Does the hip powder of Rosa canina (rosehip) reduce pain in osteoarthritis patients?--a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Christensen R, Bartels EM, Altman RD, Astrup A, Bliddal H · Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Pain fell in rosehip's favour with an effect size of 0.37 (95% CI 0.13-0.60, p = 0.002), and the trials agreed closely with each other (I² = 0%). A patient on rosehip was about twice as likely to be a responder (OR 2.19, p = 0.0009), a number needed to treat of six (95% CI 4-13). The authors describe the data as sparse and call for independent large-scale replication.

Population

287 osteoarthritis patients across 3 randomized placebo-controlled trials, median duration 3 months

Intervention

Rosa canina hip powder (145 patients)

Comparator

Placebo (142 patients)

Limitations

**All three trials were supported by the same manufacturer, Hyben-Vital International**, which the meta-analysis states explicitly. Three trials, 287 patients, median three months, symptom endpoints only. The independent replication the authors asked for in 2008 has not appeared.