The Rosehip Health Craze

Rosehip contains biologically active substances that have the potential to help treat certain diseases. However, the only clear evidence of its benefits has been observed in the treatment of osteoarthritis. People who consume rosehip supplements have reported less joint pain and stiffness. In addition, including rosehip tea in one’s diet can provide numerous vitamins and minerals.

Benefits of Rosehip

Wild plants belonging to the Rosa genus are commonly known as rosehip. While there are over a hundred species of wild roses, the fruit of the Rosa canina plant, also known as dog rose, is most frequently used as food. A single fresh rosehip fruit weighs between one to three grams and has an elongated red berry-like appearance with a thin, shiny skin. Inside the fruit, there are small seeds enclosed by thin, dry hairs.

What’s good about rosehips?

Rosehip fruit contains 1.6 grams of protein, 0.34 grams of fat, and 38.2 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams. However, only 2.6 grams of these carbohydrates are sugar, while the remaining amount is a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber. In addition, rosehips are a rich source of vitamin C, providing 426 mg per 100 grams, which is 473% of the adult daily requirement. The same quantity of rosehip fruit can supply 39% of the daily requirement of vitamin E, as well as 17% of vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Rosehips also contain many organic compounds that may have therapeutic benefits in the treatment of chronic diseases. These include natural antioxidants such as phenolic and polyphenolic compounds that have the ability to neutralize free radicals, which are unstable molecules produced in the body as a result of enzyme activity.

Excessive production of free radicals can lead to cell damage and inflammation, which often accompanies many chronic diseases. Some researchers suggest that rosehip may be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

Moreover, rosehips contain galactolipids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have shown potential to reduce inflammation in laboratory experiments. This property may be useful in relieving pain and treating chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

Furthermore, experiments conducted on cell cultures have revealed that galactolipids can suppress the activity of metalloproteinases – enzymes that break down connective tissue, including in the joints. Therefore, rosehip may also be a promising option for treating osteoarthritis.

How to consume rose hips.

Fresh rose hips have a sour and astringent taste due to their high vitamin C and polyphenol content. Although it is possible to eat them raw, the hairs inside the fruits can cause irritation to the mucous membrane of the mouth. As a result, fresh and dried rose hips are typically brewed into tea or transformed into powders and dry extracts, which serve as the foundation for producing dietary supplements.

What do we know about the effectiveness of rosehip?

Phytotherapeutic products made from plant raw materials, such as dried rose hips and supplements with rosehip extract, are studied from a pharmacological perspective. However, phytotherapy is a complex field to investigate because plants of the same species grown under different conditions contain varying levels of active substances. Additionally, the composition of plant products is affected by the processing, storage, and preparation of the supplement or tea. As a result, all phytotherapeutic agents containing the same active ingredients are unique, making it difficult to compare the results of their studies.

To address this issue, standardized powders are typically used to study the effectiveness of rosehip. These powders are made from rosehips of the same degree of ripeness and size, which are selected using laser technology.

After being selected using laser technology, the chosen rosehips are dried and ground using the same technique. This process yields a powder that consistently contains the same quantity of active substances. Researchers employing these powders in their experiments can rest assured that all participants will receive identical amounts.

However, the composition of such a powder may differ significantly from that of rosehip tea and supplements made from extracted materials collected from thousands of berries using various methods. Even if one chooses to brew tea from the same quantity of dried rosehip or extract utilized in research, the end result may not be the same as in the scientific trials.

Rosehips and osteoarthritis.

There are three high-quality placebo-controlled studies whose authors sought to determine how the intake of five grams of standardized rosehip powder affects the well-being of people with osteoarthritis.

The first study involved 100 volunteers who were soon to have their knee or hip joint replaced with a prosthesis. They were divided into two groups of 50 patients each: one group received rosehip powder and the other received a placebo dummy. Before the start and four months later, all volunteers completed a well-being questionnaire.

It turned out that 64.6% of people who received rosehips experienced a slight decrease in pain, while the well-being of those who received placebo did not change. In addition, people in the rosehip group who needed to have their hip joint replaced had slightly improved hip flexion. However, the mobility of the knee joint did not change in people who were to have their knee joint replaced.

The second study involved 112 people with osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, wrist, shoulder, or neck. They were also divided into two groups, one of which received rosehip powder for three months and the other received a placebo. As in the first study, the participants completed a well-being questionnaire before and after the study.

