Rosa canina L. & other allied Rosa spp.

Rosaceae

Dog rose; rose haw; rose hep

Ripe, fresh or dried whole ‘fruits’ (botanically they are, in fact, pseudofruits), ripe, fresh or dried receptacle, freed from ‘seed’ (which are botanically fruit) and trichomes, rosehip ‘seed’ (fruit)

Rosae caninae pseudofructus cum fructibus; Rosae caninae pseudofructus (sine fructibus); Rosae caninae fructus

Biologically active compounds isolated from rosehips include lipids (including linoleic, oleic, linolenic and arachidonic acids), a galactolipid (2S)-1,2-di-O-[(9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadeca-9,12,15-trienoyl]-3-O-beta-d-galactopyranosyl glycerol (GLGPG), triterpene acids such as oleanolic acid, betulinic acid and ursolic acid, carotenoids, tocopherols and vitamins (particularly vitamin C, which is amongst the highest known in any fruit or vegetables, and also vitamins B1, B2, K, B3/niacin and E). Rosehip is also well known for its high phenolic content (flavonoids, ellagic acid, etc.) (Barros et al. 2011; Larson et al. 2003; Roman et al. 2013; Saaby et al. 2011).

A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials identified three studies involving 287 patients with osteoarthritis, and found that a standardised rosehip powder (made from the seeds and husks of the fruits of a sub-type of R. canina) significantly (p = 0.0019) reduced pain scores more than placebo, with a combined effect size (ES) of 0.37 (95% CI: 0.13–0.60). Reduction in the use of ‘rescue medication’ was also found to be significant (p = 0.0018) in the rosehip group compared with placebo, with a combined ES of 0.28 (95% CI: 0.05–0.51). The trials had a median duration of 3 months. The authors concluded that dry rosehip powder seems to have a consistent, small-to-moderate efficacy in reducing pain in osteoarthritis patients, although efficacy was only observed in short-term trials (3–4 months) (Christenson et al. 2008).