The treatment of osteoarthritis, a disease that eventually affects the majority of the older population, involves the
alleviation of symptoms such as pain and stiffness, and the reduction of inflammation. The double-blind, placebocontrolled,
crossover study reported here examined the effect of Hyben Vital, a herbal remedy made from a subtype of
Rosa canina and recently reported to have anti-inflammatory properties, on the symptoms of osteoarthritis. One
hundred and twelve patients with osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to treatment with either Hyben Vital 5 g daily
or an identical placebo for 3 months, followed immediately by the alternative treatment. The patients assessed changes
in joint pain and stiffness after each treatment period on a 5-point categorical scale. General wellbeing, including
mood, sleep quality and energy were also assessed and recorded in a personal diary.
The results in the two arms of the crossover differed markedly. Group A (placebo first) showed significantly more
improvement from Hyben Vital than from placebo, po0:0078 for pain and o0:0025 for stiffness. But Group B (Hyben
Vital first) revealed a positive effect of the same order as for Hyben Vital in group A, not only from the active drug, but
also from placebo (difference not significant). An identical pattern was observed when we evaluated general wellbeing
from the diary records. When patients, on the basis of reduction in joint pain, were divided into responders and nonresponders,
the first 3 months of active treatment (group A) showed a response rate of 31/47 (66%) compared to that
of placebo (group B) 18/50 (36%), po0:0185: No major side effects occurred in either group. The data indicate that
Hyben Vital reduces the symptoms of osteoarthritis. We interpret the marked differences in the responses of the two
groups as indicating a strong ‘‘carryover’’ effect of Hyben Vital.