As a result, 66% of those who received rosehip powder reported a slight reduction in pain, compared to 36% of those who received placebo. In addition, people who received rosehips took less paracetamol than before the start of treatment.

In addition to filling out a questionnaire, all participants in this experiment had blood tests for C-reactive protein (CRP) before and after the experiment. CRP is a classic indicator of inflammation in the body. After three months, the people who received rosehip had slightly lower levels of CRP compared to the beginning of the experiment.

In the third study, 94 volunteers with moderate knee or hip osteoarthritis participated: 47 patients received rosehip powder, while the others received a placebo. Before the experiment, they all felt roughly the same. After three months, the people who received rosehip had lower scores on the pain scale, complained less of stiffness, and took pain relievers less often than those in the placebo group.

In 2011, Australian doctors came to the conclusion that while the effectiveness of natural remedies with rosehip is still in doubt, they can be used as an addition to the main treatment of osteoarthritis.

In 2013, a study of 68 people showed that four and a half grams of rosehip powder per week reduced pain and stiffness twice as effectively as one and a half grams of glucosamine sulfate, another additional remedy for osteoarthritis with very modest effectiveness. People in both groups took less pain relievers.

Specialists and leading international drug databases RxList and Drugs.com consider rosehip powder to be “possibly effective” for this disease. That is, it may be useful, but there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend it to most people.

Rosehip and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Only two high-quality studies have been conducted on rheumatoid arthritis, and their findings are conflicting.

One such study from 2010 involved 89 participants who were split into a rosehip group and a placebo group. The volunteers were then instructed to complete a questionnaire on their well-being before and after the study while being monitored in a placebo-controlled environment. The results revealed that individuals in the rosehip group who consumed five grams of standardized rosehip powder daily for six months reported reduced pain and stiffness compared to those in the placebo group. However, the amount of pain medication consumed by both groups remained unchanged.

In 2011, a group of researchers decided to retest the previous results regarding the effectiveness of rosehip for treating rheumatoid arthritis. They conducted a study with 20 women with rheumatoid arthritis and 10 healthy women who received a daily dosage of 10.5 grams of rosehip powder for 28 days. The group measured the activity of major antioxidant enzymes and the level of CRP in the blood of all volunteers, and the women with arthritis completed a well-being questionnaire. Blood tests were performed twice, once before and once after the study.

The study showed that the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the level of CRP did not change in any of the study participants. Additionally, the women with rheumatoid arthritis reported feeling the same as before the experiment. Since then, no new high-quality studies on rosehip for rheumatoid arthritis have been conducted. Therefore, RxList, Drugs.com, and the medical reference book Uptodate believe that there is insufficient evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of this remedy. In other words, taking rosehip may provide a small chance of benefit, but it is unlikely to have a significant effect.

Rosehip and Back Pain

There is limited data available on the effectiveness of rosehip for back pain, with only one preliminary study conducted. The study observed 152 individuals suffering from chronic back pain for various reasons over the course of a year. The study authors hypothesized that a dosage of five grams of rosehip powder, containing two and a half grams of galactolipid, would help reduce inflammation and alleviate back pain.

After six weeks of treatment, it was found that some participants did not experience any relief from this dosage of rosehip powder. Therefore, the dosage was increased to ten grams for 75 people who had particularly strong or long-lasting back pain.

Over the year-long study, nearly half of the participants, or 75 patients, dropped out. Of these, 42 people dropped out because rosehip did not provide them with any relief, and 14 experienced adverse effects. In seven cases, rosehip was not a factor. However, the remaining seven individuals who took ten grams of rosehip experienced nausea, abdominal pain, intestinal gas, constipation, and diarrhea. People taking five grams complained of side effects much less frequently and, therefore, did not drop out of the study.

Seven individuals who dropped out of the study reported experiencing complete relief from back pain. However, as back pain sometimes subsides without treatment, it is not possible to attribute this result solely to the rosehip powder.

Among the 77 patients who completed the study, many reported feeling better. However, as there was no placebo group in the study, it cannot be conclusively stated that the reduction in back pain was due to rosehip. Ultimately, the study authors concluded that rosehip warrants further investigation in high-quality placebo-controlled trials. However, recommending rosehip to all individuals with back pain is currently premature.

Rosehip and chronic diseases

The active substances and antioxidants present in rosehip hold potential benefits for individuals with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Despite the use of rosehip in traditional medicine for these conditions, reliable human studies are still lacking.

