Rosehips have a long history of usage in Europe from early Christians who crafted the first rosary beads from rosehips to Viking invaders who used rosehips as a source of vitamin C to keep them healthy on their epic voyages. During the Second World War British school children were given the job of collecting rosehips from hedgerows to make into rosehip syrup as a source of vitamin C that was difficult to obtain from food normally imported due to the German U boat blockade. Even today rosehips are still an important part of the traditional Scandinavian food such as rosehip soup with cream and rosehip marmalade.

In the last twelve months the interest in rosehips has focused on their use as an aid in alleviating the pain associated with osteoarthritis. Interest has been fuelled by a recent Norwegian study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology that found that 82% of those people with arthritic pain showed a reduction in pain when given rosehip extract for more than three weeks. Patients also noticed a reduction in the amount of paracetamol, ibuprofen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) required to control their pain and their mobility was also boosted by 40%. Pain reduction was significant in knee, hip and hand arthritis in this double-blind, placebo    controlled trial of 100 people.

Another study carried out in Denmark showed similar results with pain although significant improvements in mobility and stiffness were not noticed until after three months of the trial. These trials show that rosehip extract offers potential relief from pain for osteoarthritis sufferers, without the side-effects so often associated with anti-inflammatory and pain killing medications.

The potential applications of rosehip supplementation are not limited to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (a far more serious disease than the osteo form) improvements have also been seen in patient’s sore joints when rosehips have been taken continuously for six months.  Rosehips have been linked with keeping the heart and circulation healthy with research indicating that rosehip extract can reduce the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as exerting their anti-inflammatory effects on the blood vessels. Dr Winther of the Copenhagen County Hospital, one of the team behind the recent trials, has a long career in cardiovascular disease research and feels that the anti – inflammatory action of rosehips could help patients with heart disease. There is a growing amount of evidence that inflammation of the blood vessels is a highly relevant factor in heart disease.
The hips from the dog rose contain between 10 and 50 times the amount of vitamin C of an orange. Used regularly rosehip can help to build the body’s defence against colds and flu, catarrh, sore throats and chest infections.

It is a little known component of the rosehip called glycoside of mono and diglycerol that exerts the anti-inflammatory effect. This component reduces white blood cell production that is in turn responsible for the inflammatory response at the site of irritation.
Rosehips also contain vitamins B1, B2, B3, E and K as well as malic and citric acid, pectin, tannin, carotene, flavonoids, fatty and volatile oils, and proteins. Malic acid helps to detoxify the body of aluminium and is often used to support people with fibromyalgia (another rheumatic disorder).