London, Feb 22 (IANS): People suffering from arthritis can reduce pain by 90 percent with a drug-free compound derived from rose-hip, the fruit of the rose plant, new research indicates.

It has been found that rose-hip has the power to reduce the agony of osteoarthritis sufferers.

Human trials suggest a compound called GOPO, found in the rosa canina species of rose-hip, could provide a breakthrough for six million people whose lives are blighted by joint pain.

Danish researchers found the specially cultivated compound reduced nagging joint pain in the hands of nine out of 10 of the trial participants when it was taken in supplement form, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Debilitating stiffness in finger and thumb joints can make tasks like opening jars, holding cutlery and tying shoelaces nearly impossible.

The results of investigations carried out at Frederiksberg University in Copenhagen and published in the Open Journal of Rheumatology and Autoimmune Disease, demonstrate that the extract could offer natural pain relief, showing that sufferers were a third less likely to use conventional painkillers after taking the supplement.