Rose Hip

Rosa canina · Rosehip · Rose hips

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Osteoarthritis pain^{1, 2} Systolic blood pressure³ Total cholesterol³ Orthostatic symptoms in type 2 diabetes⁴ Postsurgical scars (topical oil)⁵	Pregnancy⁶ Breastfeeding⁶ Bleeding disorders⁷

Rose hip is the fruit of Rosa canina and related species, rich in vitamin C, phenolics, carotenoids, and galactolipids⁸. Supplementation rests on its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity⁸. The main use is osteoarthritis pain in adults with knee or hip disease, taken as a powder of hips and seeds^{1, 2}. Further uses include cardiometabolic risk markers in obese adults, where daily rose hip powder lowered systolic blood pressure and cholesterol³.

A meta-analysis of three placebo-controlled trials of rosehip powder found reduced osteoarthritis pain, though all three were manufacturer-supported¹. A military working group review of dietary ingredients for chronic musculoskeletal pain made no recommendation on rose hip despite moderate-quality evidence of pain reduction, citing the high number of capsules required daily⁹. A 2023 systematic review of randomized trials of rosehip extract, which also tracked blood pressure, found mixed effects on cholesterol and blood glucose¹⁰. Products list rose hip as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, and liquids, often paired with vitamin C; see Form comparison.

Health Canada lists do-not-use statements for pregnancy and breastfeeding on some licensed products, and other labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use alongside prescription medications⁶.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

51 sources, 40 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources