The adaptogenic herb Rhodiola Rosea – and its most potent bioactive component, salidroside – has proven itself a worthy addition to your health regimen in many categories: it’s adaptogenic, antifatigue, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anticancer, and modulates the immune system in beneficial ways. (R) Read on to learn the multifaceted benefits of Rhodiola.
Table of Contents
The Rhodiola I take
Now Rhodiola (1000mg in the morning. If it makes you sleepy take it in the evening).
Rhodiola is an effective anti-depressant
Rhodiola reduced depression and lifted general mood in a two-week study. (R)
A study comparing rhodiola to the antidepressant sertraline concluded that rhodiola may have a better risk-to-benefit ratio for those with mild to moderate depression. (R)
Rhodiola was found to be effective in reducing mild to moderate depression. (R)
A metanalysis of studies concluded rhodiola is a safe and effective antidepressant. (R)
A review of studies found several human trials in support of rhodiola as an antidepressant. (R)
Another metanalysis determined that rhodiola significantly alleviated depressive symptoms when compared to placebo. (R)
Rhodiola was effective in treating mild to moderate depression in doses of 340 or 680mg/day over a six-week period. (R)
Rhodiola reduces anxiety
Rhodiola reduced self-reported anxiety in an experimental group over a two-week period. (R)
A small study found the rhodiola reduced anxiety in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. (R)
A review of studies concluded rhodiola demonstrated anti-anxiety effects with repeated doses. (R)
Rhodiola had an anti-anxiety effect on rats. (R)
Rhodiola combats fatigue
Rhodiola was found to effectively reduce stress-related fatigue. (R)
Rhodiola boosted capacity for mental work in fatigued subjects. (R)
Rhodiola reduced fatigue and boosted mental performance while blunting the spike in cortisol associated with stress. (R)
Students given repeated doses of rhodiola during a stressful exam period saw their mental fatigue improve. (R)
Rhodiola protects the brain
Rhodiola protected against glutamate excitotoxicity. (R)
Rhodiola inhibited glutamate- and hydrogen-peroxide-induced cell death in the brain by preventing the accumulation of calcium in neurons. (R)
Rhodiola demonstrated neuroprotective protective effects and may be useful in guarding against the neurodegenerative mechanisms of Parkinson’s. (R)
Salidroside inhibits neuronal programmed cell death, possibly because it decreases the intracellular concentration of free calcium. (R)
Rhodiola improves learning and memory
Rhodiola appeared to exert positive and protective effects in the hippocampi of depressive rats. (R)
Doctors working night shifts performed better on tests of mental ability when treated with rhodiola. (R)
Rhodiola meaningfully improved both mental and physical performance in subjects with difficulties in both areas. (R)
Rhodiola improved short-term working memory performance. Its benefit was augmented with the addition of gingko biloba. (R)
Rhodiola improved learning and memory in rats, partially due to its ability to influence levels of key neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain. (R)
Rhodiola increases stamina
In subjects performing seven hours of continuous exercise, rhodiola increased the efficiency of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and prevented fatigue. (R)
A combination of rhodiola and gingko biloba significantly bolstered endurance performance and oxygen uptake and prevented spikes in cortisol in healthy volunteers. (R)
Students going through an exam period saw their physical performance improve when treated with rhodiola. (R)
Athletes undergoing endurance training at high altitudes increased their exhaustive run time vs. placebo and prevented a decline in parasympathetic nervous system activity when treated with a combination of rhodiola and cordyceps. (R)
A single large dose of rhodiola increased exercise capacity. (R)
A single large dose of rhodiola increased endurance by lowering heart rate and decreasing the perception of effort. (R)
Athletes taking rhodiola regularly saw reduced levels of blood lactate and skeletal muscle damage. (R)
Rhodiola benefits high-altitude living
Rhodiola improved sleep architecture and quality in men living at high altitudes. (R)
Researchers concluded that rhodiola’s traditional uses as a treatment for high-altitude sickness and anemia may be explained by its ability to spark production of red blood cells. (R)
Rhodiola reduces skin damage from sun exposure
Salidroside protected against UVB-induced skin aging. (R)
Pretreatment with salidroside in guinea pigs effectively prevented the formation of UVB-caused sunburn cells. (R)
Rhodiola is a natural painkiller
Rhodiola reduced hyperalgesia (excess pain) in diabetic rats. (R)
Rhodiola exhibited analgesic effects in rats with edema. (R)
Many of rhodiola’s benefits are attributed to its function as a modulator of opiate peptides, including beta-endorphins. (R)
A review of studies on herbal medicine in sports concluded that rhodiola is useful in the treatment of muscle and joint pain. (R)
Rhodiola is anti-inflammatory
Rhodiola may be able to suppress the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the immune-dysregulating conditions of spaceflight. (R)