One high-quality placebo-controlled study was found to investigate the risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The study involved examining the effects of a drink made from 40 grams of rosehip powder on weight, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol levels in individuals with obesity over a period of six weeks.

The study comprised 31 volunteers who were randomly divided into two groups: the first group received a rosehip drink, while the second group received a placebo drink. Before and after the experiment, all participants underwent blood tests, weight and blood pressure measurements, and participated in a weight loss program consisting of a balanced diet with reduced calorie intake.

The study revealed that daily consumption of rosehip did not affect body weight and did not reduce glucose levels in the blood. However, it was found that cholesterol levels in the blood decreased by 6% in individuals who consumed rosehip, and blood pressure decreased by 4 mmHg. This is a positive outcome, as according to the authors of the study, individuals who consumed rosehip experienced a 15-25% reduced risk of ischemic heart disease.

Two important nuances should be considered:

• It is uncertain whether rosehip would also benefit individuals with high cholesterol levels, as all participants in the study had normal cholesterol levels.
• It is unclear how the active substances in rosehip powder, such as antioxidants, galactolipids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, affect cholesterol levels and blood pressure, as laboratory experiments have not yet demonstrated such properties.

The authors of the study proposed that the reduction in cholesterol and blood pressure was due to the high fiber content in the rosehip drink. The large amount of fiber may interfere with the reabsorption of fatty acids during digestion, leading to their excretion in feces. As a result, the body may need to use more cholesterol to create new fatty acids. Therefore, any other fiber-rich drink may have the same effect as the rosehip drink.

Rosehip and the common cold

No one has tested the efficacy of rosehip powder for the common cold because vitamin C is the only component of rosehip that could theoretically be useful for respiratory viral infections. However, it does not reduce the severity of symptoms or lower the risk of getting sick for most people. Vitamin C is only beneficial for those who undergo extreme physical exertion. Athletes and skiers who take this vitamin have their chances of catching a cold reduced by half.

Despite the fact that drying preserves most of the biologically active compounds in rosehip, it is not certain that rosehip tea contains a significant amount of vitamin C. Vitamin C is sensitive to light, heat, and air, causing it to break down partially during cooking and storage. As a result, the concentration of vitamin C in dried rosehips is lower than that in fresh rosehips.

Determining the exact amount of vitamin C that remains in dried fruits is challenging due to the processing method used. Crushed fruits lose 100% of their vitamin C content within six months, while halved fruits lose less than 50% within 18 months of storage. The concentration of vitamin C in whole fruits is likely to decrease at a similar rate as in halved fruits. Therefore, athletes should focus on supplements made from rosehip rather than dried fruits. These supplements typically restore the original vitamin C content before being sold.

Should you take rose hips?

Supplements and tea made from rose hips provide a good source of vitamins and minerals, despite the questionable medicinal benefits associated with them. As such, healthy individuals can safely include them in their diet. Nevertheless, it is essential to use them in moderation, as excessive amounts of vitamin C can be detrimental to one’s health.

How much rose hip can you consume per day?

The exact dosages for this plant are not established. Traditional medicine suggests brewing two to five grams of whole or ground rose hips per 300 ml of beverage. If fresh berries are used, the appropriate amount would be two to three berries, and if dried, four to five.

Determining dosages for rose hip extract supplements can be challenging. Nonetheless, the recommended intake is typically 500-750 mg per day, preferably taken with food.

Side effects of rose hips

Most studies indicate that individuals who consume up to five grams of rose hip powder per day do not encounter any health issues.

Nevertheless, individuals who consume rose hips in large doses, ranging from 10 to 40 grams per day, may experience side effects such as stomach pain, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. Additionally, some may experience insomnia.

Furthermore, those who consume excessive amounts of vitamin C may have an elevated risk of developing kidney stones and blood clots.

Who should not consume rosehip?

Individuals with blood clotting disorders, anemia, and diabetes should avoid consuming drinks and supplements that contain rosehip due to their high vitamin C content.

Additionally, individuals who have allergies to plants within the Rosaceae family, such as apples, peaches, and almonds, should not consume natural rosehip products. Therefore, it is safer for such individuals to avoid rosehip altogether.

Can rosehip be taken by pregnant, lactating, and children?

The impact of supplements and drinks that contain rosehip on individuals with blood clotting disorders, anemia, and diabetes has not been extensively studied. However, it is probable that if rosehip is consumed in recommended dosages, it is unlikely to harm their health.