What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a common condition that affects the joints, leading to pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced mobility (Ameye & Chee, 2006).

The most common form, osteoarthritis, develops gradually as cartilage breaks down and joint structures change over time,
affecting areas such as the knees, hips, hands, and spine (Kolasinski et al., 2020).

What Causes Arthritis?

Arthritis develops due to a combination of factors:

Age-related cartilage changes
Joint injuries or overuse
Excess mechanical stress on joints
Inflammation and metabolic factors

For example, joint injuries significantly increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis later in life, especially in weight-bearing joints like the knee.

(Salzmann et al., 2017)

What’s Happening Inside an Inflamed Joint?

Arthritis is not just “wear and tear”, it also involves chronic low-grade inflammation.

Inside the joint:

Inflammatory signals like TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 are released
These activate enzymes that break down cartilage (e.g. MMPs)
Oxidative stress further contributes to joint damage

Over time, this leads to:

Cartilage degradation
Reduced joint function
Increased pain and stiffness

(Park et al., 2014)

Rosehip and joint health

Rosehip (Rosa canina) is one of the most studied plant-based ingredients for joint support.

Clinical and experimental research suggests that rosehip may:

Help reduce joint pain and stiffness
Improve physical function and mobility
Support overall joint comfort

In clinical studies, patients taking rosehip extract experienced significant improvements in pain, stiffness, and function over time (Mahajan et al., 2020).

A meta-analysis of randomized trials also found that rosehip was associated with reduced pain and increased likelihood of symptom improvement compared to placebo (Christensen et al., 2008).