Rose hips as complementary and alternative medicine: overview of the present status and prospects

Generally, the rose hips are discarded as horticultural wastes. Recently, they have been discovered to be storehouse of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Rich in polyphenols, essential fatty acids, vitamin A and C, mineral Ca and Fe, they have potential to be developed as functional foods. The extracts have demonstrated antioxidant, antiarthritic, antiinflammatory, analgesic, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, gas-troprotective and skin ameliorative effects. A slew of rose hip- based pharmaceutical supplements are already released to the market. Since very long, the indigenous traditional knowledge has accepted the medicinal value of rose hips. Now, modern clinical science is waking up to the rationale behind their incorporation in therapeutic regimens. This review has been compiled with a vision to promote the scarcely studied and barely exploited nutritional source as a nutraceutical aid and complementary and alternative medicine.