Thapelo Lekhotla, a Biotechnology student at the National University of Lesotho (NUL), decided to put the wild rosehip fruit under the microscope—literally! Rosehip is that little red berry you see people picking in the mountains. In Lesotho, folks collect it for tea, jam, juice, and even skin oil. But Thapelo wanted to know: What’s really inside this plant? Is it as healthy as people say? And most importantly, is it safe?

Under the supervision of Professor Sibusisiwe Magama and other co-supervisors, Thapelo set out to find answers. He didn’t just test the juicy red part of the fruit—the one everyone uses. He also tested the seeds and the husks. After all, when people make rosehip oil or powder, they sometimes use the whole fruit.

This wasn’t just about curiosity. Rosehip is a big deal in Lesotho. People sell it in local markets, they drink it for health, and they rub the oil on their skin. But until now, few had taken the time to check: What exactly are we putting into our bodies when we eat rosehip or drink rosehip tea?

So, Thapelo got to work.

First, he collected fresh rosehip fruits from the mountains. After picking, he cleaned them, dried them, and separated the parts—fruits, seeds, and husks. Each part was ground into fine powder using a pestle and mortar. This powder was ready for testing.

To check for the healthy stuff, he used something called qualitative phytochemical analysis. That’s just a fancy way of saying he looked for plant chemicals using colour tests.

He soaked the rosehip powders in ethanol, which helps pull out the plant compounds. Then he added special lab chemicals to the solution. If the liquid changed colour—turning pink, green, or brown—that meant a certain phytochemical was there.

And what did he find?

Rosehip is packed with good stuff. The fruits had terpenoids, which are great for boosting the immune system. He found flavonoids and polyphenols, which are like tiny heroes that protect the body from damage and reduce swelling.

There were also anthraquinones and phlobatannins. Those are big science words, but they basically help with digestion and keep inflammation under control. Saponins and quinones were there too, fighting infections and helping balance cholesterol.

So yes—rosehip really does live up to the hype when it comes to health benefits.

But Thapelo didn’t stop there.

Next, he tested for germs. Fruits like rosehip are soft and moist, which makes them the perfect home for bacteria and fungi. To check this, Thapelo used microbial plating. He spread samples onto petri dishes filled with growth media—a jelly-like substance that helps bacteria and fungi grow.

After leaving the plates for a while, the microbes started to show themselves. Sure enough, the rosehip fruits had the highest number of bacteria and fungi. The husks had fewer, and the seeds had the least.

What does this mean? If you’re making rosehip tea or jam, you need to clean the fruits well and dry them properly. Otherwise, you might be drinking more than just tea—you could be sipping on some microbes too!

Well microbes are not always bad but we need to be careful. Right?

Finally, Thapelo tested for heavy metals.

Plants absorb metals from the soil, and while some are good for you—like potassium and iron—others can be harmful if they build up, like lead and nickel.

Thapelo used a special machine called a Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. It shoots flames at the sample to detect even tiny amounts of metal. His results showed that the husks had the most metal content, especially potassium and iron. The fruits had some metals too, but less. And the seeds had the lowest levels.

Luckily, the metal levels were mostly safe for human use. But this is still something to watch, especially for farmers and companies who want to make rosehip products for sale.

Thapelo says it best:

“Rosehip is an amazing plant. But people deserve to know exactly what’s in it—the good stuff and the risks—so they can use it properly.”

This research is good news for everyone. For farmers, it means he has found ways to test their produce. For local businesses, it means they can make teas, oils, and jams that aren’t just traditional…but backed by science.

And for ordinary people? Well, now you can sip your rosehip tea knowing exactly what’s in your cup.

Pretty cool, right?