The Benefits of Rose Hips

Rosehip syrup was an important source of vitamin C for children during World War II. Rosehip Seed Oil is high in both Linoleic Fatty Acid and Linolenic Fatty Acids and they belong to a group of Essential Fatty Acids often known as Vitamin F. Rosehip Oil is a classical and luxurious Vegetable Oil which is excellent for sensitive and oily skin, acne and for skin with large pores. Rosehip Seed oil is a distinctive anti-inflammatory and produces an effective regenerative action on the skin. The hairs on the seeds of the rosehip are best known as the prime ingredient of itching powder.

Throughout this paper, we will be discussing only the hips of the dog rose (Rosa canina). Many other varieties of rose produce hips of varying colours - red, orange, purple - and are used to make tea and syrup, but it is only the dog rose whose hips contain compounds of benefit to arthritis and joint pain sufferers.

Although the company that manufactures Litozin Joint Health products from Rosehips claim that their products are the only ones to contain GOPO (glycoside of mono and diglycerol), the product is found in Rosa canina hips and is therefore present in all Rosehip Powder made from this variety.

Rosehip tea has a tangy, tart flavour and a pinkish colour. Rosehips contain vitamins C, A, B1, B2, B3, K and a wide variety of flavonoids, polyphenols, volatile oils and tannins. Rosehip oil is a suitable choice for inclusion within formulations intended for maturing or damaged skin where the regeneration of new skin cells is needed. Rosehip oil is commonly used at a ratio of up to 10%, and contains natural tretinoin (also known as Retinoic acid), a derivative of Vitamin A, which is proven to delay the effects of skin aging. Rosehip oil is high in bio-available vitamin C as well as other components and offers many excellent benefits to the regeneration of the skin and making the skin more elastic. Rosehip Oil is excellent for treating dermatological problems after radiotherapy, darkening of the skin and dermatitis. It also helps in healing skin grafts, brown spots and deep lines associated with dry prematurely aged skin.

Rose hips are a rich source of iron, so women used to brew rosehip tea during menstruation to make up for the iron that they lose with the blood.

Two recent studies, from Denmark and from Norway, have been published on the anti-inflammatory action in osteoarthritis of a standard rosehip powder produced from dog rosehips and seeds. There was a significant reduction in pain and the consumption of painkillers in those taking rosehips for more than three weeks. According to an article in Saga, recent studies by Danish scientists have shown that a powdered extract of rosehip, GOPO, Hyben Vital or Litozin, reduced the use of other painkillers in osteoarthritis sufferers. A recent Norwegian study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology showed that 82% of those people with arthritic pain showed a significant reduction in pain when given rosehip extract.

This wonderful fruit, free for collecting all over the world, has many uses. Minced and steeped in hot water, it makes a very beneficial tea, although much of the Vitamin C content will disappear because of the heat of the water. Rosehip syrup is a very old traditional remedy and, prepared in this way, retains all of its vitamin content. Rosehips can be steeped with gin, vodka, brandy, etc, with the addition of sugar to impart a lovely delicate flavour to the resulting liqueur.

Perhaps the most nutritious way to consume Rosehips is to dry and finely grind the whole rosehip (pulp, seeds and all), then add two teaspoons (about 10g) to hot water, sweeten to taste, and drink several times per day. In this way, all of the most nutritious ingredients are imbibed - pulp, seeds, oils, vitamins and fatty acids. Alternatively, Rosehip powder Capsules can be taken, though this is a more expensive option.

Most of the world's production of Rosa canina oil is produced in Chile, and the best form is cold-pressed. It is only cold-pressing that will retain all the vitamins and fatty acids - heating and chemical extraction destroys the majority of these.

Rosehip oil has outstanding tissue regenerating effects, with the ability to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, scars and stretch-marks.