Physicochemical properties, health benefits, and applications of the polysaccharides from Rosa rugosa Thunb.: A review

Rosa rugosa Thunb. (R. rugosa) has been used as food and medicine and not just as ornamental plant for nearly a thousand years, its nutritional and medicinal value have been recognized by people. It contains a variety of biological active ingredients that are beneficial to the human body. R. rugosa polysaccharides are also one of the main bioactive ingredients, which have many health benefits such as anti-diabetes, antioxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-tumour, moisture-preserving and anti-alcoholic liver disease. This review summarizes the extraction, purification, structural characteristics, health benefits, and structure-activity relationships of R. rugosa polysaccharides. In addition, current and potential applications of R. rugosa polysaccharides are analyzed and supplemented, hoping to provide some valuable insights for further research and development of functional food additives, nutritional supplements, additives for daily chemical products, and even pharmaceuticals.