Rhodiola Rosea is an adaptogenic herb that has been used for centuries to reduce the physical and chemical effects of stress, reduce anxiety, improve mood, and alleviate fatigue in stressful situations.
Rhodiola may have neuroprotective benefits that involve preserving and improving cognition.
The active compounds in rhodiola are salidroside and a class of bioactive molecules called rosavins.
Name
Rhodiola Rosea (also known as: Rosavin, Rosenroot, Golden Root, Rhidola, Arctic Root, Rhodiola Rhizome).
Origin
Rhodiola is a Traditional Chinese Medicine and Scandinavian adaptogenic herb native to northernmost parts of Europe and Central Asia.
Rhodiola Rosea has been shown to have beneficial effects on alleviating cognitive stress and fatigue.
Additionally, it may possess some neuroprotective properties against toxins.
Effects On Stress
A dose of 400 mg daily (200 mg twice daily) for 4 weeks showed improvements in perceived stress, fatigue, and stress-induced social and work dysfunction [1].
Additionally, the results of a recent meta-analysis showed that up to 660 mg of rhodiola rosea extract per day reduced cognitive fatigue and improved overall well-being relative to placebo treatment [2].
Figure 1. Improvements in life-stress symptoms after 4 weeks of rhodiola supplementation
Effects On Fatigue
Rhodiola appears to be effective at reducing fatigue when taken acutely or with daily supplementation, and may be effective at attenuating fatigue in chronically fatigued people [3].
Effects On Memory and Cognition
In rodent studies, doses of rhodiola at 50 - 100 mg/kg body weight for 9 days was able to enhance memory in otherwise normal, healthy rats [4].
Several studies have demonstrated rhodiola’s ability to reduce cognitive fatigue, reduce processing errors during mentally challenging tasks, and increase attention and reaction time [5, 6, 7, 8, 9].
Figure 2. Improvements in anti-fatigue index compared to placebo
Rhodiola has been shown to preserve cognition and there is some evidence suggesting it may improve memory independent of stress and fatigue [10].
Rhodiola has also been shown to accelerate the rate of nerve healing [11, 12].
Effects On Mood
Doses of 340 mg or 680 mg of rhodiola per day have been shown to improve mood, sense of well being, and emotional stability [13].
Effects On Anxiety
Preliminary evidence suggests rhodiola may be effective at reducing anxiety. In humans, improvements in generalized anxiety disorder have been observed with supplementation at 340 mg over 10 weeks [14].
Effects On Longevity
As an adaptogen, rhodiola appears to promote longevity by acting on hormetic pathway DAF-16 to elicit an adaptive stress response [15, 16, 17].
Effects On Glucose Metabolism
Rhodiola may have application in improving glucose tolerance. One study showed that a dose of rhodiola administered to rats was able to reduce blood glucose by ~50%, comparable to the effects of an equal dose of cinnamon, another known compound to improve postprandial glucose metabolism [18].
Side Effects
No reported side effects within the recommended range.
