While you might think of the rose as a beautiful flower, there’s more to this plant than you might realize. For example, did you know that wild roses also have a fruit hidden just below their petals? This brightly colored fruit has a sweet and slightly tart taste and is rich in health-boosting nutrients.

Here's everything you need to know about rosehips and their health benefits (and why you can find this ingredient in your can of bubbly OLIPOP soda!).

What Are Rosehips?

Rosehip is the fruit of the wild rose flower, located right below the petals.¹ You’ll find the wild rose or Rosa Canina in Europe, North America, and parts of Africa and Asia.^{2 3}

Ranging in color from yellow-orange to deep purple, rosehip grows from the blossoms of the wild rose in late summer to fall, carrying the seeds of the plant into a new season.⁴ Their bright color derives from carotenoid pigments, specifically, lycopene and beta-carotene.²

Rosehips are popular for their vitamin C content, which is over 10 to 50 times that of an orange! The seed-filled fruit is a common ingredient in teas, herbal supplements, and various food products, such as juices, jams, better-for-you sodas (hint: OLIPOP!), and syrups.^{1 5 6}

History & Common Uses of Rosehip

As far back as 600 B.C., the Greek poet Sappho wrote about the beauty of the roses. In ancient Greece and Rome, roses decorated the statues of gods and goddesses.⁶ But that’s not the only place you'll find this flower in history.

Instead, rosehip, also known as Hipberry, Hop Fruit, Rose Haw, Persian Rose, and Wild Boar Fruit, among many other names, has a long history. Early Christians used rosehips as rosary beads and considered the fruit sacred.⁶ Additionally, Rosehip has purported pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory qualities used in traditional medicine for centuries.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the fruit is still employed as a medicine for the stomach and kidneys.⁴ Other historical uses of rosehip include the treatment of arthritis, fever, diarrhea, constipation, upset stomach, the common cold, respiratory infections, gallstones, and ulcers.^{1 4 5}

In addition to their potential medical application, rosehip is also a common ingredient in food products like teas and soup. So much so that it's a popular tea choice in Europe and a well-known ingredient in jams in the Middle East.⁷

Rosehip Nutrition

The edible seeds of the rosehip are high in antioxidants including vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and lycopene.⁴ Antioxidants have the potential to lower inflammation and oxidative stress in your body.^{2 8} Additionally, rosehips are also a source of calcium, magnesium, fiber, manganese, and unsaturated fatty acids.^{8 9}

Two tablespoons, or 16 grams of wild rosehips provide:⁹

• Fiber: 4 grams
• Vitamin A: 4% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin B5: 3% of the DV
• Vitamin C: 76% of the DV
• Vitamin E: 6% of the DV

Potential Health Benefits of Rosehips

Due to its high antioxidant content, rosehip may have therapeutic potential.³ While we need more research to fully understand and verify its health benefits, researchers have found a lot of promise in the treatment of certain health conditions through historic use in traditional medicine plus early research.

Some of the potential benefits of rosehip include:

Decreasing Painful Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Research suggests that rosehip could help decrease symptoms of osteoarthritis, a common type of arthritis that affects the cartilage in your joints.¹⁰ Of all rosehip’s potential treatments, this is one of the most studied.

Researchers testing the consumption of rosehip powder on participants with osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, hand, shoulder, and neck found promising results revealing a decrease in pain and stiffness. In a review of 24 studies, researchers found that the antioxidant and inflammation-fighting benefits of rosehip may help relieve osteoarthritis symptoms.¹⁰

Helping Relieve Gastrointestinal Problems

Rosehip has a long history of soothing gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, stomach ulcers, constipation, and more.⁴ However, we need more research to understand and verify how this happens.

