Rose Hips for Arthritis

Rosa Canina or Dog Rose is a shrub common throughout the British Isles and Europe. Dog rose hips contain vitamin C vitamin A, B2, B3, K, citric and malic acid, flavanoids and some tannins. If the hips are consumed when fresh, then most of the vitamins would be retained, however if the hips are dried for use as teas, then much of the vitamin content would be lost.

That is not to say that the rose hips no longer have medicinal properties, for they do, and have been used  successfully to treat diarrhea, gastric inflammation, depression, and to reduce cholesterol. Hippocrates used rose petals for uterine diseases, Ayurvedic practitioners use rose petals to treat skin wounds, and inflammations. Hildegard, a medieval herbalist from Germany recommended the use of rose hip tea as the beginning treatment of all diseases.

Recent research has found that rose hips may offer an effective treatment for both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. Trials have been done in Denmark, and Germany using a supplement containing dried rose hip powder, the supplement goes by the name of LitoZin, which contains the active ingredient GOPO. GOPO a type of fatty acid has been found to have similar anti-inflammatory properties as fish oil.

A  joint study done in Denmark and Germany consisted of 89 mostly female patients, average age of 57, the patients were all severely affected with rheumatoid arthritis and all were being treated with conventional drugs. All patients who remained in the study experienced a significant improvement  after taking the supplement for six months.

In a Norwegian study,  patients who were scheduled for a hip or knee replacement due to osteoarthritis  experienced a reduction in the limitations of freedom of movement by about 40 per cent, plus a reduction of pain after four months on LitoZin. They were also able to reduce the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). 

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