• Rose hips are the small fruits of the rose plant.hips image by Kostyantyn Ivanyshen from Fotolia.com
  
  Vitamin C and rose hips work together. This combination is not an uncommon one, and many brands of vitamin C also contain rose hips. Rose hips are the small fruits of the rose plant. They are saturated in vitamin C as well as iron and vitamins B, A and E. Their combination has tremendous health benefits.
  
  

Immunity

• Vitamin C assists the immune system, especially in times of stress. Rose hips do the same thing in that they protect the structure of cells from attack by pathogens. Vitamin C cannot cure the cold, but it can protect the body during a cold from additional complications such as developing infections of pneumonia. Rose hips help stave off infection and inflammation.
  
  

Nutrient Metabolism

• Rose hips have more vitamin C than do oranges. This double dose of C permits other vitamins in the system (as well as in the hips themselves) to be absorbed at a quicker rate.
  
  

Cellular Defense

• This combination of nutrients can protect against stroke. This is because vitamin C, in conjunction with rose hips, permits the proper nutrients to get to the right places as it protects cellular walls from invasion or decay. Both chemicals strengthen cellular structure, which prevents the weakening of blood vessels in the brain--the cause of stroke. It is the same action of strengthening cells that also permits authorities, such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, to postulate that C with rose hips can also prevent facial wrinkles.
  
  

Pectin

• One important purpose of the C-rose hips combination is the ability of rose hips to assist in the vital work of C. As C protects the body from infection, rose hips spur the kidneys to clean the body. Urine production is increased, which means the system cleanses itself as it receives proper nutrition. In addition, rose hips contain pectin, which is an important chemical that binds waste products in the intestine. This also cleanses the system efficiently and permits a better elimination of waste products. In short, rose hips act as an efficient disinfectant for the intestinal tract.