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Rose Hip Powder for Osteoarthritis

by Dr. Susan Lark

Published 02/03/09

A few years ago, Danish researchers tested rose hip powder as a treatment for osteoarthritis. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 94 patients with "early osteoarthritis" were randomized into a treatment group or a placebo group. Those in the treatment group received 5,000 mg of rose hip powder daily for three months. All patients were advised to continue taking their usual NSAIDs and pain medications for the first three weeks. If they wanted to reduce their pain medication after that time, they were permitted to do so.

At three weeks, 82 percent of the treatment group had reduced joint pain scores, compared to only 49 percent of the placebo group. This was followed by somewhat less improvement in the treatment group at three months.

Another study in Norway looked at 100 patients whose osteoarthritis was so severe that they were on waiting lists for joint replacement surgery. Those receiving 5,000 mg of rose hip powder daily showed more significant improvement in comfort and mobility at four months than those receiving a placebo.

I believe the reason for this is that rose hips are a significant source of vitamin C, which has been shown to help reduce joint cartilage damage, scavenge free radicals from joint fluid, and support joint cartilage repair. Among those in the Danish study taking rose hips for early osteoarthritis, there was a significant decrease in the use of acetaminophen and opioid "rescue medication" for pain. This helps to explain why the joint pain scores showed less improvement at three months then they did at three weeks. For me, it's also the most convincing evidence that the rose hip powder really did help patients feel more comfortable. It's one thing to report pain improvement on a questionnaire. What really matters, in my eyes, is whether or not the patient decides they still need the pain medication.

Perhaps even more impressive is the Norwegian report, showing improvement in patients awaiting joint replacement surgery for advanced osteoarthritis. In most cases, surgery is reserved for joints in which there is little or no functional cartilage left. It's extremely painful, and for there to have been any improvement at all with rose hip powder-let alone significant improvement-should raise more than a few conventional eyebrows.