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Rose hip

A meta-analysis of 3 manufacturer-supported trials found less osteoarthritis pain than placebo with 5 g of powder a day. A later trial of 120 people found no between-group difference in pain or function. In one rheumatoid arthritis trial of 89 people, disability scores improved slightly while pain did not differ. Few side effects were reported.

Add to Bio HackChecked 2026-11-09
Status
Dietary supplement in the US. Not FDA-approved as a drug for any condition.
Also called
Rosa canina, rosehip, dog rose, rose hip powder, galactolipid, GOPO, Litozin, Lito, Hyben Vital
Taken for
osteoarthritis, joint pain, rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis

Strong several reviews agree · Moderate one review or consistent trials · Limited one or a few small studies · Untested no study in people, listed with what it rests on

Shown to help2

Reported risks0

No risks sourced yet.

What people take it for, and what was found

Shown to help2

Moderate

Osteoarthritis

Shown to lower pain more than placebo in adults with hip or knee osteoarthritis, one extra person helped per 6 treated. The pooled trials were manufacturer supported.

The numbers and sources
Effect
A meta-analysis of 3 RCTs (287 patients, median 3 months) found lower pain on rose hip powder than placebo (effect size 0.37, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.60, I² 0%), with a number needed to treat of 6 [1]. In a crossover trial of 94 people, 5 g a day lowered WOMAC pain at 3 weeks (p < 0.014) and stiffness and disability at 3 months [2]. In 100 people over 4 months, pain (p 0.035) and hip mobility (p 0.033) improved against placebo [3]. In a crossover trial of 112 people, 66% responded on rose hip against 36% on placebo in the first period [4]. In a 120-person trial, WOMAC pain and function improved more than 50% in both groups with no significant difference between them. A secondary analysis found more improvement at higher doses per kilogram of body weight [5].
Population
Adults with hip or knee osteoarthritis [1][2][3][4][5].
Sources
[1], [2], [3], [4], [5]
Caveats
All 3 trials in the meta-analysis were supported by the manufacturer, and its authors called for independent replication [1]. The dose-response finding in the 120-person trial was a post hoc analysis [5]. The 112-person crossover trial found no difference from placebo in one sequence, which its authors attribute to carryover [4].
Limited

Rheumatoid arthritis

One trial found a small improvement in disability scores over 6 months in people with rheumatoid arthritis, with no change in pain or pain medication use.

The numbers and sources
Effect
In 89 people with rheumatoid arthritis, 5 g a day for 6 months improved the HAQ disability index by 0.105 points while placebo worsened by 0.039 (p 0.032). HAQ pain did not differ, and the DAS-28 change was 0.89 against 0.34 (p 0.056). Pain medication use did not differ [6]. In an uncontrolled 28-day study of 20 women with rheumatoid arthritis, 10.5 g a day did not change symptoms or CRP [7].
Population
89 adults in Berlin and Copenhagen, 90% women [6], and 20 women with rheumatoid arthritis plus 10 healthy women [7].
Sources
[6], [7]
Caveats
One randomized trial. The CRP study had no placebo group [7].

Doses studied

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis trials used 5 g of rose hip powder a day for 3 to 6 months [2][3][4][6]. The CRP study used 10.5 g a day for 28 days [7].

Risks

Checked, no increase found1

Limited

Adverse events in trials

Limited evidence: no major side effects in one osteoarthritis trial, and withdrawals matched placebo in another. Long-term harms have not been studied in a large trial.

The numbers and sources
Effect
No major side effects occurred in either group of the 112-person osteoarthritis trial [4]. In the 100-person trial, 2 patients (4%) in each group withdrew early for reasons not related to treatment [3].
Population
Trial participants with osteoarthritis [3][4].
Sources
[3], [4]
Caveats
The meta-analysis authors state that safety needs evaluation in a large, long-term trial [1].

Claims tested and not found

  1. That rose hip powder improves osteoarthritis pain and function more than placebo over 12 weeks. In a 120-person trial, WOMAC pain and function did not differ significantly between rose hip and placebo [5].
  2. That rose hip lowers rheumatoid arthritis pain. HAQ pain and pain medication use did not differ from placebo over 6 months [6].
  3. That rose hip lowers CRP in rheumatoid arthritis. CRP did not change over 28 days on 10.5 g a day [7].

Sources

  1. Christensen R, Bartels EM, Altman RD, et al. Does the hip powder of Rosa canina (rosehip) reduce pain in osteoarthritis patients? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2008.03.001
  2. Winther K, Apel K, Thamsborg G. A powder made from seeds and shells of a rose-hip subspecies (Rosa canina) reduces symptoms of knee and hip osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology. 2005. https://doi.org/10.1080/03009740510018624
  3. Warholm O, Skaar S, Hedman E, et al. The Effects of a Standardized Herbal Remedy Made from a Subtype of Rosa canina in Patients with Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Current Therapeutic Research. 2003. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0011-393X(03)00004-3
  4. Rein E, Kharazmi A, Winther K. A herbal remedy, Hyben Vital (stand. powder of a subspecies of Rosa canina fruits), reduces pain and improves general wellbeing in patients with osteoarthritis: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised trial. Phytomedicine. 2004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2004.01.001
  5. Motawei AM, Warholm KM, Winther K. Using Dose-Response Correlation Re-Analyzing to Distinguish Placebo from Standardized Rose-Hip Powder (Lito) in a Clinical Trial on Osteoarthritis Where Data Initially Looked Identical. Nutrients. 2026. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020331
  6. Willich SN, Rossnagel K, Roll S, et al. Rose hip herbal remedy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised controlled trial. Phytomedicine. 2010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2009.09.003
  7. Kirkeskov B, Christensen R, Bügel S, et al. The effects of rose hip (Rosa canina) on plasma antioxidative activity and C-reactive protein in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and normal controls: a prospective cohort study. Phytomedicine. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2011.02.008

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