Application of dog rose (Rosa canina L.) in ethnomedicine of the Pirot County

Rosa canina, commonly known as the dog rose, is a deciduous shrub from family Rosaceae. The fruit of dog rose has a long tradition of culinary and medicinal use worldwide. The aim of this study was to analyze the ethnopharmacological application of rose in Pirot County (Southeastern Serbia). The study was conducted in the form of surveys among the population in four municipalities: Pirot, Babusnica, Bela Palanka, and Dimitrovgrad. It was noticed that rose is one of the ten best known medicinal plants in Pirot County. The fruit, named rosehip, is usually used in the folk medicine of the County in the form of herbal tea instead of coffee. Fresh rosehip contains a large amount of vitamin C and is thus usually consumed by the people of the Pirot County to prevent and treat colds, influenza, vitamin C deficiencies, and for disease prevention.