As I reported last February, scientific studies show one natural botanical extract can help you shed pounds and inches. But the weight loss and natural products industries “underutilize” and even ignore this natural extract in their dietary supplements, according to a recent report.
Instead, they focus on all the wrong ingredients — such as caffeine. My old friend John Tesh recommends drinking caffeinated coffee or tea with meals to help you lose weight. While coffee and tea do have many natural benefits, drinking them won’t help you lose weight.
Plus, many manufacturers include caffeine in their shady and shaky weight loss supplements. I call them “shaky” because you can easily get too much caffeine this artificial way and end up with the “shakes.” Drinking too much tea can also expose you to pesticides and toxins from the tea leaves, the bags, and the brewing — depending on the sources.
On the other hand, we have rose hips, the edible fruits that grow on roses. Rose hips belong to the botanical family Rosaceae, which also includes apples, apricots, peaches, and pears.
They grow everywhere in North America. Traditional culinary cultures of North America, including the Chumash of California and the Samish of the Pacific Northwest, commonly added them to cooking. They’re also used in European cuisine and Chinese medicine.
Rose hips are rich in plant polyphenols, such as anthocyanidins, catechin, flavonoids, and triterpenes, as well as essential fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamins A, C and E, and minerals.
Natural weight-loss wonder backed by science, not hype
Ongoing science shows rose hips aid weight loss, which goes beyond the abilities of other botanicals. In fact, as I reported last year, rose hips help convert white fat into brown fat. Plus, rose hips help increase energy expenditure, which is a key component of weight management.
Research shows rose hips also benefit heart health. In addition, studies show one of the flavonoids in rose hips reverses liver toxicity and suppresses fat accumulation in the liver. In clinical study of obese individuals, 40 grams per day of rose hip powder (a food quantity) for six weeks reduced blood pressure, “bad” cholesterol, blood lipids (fats), and improved overall heart health profile.
Rose hips also have antioxidant, immune-supporting, and anti-cancer activities.
Research shows they further benefit arthritis, cancer, depression, kidney stones, liver disease, and skin conditions.
Perhaps U.S. formulators neglect the beneficial ingredients in rose hips, ironically, because roses are so widely cultivated. Instead, they push exotic foods like acai berries, pomegranates, and quinoa, which they have to import at a great expense and environmental impact.
You should consume rose hips in food quantities, since they are edible fruits. Fortunately, you can now get rose hip powder as part of a water-soluble extract. You can get a food equivalent quantity of rose hips by adding the powdered extract to water or your favorite beverage.