Rhodiola reduced inflammation and CRP scores, as well as COPD assessment scores, in subjects with COPD. (R)
Salidroside broadly reduces proinflammatory cytokine activity. (R)
Salidroside exerted an anti-inflammatory effects on mast cells by quashing production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. (R)
Rhodiola is a strong antioxidant
Rhodiola contains 10 compounds that exhibit a strong antioxidant effect when compared to vitamin C. (R)
Researchers identified many bioactive compounds within rhodiola that effectively scavenge reactive oxygen species and counteract the cytokine expression they induce, with potential therapeutic benefits for the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems. (R)
Rhodiola effectively protected red blood cells against an oxidative agent. (R)
Rhodiola protected red blood cells from the oxidative stress of hydrogen peroxide. (R)
Rhodiola counteracts damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) by reversing DNA damage, altering cytokine expression and catalyzing antioxidative enzymes. (R)
Rhodiola improved kidney and pancreatic function in rats with severe acute pancreatitis via protection from free radicals and nitric oxide and increased tolerance to hypoxia. (R)
Rhodiola effectively guarded human red blood cells from the depletion of glutathione, the master antioxidant, when confronted with a potent oxidative agent (hypochlorous acid), with benefits found to be dose-dependent. (R)
Athletes saw increased vascular antioxidant capacity and a reduction in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, a potent catalyst for oxidative damage, in red blood cells. (R)
Rhodiola benefits the cardiovascular system
A metanalysis concluded rhodiola may be useful in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. (R)
Rhodiola shows potential in the treatment of chronic stable angina. (R)
Rhodiola prevented atrial fibrillation in rabbits. (R)
Rhodiola reduced systolic blood pressure in hypertensive rats. (R)
Rhodiola increased cardiac output in diabetic rats with heart failure. (R)
Rhodiola prevented hypoxia-induced cardiovascular damage in mice with severe sleep apnea. (R)
Treatment with rhodiola for eight days induced anti-arrhythmic activity. (R)
Rhodiola benefits the pulmonary system
Rhodiola effectively guarded against acute flare-ups of COPD, improving tidal breathing and ventilation efficiency. (R)
Rhodiola shows promise as an early treatment for Acute Lung Injury induced by infection, trauma, and surgery. (R)
Salidroside was found to effectively treat fibrotic lung injuries via its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antifibrotic properties. (R)
Rhodiola shows promise in the prevention of pulmonary artery hypertension. (R)
Rhodiola benefits mitochondria
Salidroside effectively ameliorated chemical-induced injury to mitochondria. (R)
Salidroside protected cells against the deleterious effects of hydrogen peroxide, increased mitochondrial mass, and upregulated mitogenic factors. (R)
Rhodiola is antiviral
Rhodiola induced antiviral activity after strenuous exercise. (R)
Rhodiola modulated the immune system to induce antiviral activity in people infected with Dengue virus. (R)
Salidroside, a component of rhodiola, was found to inhibit viral protein synthesis in Dengue virus and increase the expression of the host’s innate immune factors. (R)
Rhodiola and cancer
Rhodiola exhibited antitumoral effects in glioblastoma. (R)
An in vitro study found that rhodiola increased cell death and reduced cell proliferation and migration in melanoma. (R)
One study isolated four compounds from rhodiola rosea with antitumoral activity. (R)
Rhodiola inhibited division of leukemia cell lines and induced apoptosis (programmed cell death). (R)
Rhodiola proved cytotoxic (cell-toxic) on prostate cancer cell lines.
Rhodiola boosted the immunity of breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, reducing the number of oral ulcers and returning white blood cell counts to normal within a week. (R)
Breast cancer patients treated with salidroside were protected against plasma increases in reactive oxygen species. (R)
Rhodiola decreased growth of bladder cancer cell lines through inhibition of the mTor pathway. (R)
Salidroside’s ability to inhibit tumor cell metastasis may be due to its ability to modulate excess intracellular ROS. (R)
Salidorside inhibited the mTor pathway and induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) and autophagy (cell disassembly) in colorectal cancer cells. (R)
In vitro, salidroside treatment had wide-ranging benefits against breast cancer cell activity. In vivo (mice), salidroside and demonstrated antitumoral activity. (R)
Salidroside induced programmed cell death in human breast cancer cells. (R)
Salidroside inhibited the growth of various cancer cell lines, with efficacy against each cancer type found to be dose- and time-dependent. (R)
Additional benefits
Rhodiola reduced the rewarding properties of nicotine in addicted mice, preventing relapse. (R)
Rhodiola increased the lifespan of silkworms and fruit flies. (R1, R2)
Rhodiola promoted skeletal regeneration and may have use as an accelerating agent in healing fractures. (R)
Salidroside has potential to reduce mucus production in cold temperatures. (R)
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