Regardless, one study indicates that rosehips could alter the pH balance in your gut, helping to prevent the development of ulcers. In a 2017 review from the University of Zaragoza in Spain, researchers discovered that rosehips potentially slow down intestinal muscle contractions. This helps to increase the absorption of water and treat diarrhea.⁸

Boosting Immune Function

Freshly picked rosehips are higher in vitamin C and other antioxidants than most other citrus fruits. This means that rosehips could help support the immune system and could act as a potential preventative against the common cold or flu.³ 

Historically, we know that antioxidants help aid in fighting free radicals or oxidative damage in the body, thus, protecting normal cell function. And the more normal your cell function, the better prepared your body is to fight off infection.¹¹ And because your body can't produce vitamin C naturally, you need foods high in vitamin C like rosehips to help supplement this needed nutrient.

Why is Rosehip in OLIPOP?

While not featured in all our OLIPOP beverages, rosehip makes an appearance in some of our sodas, such as healthy orange soda. The ingredient not only adds to the sweet, refreshing flavor but also brings with it antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber.

Give rosehip and our other plant fibers and botanical extracts a try today in one of our tasty prebiotic sodas. Plus check out our other ultimate ingredient guides for more of a peek inside our flavor-packed soda can:

• Marshmallow Root
• Calendula Flower
• Chicory Root
• Prebiotic Fiber
• Cassava Root
• Jerusalem Artichoke
• Stevia

Sources

1. Rose Hips. (2014, October 9). University of Michigan Health. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/d04486a1
2. Bhave, A., Schulzova, V., Chmelarova, H., Mrnka, L., & Hajslova, J. (2017). Assessment of rosehips based on the content of their biologically active compounds. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, 25(3), 681–690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfda.2016.12.019
3. Miller, K. (2021, May 20). Rosehip: Uses and Risks. WebMD. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/rosehip-uses-and-risks
4. Wong, C. (2020, August 28). What Is Rose Hip and How Is It Used? Verywell Health. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-rose-hip-89506
5. Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine. (n.d.). Rose Hip. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://restorativemedicine.org/library/monographs/rose-hip/
6. Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. (n.d.). Rose Hip. Encyclopedia.Com. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rose-hip
7. Davidson, K. M. (2019, December 4). What Are Rose Hips, and Do They Have Benefits? Healthline. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rose-hips
8. Mármol, I., Sánchez-de-Diego, C., Jiménez-Moreno, N., Ancín-Azpilicueta, C., & Rodríguez-Yoldi, M. (2017). Therapeutic Applications of Rose Hips from Different Rosa Species. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18(6), 1137. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18061137
9. U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2019, April 1). Rose Hips, wild (Northern Plains Indians). FoodData Central. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168998/nutrients
10. Gruenwald, J., Uebelhack, R., & Moré, M. I. (2019). Rosa canina – Rose hip pharmacological ingredients and molecular mechanics counteracting osteoarthritis – A systematic review. Phytomedicine, 60, 152958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2019.152958
11. Carr, A., & Maggini, S. (2017). Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients, 9(11), 1211. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9111211
12. Lei, Z., Cao, Z., Yang, Z., Ao, M., Jin, W., & Yu, L. (2018). Rosehip Oil Promotes Excisional Wound Healing by Accelerating the Phenotypic Transition of Macrophages. Planta Medica, 85(07), 563–569. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0725-8456
13. ROSE HIP: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-839/rose-hip
14. Lin, T. K., Zhong, L., & Santiago, J. (2017). Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 19(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19010070
15. Fattahi, A., Niyazi, F., Shahbazi, B., Farzaei, M. H., & Bahrami, G. (2016). Antidiabetic Mechanisms of Rosa canina Fruits. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 22(1), 127–133. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587216655263

Meet our Expert This article is reviewed by Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD. Lauren Manaker is an award-winning registered dietitian, book author, and freelance writer. Her work can be found in many major media outlets and on her women’s health nutrition-focused Instagram account @LaurenLovesNutrition. Raised in sunny South Florida and now living in Charleston, South Carolina, she has a love for the ocean and would be living on a houseboat if she had her way. She currently lives with her husband, young daughter, and 70-pound rescue pup.