Root
This section is a list of chemical entities identified in this dietary supplement to possess pharmacological activity. This list does not imply that other, yet unidentified, constituents do not influence the pharmacological activity of this dietary supplement nor does it imply that any one constituent possesses greater influence on the overall pharmacological effect of this dietary supplement.
Phenylpropenoids (including rosavin, rhosavidin, rhodiolosid, salidrosid);(
1),(
2) additional constituents are thyrosol and cinnamic alcohol, essential oil, anthraglycosides, beta-sitosterin, daucosterol, monoterpenes, flavonoids, and 16-18% tannins.
Rhodiola has been used in traditional folk medicine in China, Serbia, and the Carpathian Mountains of the Ukraine. In the former Soviet Union, it has been used as an adaptogen, decreasing fatigue and increasing the body’s natural resistance to various stresses. In Siberia it is said that, "those who drink rhodiola tea regularly will live more than 100 years." Rhodiola also has been traditionally used in sexual disorders in men and women. In the former Soviet Union, a favorite form of the herb is a tincture called "nastojka", prepared by combining the fresh roots of rhodiola with 40% alcohol and allowing the mixture to sit for one week. A teaspoonful of the resulting "nastojka" after breakfast, lunch, and dinner is prescribed for those experiencing sexual disturbances.
Rhodiola seems to enhance the body's physical and mental work capacity and productivity, with actions related to strengthening the nervous system, fighting depression, enhancing immunity, elevating the capacity for exercise, enhancing memorization, improving energy levels, and possibly prolonging the life span.(
3) In Siberia, it was taken regularly especially during the cold and wet winters to prevent sickness. In Mongolia, it was used for the treatment of tuberculosis and cancer.
Interactions and Depletions
50-100mg (standardized extract), 3 times a day.
50mg (standardized extract), 2 times a day.
*Standardization represents the complete body of information and controls that serve to enhance the batch to batch consistency of a botanical product, including but not limited to the presence of a marker compound at a defined level or within a defined range.
The most current available medical and scientific literature indicates that this dietary supplement should be standardized to 1% salidrosid and/or 40-50% phenylpropenoids.
Frequently Reported Uses- Adaptogen, Tonic
- Cardiovascular Support (Angioplasty, Angina, Bypass)
- Depression
- Cardiac Arrhythmias
- Enhancement Of Sports Performance
- Increases Stamina, Endurance
Other Reported Uses- Antioxidant
- Chemotherapy And Radiation Protection
- Immune Enhancing
- Hypoglycemic Activity
- Increases Female And Male Sexual Vitality
No known toxicity in recommended dosages.
If pregnant or nursing, consult a physician before use.
Do not use in children under 2 years of age unless recommended by a physician.
The effect of an alcohol-aqueous extract from rhodiola roots on the processes of learning and memory was studied in rats.(
4) Several methods of active avoidance with negative and positive reinforcements were used, as well as passive avoidance. Rhodiola extract was reported to improve learning and retention after 24 hours. Significant improvement of long-term memory was also established in memory tests after a 10-day treatment with the same dose of the extract (0.1ml of a 1:1w/v). Like Siberian ginseng, rhodiola is routinely used by athletes in the former Soviet Union to improve performance. While the mechanism is not completely understood, rhodiola seems to improve the ratio of muscle to fat, decreases the time to shift to a fat burning metabolism, and increases hemoglobin and erythrocyte levels in the blood. A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study reported that a preparation of rhodiola root extract on the stimulating and normalizing of students during a stressful examination had positive effects on physical fitness, mental fatigue and neuro-motoric tests. Also, a self-assessment of the general well-being of each individual was also significantly higher than placebo.(
5) Another study investigated the effect of repeated low-dose treatment with a standardized extract of rhodiola on fatigue during night duty among a group of 56 young, healthy physicians.(
6) The authors reported that rhodiola can reduce general fatigue under certain stressful conditions.
For the treatment of depression, extracts of rhodiola, namely rosavin and salidroside, in animal studies seem to enhance the transport of serotonin precursors, tryptophan, and 5-hydroxytryptophan into the brain and decrease the action of COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase), an enzyme that degrades serotonin.(7) Russian scientists have used rhodiola alone or in combination with antidepressants to enhance mental state and decrease the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) common to Northern European countries.
Rhodiola has been reported to be antiarrhythmic in both human and animal subjects.(8),(9) The antiarrhythmic effect of rhodiola is reported to be associated with the induction of opioid peptide biosynthesis, specifically kappa-OR.(10),(11) Rhodiola was found to prevent stress-induced cardiac damage.(12) It was concluded that rhodiola may prevent both stress-induced catecholamine release and higher cAMP levels in the myocardium. The findings suggest that the antistressor and cardioprotective effects of rhodiola are associated with limited anti-adrenergic effects on the heart.
Rhodiola extracts have been reported to be chemoprotective when used with cyclophosphamide. (13) The extract and derivative were reported to protect the myelopoietic tissue from the toxic action of cyclophosphamide, retaining or increasing the suppressive effect of the latter towards clonogenic tumor cells. Russians have used this data to support rhodiola’s use as a biological response modifier during antitumor chemotherapy.(14) It was found that Rhodiola rosea extracts significantly reduce the yield of cells with chromosome aberrations and micronuclei induced by cyclophosphamide in vivo and inhibit unscheduled DNA synthesis induced by NMU in vitro.(15) It is postulated that Rhodiola rosea extracts are antimutagenic due to their ability to raise the efficiency of intracellular DNA repair mechanisms.
Rhodiola has also been reported to decrease the toxicity of Adriamycin in mice with metastatic carcinoma.(16) Adriamycin can be involved in producing liver dysfunction, as usually seen by a sharp increase in blood transaminase levels. Rhodiola extract was reported to decrease this toxicity and inhibit tumor dissemination. Combined application of Adriamycin and the rhodiola extract proved effective in terms of antimetastatic efficacy and was nearly free from toxicity. Another laboratory study reported that use of rhodiola extract increased the antitumor and antimetastatic effects of cyclophosphan (cyclophosphamide).(17) Use of the herb extract could have promise as a hepatoprotective agent during chemotherapy protocols.
In animal experiments, rhodiola extract increased blood insulin and decreased glucagon levels, resulting in a 50 to 80 percent increase in liver glycogen where excess sugar is stored. This information suggests that rhodiola extracts may help normalize blood sugar levels and decrease insulin resistance.(18)
Rhodiola is also reported to have antioxidant activity in vitro, most likely due to the cinnamic alcohol content.(19)