Rose hip

Studies in people

• Open question

  Cholesterol and blood sugar²

  Rosehip extract may lower LDL cholesterol and fasting blood sugar, but studies disagree and more research is needed.

• Benefit

  Knee joint function³

  People with knee-related walking limits who took rosehip powder daily for 12 weeks had better knee joint motion than those on placebo.

• Benefit

  Joint pain relief⁴

  In people with knee and hip arthritis, rose hip powder seemed to help more at higher doses by body weight.

• Open question

  Low back and knee pain⁵

  In people with back or knee pain, rose hip shell powder worked no better than a pseudofruit powder.

• No harm found

  Joint inflammation in people⁶

  In people with rheumatoid arthritis, rose hip powder taken daily for a month changed no symptoms or blood markers.

• Benefit

  Daily function improvement⁷

  In people with rheumatoid arthritis, rose hip powder improved daily function scores more than placebo over six months.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Tumour cell growth¹¹

  In lab studies, rosehip tea's flavonoids slowed tumour cell growth, but its vitamin C did not.

• Open question

  Antioxidants in fruit¹²

  Rose hip from Sicilian bushes holds antioxidants, though amounts differ between the four rose species tested.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Limited human evidence⁸

  Rosehip is rich in bioactive compounds and has a history of medicinal use, but evidence in people is limited.

• Benefit

  Joint pain in arthritis⁹

  Rose hip may ease arthritis joint pain through antioxidants and by calming swelling, though how each part works is still being studied.

• Open question

  Health effects still unproven¹⁰

  Rosehip may have health benefits, but more human trials are needed to know if they work.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.