Are rose hips a remedy for the agony of arthritis?

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After taking capsules of rose-hip powder for six months, patients who had been treated with conventional drugs reported 'significant improvement' in their condition, better quality of life and less pain , a pilot study shows.

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Could rose hips have hidden benefits for arthritis sufferers?

Scientists want to do more tests to see whether the Vitamin C-rich berries, which have been used in medicine and cooking for centuries, can form the basis of a new drug.

About 400,000 Britons suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, which occurs when the body's immune system attacks joints, causing painful swelling and damage to cartilage and bone.

Conventional medicines have only limited effectiveness in treating the disease.

Although newer 'smart' drugs, which target different parts of the immune system, are becoming available, they are extremely costly.

Treating one patient over the course of a year using the latest TNF Alpha inhibitor drugs can cost up to £10,000.

A one-month supply of rose hip, which is available from most high street chemists, is priced at around £20.

The team behind the latest study believes the rosehip remedy LitoZin, made from the ground-up seeds and shells of the dog rose plant, could help to slash NHS spending on rheumatoid arthritis.

Professor Stefan Willich, of the Charite University Medical Centre in Berlin, who co-led the study on 89 patients, said: "Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most difficult medical conditions I'm aware of.

"It's a tough disease, which makes it all the more remarkable to find such beneficial effects from this natural remedy."