Rose hips, the bright red fruit of the rose plant, are commonly made into jams and jellies. Particularly high in vitamin C, rose hips have been studied for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Some research has revealed significant benefits of rose hips in the treatment of certain forms of arthritis.
Pain and Flexibility
Rosehip powder improved hip flexibility and and reduced knee pain in separate studies, according to a meta-analysis -- a review of previously published research conducted at the Institut für Sozialmedizin, Berlin, and published in the May 2007 "MMW Fortschritte der Medizin" journal. Hip flexion improved significantly in one study, but not internal or external rotation, or knee flexion. In another study, rosehip supplementation resulted in 31 percent improvement over placebo in reduction of knee pain after three months. The researchers noted that the results obtained with rose hip were not significantly different from consumption of analgesic medicines after three or six months.
Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant
The hips and seeds of rose hip provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits for arthritis, according to a study published in the June 2008 "Phytotherapy Research" journal. The study, conducted at the University of Freiburg, Germany, reported on the effectiveness of a commercially available preparation of rose hip and seed powder for the treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and low back pain. The researchers also commented on a variety of other uses for rose hip, including as a weight loss supplement to prevent obesity, which may confer arthritis-preventive benefits secondarily through alleviation of joint stress.
Osteoarthritis
Pain reduction with rose hip therapy was twice as effective as placebo in osteoarthritis patients, according to a meta-study that reviewed the results of three studies encompassing 287 arthritis patients over three months. The study, conducted at The Parker Institute, Frederiksberg Hospital, Denmark and published in the September 2008 "Osteoarthritis Cartilage" journal, called for larger scale and longer term studies to confirm the effectiveness and safety of rose hip as a nutraceutical for the treatment of arthritis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
A study conducted at Charité University Medical Centre, Berlin, Germany, found moderate improvement in rheumatoid arthritis. In the study, published in the February 2010 "Phytomedicine" journal, rheumatoid arthritis patients were given 5 g rose hip powder per day for six months. Physical symptoms improved in the rose hip group but worsened in the control group that did not receive rose hip. However, mental scores remained unchanged, and intake of pain medication was the same between the groups.
References
- PubMed.gov: The clinical effectiveness of rosehip powder in patients with osteoarthritis; Rossnagel K, et al.; 2007
- PubMed.gov: A systematic review on the Rosa canina effect and efficacy profiles; Chrubasik C, et al.; 2008
- PubMed.gov: Does the hip powder of Rosa canina (rosehip) reduce pain in osteoarthritis patients?--a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials; Christensen R, et al.; 2008
- PubMed.gov: Rose hip herbal remedy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis - a randomised controlled trial; Willich SN, et al.; 2010
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