brightness not only affects your eyes, but it also influences the hormone production that helps to establish a healthy sleep cycle. Wear a sleep mask if necessary. Dark is usually good for an insomnia solution.

When it comes to noise, many people find repetitive sounds easier to sleep through than intermittent and abrupt ones. Ear plugs or a continuous background sound such as a fan can help mask disturbing noise (the next- door neighbors barking dog in my case). Consider is a white noise machine.

Control the thermostat. Temperature extremes, whether too hot or too cold, are no fun for the light sleeper. Cool is usually good for an insomnia solution.

Hope some of these help. Drop us a line and let us know,

Sleep well.

Philip

Author Bio
Philip Jubb
THE Insomnia Solution

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