Rosa canina pseudo fruits, often referred to as rose hips, have been used as herbal medicine for more than 2,000 years, yet research has only recently begun to clarify specific mechanisms by which this plant product affects human health. Numerous compounds have been identified, and speculations of their bioactivity have implicated flavonoids, carotenoids, and fatty acids (FAs). With more than 4,500 representatives, flavonoids have been subjected to comprehensive research, with results that suggest various individual structures may be health-promoting compounds, also in rose hips. The importance of carotenoids from R. canina is currently being debated, because the demonstration of specific bioactivity among this group is presently less clear. The benefits of specific FAs have been investigated for decades, and several types of FAs are termed "essential" for human health. The specific mechanisms for bioactivity associated with three FAs that are abundant in R. canina fruits have been clarified in research. For example, linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid (mostly present in the seeds from R. canina) and a galactolipid ((2S)-1,2-di-O-[(9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadeca-9-12-15-trienoyl]-3-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl glycerol), referred to as GOPO, have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this review is to critically analyze the published literature on rose hip research, with emphasis on the broadness and varying significance of the publications. Initially, we describe the chemical ingredients of R. canina pseudo fruits, with some focus on what ingredients are found in the whole pseudo fruit and what we know is confined to the seeds (achene seeds), and/or the shells (hypanthium). Then, we evaluate important papers describing the in vitro investigations of the bioactivity and impacts of the constituents of rose hip.

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Diabetes is a metabolic disorder arising from complex interactions between multiple genetic and/or environmental factors. The characteristic high blood sugar levels result from either lack of the hormone insulin (type 1 diabetes, T1D), or because body tissues do not respond to the hormone (type 2 diabetes, T2D). T1D patients currently need exogenous insulin for life, while for T2D patients who do not respond to diet and exercise regimes, oral anti-diabetic drugs (OADs) and sometimes insulin are administered to help keep their blood glucose as normal as possible. As neither the administration of insulin nor OADs is curative, many patients develop tissue degenerative processes that result in life-threatening diabetes comorbidities. Several surveys of medicinal plants used as anti-diabetic agents amongst different peoples have been published. Some of this interest is driven by the ongoing diabetes pandemic coupled with the inadequacies associated with the current state of-the-art care and management of the syndrome. However, there is a huge cleft between traditional medicine and modern (Western) medicine, with the latter understandably demanding meaningful and scientific validation of anecdotal evidence for acceptance of the former. The main problems for clinical evaluation of medicinal plants with promising anti-diabetic properties reside both with the complexity of components of the plant materials and with the lack of full understanding of the diabetes disease etiology. This review is therefore focused on why research activities involving an integration of Systems Biology-based technologies of pharmacogenomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics with standard clinical data, should be used for cost-effective validation of the safety and anti-diabetic efficacy of promising medicinal plants. The application of such approaches to studying entire mixtures of plant materials will ensure proper elucidation of novel therapies with improved mechanisms of action, as well as facilitate a personalized clinical use of medicinal plants as anti-diabetic agents.

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Rosa canina fruits (often known as rose hip) have been used in herbal remedies since ancient times. On the basis of anecdotal reports about the effects of rose hip preparations on human health and citations to the same in ancient texts, in vitro and in vivo studies have been conducted that have made it possible to learn about some active ingredients in rose hip, as well as how the component compounds might exert their effects. From such studies, it has been documented that there is a great variation in active ingredients when comparing different rose hip products. Factors which affect the quality and quantity of active ingredients in the rose hip products include the subspecies of the particular R. canina from which the fruits are harvested, the environment during plant growth, time of harvesting, and the amount of seeds and shells/husks incorporated into the preparation. Studies in animals and in humans are of great importance for determining the true bio-effects of rose hip. Such in vivo studies that have only been performed during the last 2 decades indicate that the treatment of patients with different types of joint disease with rose hip powder based on a subspecies of R. canina (Lito) containing a certain galactolipid (GOPO) can alleviate pain, improve daily activity, and even reduce the consumption of regular pain relievers. As several rose hip components have been shown to be anti-inflammatory, it is suggested that anti-inflammatory mechanisms might explain some reductions in symptoms associated with administering rose hip to arthritic conditions. Although the number of publications of randomized and placebo-controlled clinic studies with rose hip is small, the overriding evidence is that the anti-inflammatory effects from administration of rose hip preparations containing both shells and seeds are superior to preparations containing shells alone.

Aim: A standardized preparation of seeds and shells of selected sub-species of Rosa canina L, trade name Hyben Vital ® , reduces discomfort from osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. This study aims to investigate the impact of the same rosehip powder (RHP) on discomfort and the consumption of rescue medication, in patients with osteoarthritis of the hand. Methods: The double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial included 30 patients with osteoarthritis of the dominant hand. Patients were randomly allocated to treatment with either five gram encapsulated RHP or placebo, for three months (Phase 1), after which they switched to the corresponding treatment for a further three months period (Phase 2). Before entering the study, after 3 weeks and following three months of each of the study phases, scores for pain, stiffness and general feeling of discomfort were evaluated using a 10 step categorical scale, focusing on 16 different daily activities of the hand. The consumption of rescue medication was also calculated at the beginning and at the end of each study phase. Data are based on the intention to treat. Results: At the end of Phase 1, 90% of patients in the group receiving RHP first (group A), showed a reduction in pain, as compared to 36% in the group B initially given placebo (p < 0.029). In line with this observation, stiffness and the general feeling of discomfort from the disease declined during RHP treatment (p < 0.032). In group A, symptom reduction was still indicated by the study subjects 3 weeks after the switch to placebo. The consumption of rescue medication such as paracetamol, codeine and tramadol also declined significantly in group A when compared to group B (p < 0.013). Conclusion: The present data suggest that administration of RHP, containing seeds and shells can reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis of the hand and consumption of rescue medication.

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