Rhodiola Rosea (also known as Arctic root or golden root) is a member of the family Crassulaceae, a family of plants native to the arctic regions of Eastern Siberia. Rhodiola rosea is widely distributed  in Arctic and mountainous regions throughout Europe and Asia. It grows at altitudes of 11,000 to 18,000 feet above sea level.

Rhodiola rosea has been categorized as an adaptogen by Russian researchers due to its ability to increase resistance to a variety of chemical, biological, and physical stressors.¹ Origination of the term adaptogen has been dated to 1947 and credited to a Russian scientist, Lazarev. He defined an "adaptogen" as an agent that allows an organism to counteract adverse physical, chemical, or biological stressors by generating non-specific resistance.

Rhodiola rosea has been intensively studied in Russia and Scandinavia for more than 35 years. Similar to other plant adaptogens investigated by Russian researchers, extracts of this plant produce favorable changes in a variety of diverse areas of physiological function, including neurotransmitter levels, central nervous system activity, and cardiovascular function.

History:

Rhodiola Rosea has been used in traditional folk medicine in China, Siberia, and the Carpathian Mountains of the Ukraine². 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 rosea tea regularly will live more than 100 years." Rhodiola Rosea 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 rosea 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. 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. 

Function

In general rhodiola rosea contains phenylpropanoids, proanthocyanidins and flavonoids. The most uniquely active chemical constituents are the phenylpropanoids, rosavin (the most active), rosin, rosarin, rhodiolin, salidroside, and its aglycon, p-tyrosol. Only Rhodiola rosea contains rosavin, rosin and rosarin.³

1.Improve Immunity
Rosavins stimulates the immune system in two ways: FIRST - by specific direct stimulation of immune defence (stimulates one of the most important type of immune cells - Natural Killer Cells, NK-Cells seek and destroy the infected cells on the body). Rhodiola extract normalizes the immune system by improving T-cell immunity ^2,4 It has been shown to increase the body's resistance to toxins that may accumulate during infection development. SECOND - by making the body less susceptible to stress. When we are chronically exposed to stress that continually robs energy from other systems, the general effect is a lowered immune response and decreased health. ⁵ Rhodiola extract can also enhance B cell immunity by preventing the suppression of B cell immunity, which can occur during stress.

2.Depression

In animal studies, extracts of rhodiola rosea, namely rosavin and salidroside, seem to enhance the transport of serotonin precursors, tryptophan, and 5-hydroxytryptophan into the brain. ² Serotonin is a widely studied brain neurotransmitter chemical involved in many functions. Unbalanced serotonin has been linked to various abnormal mental states such as clinical depression. ⁵ Thus rhodiola has been used by Russian scientists alone or in combination with antidepressants to boost one's mental state, a boon in countries and seasons where one is deprived of adequate sun over prolonged periods of months. ⁶ (e.g., SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, common to Northern European countries.) In an open clinical trial of Extract of Rhodiola rosea's ability to alleviate symptoms of depression, 128 patients were given extract of Rhodiola rosea. The Rhodiola rosea extract was effective in reducing or removing symptoms of depression in 65% of the patients. ¹ 

3.Cardioprotective Activity 

Rhodiola rosea extract has been shown to moderate stress-induced damage and dysfunction in cardiovascular tissues. Treatment with Rhodiola rosea extract prevents the decrease in cardiac contractile force secondary to environmental stress in the form of acute cooling and contributes to stable contractility. ⁷ Pretreatment with Rhodiola rosea extract appears to create a beneficial adaptive response in this type of stress. When Rhodiola pretreated rats were exposed to acute cooling, the decrease in contractility was prevented and stable contractility of heart tissue occurred during perfusion.³

Other reports suggest administration of Rhodiola rosea extract protects cardiovascular tissue from stress-induced catecholamine release ⁵ and mitigates adrenaline-induced arrhythmias in rats.^4,8 The antiarrhythmic effect of Rhodiola rosea extract is suggested to be secondary to an ability to induce opioid peptide biosynthesis ¹  and related to the stimulation of peripheral kappa-opioid receptors. ⁶ Rhodiola Rosea extract has also been shown to be effective for cardiac problems caused or aggravated by stress. Its action for these conditions is in its ability to decrease the amount of catecholamines and corticosteroids released by the adrenal glands during stress. The abnormal presence of these stress hormones will subsequently raise blood pressure, cholesterol, potassium levels and increase risk factors for heart disease. Rhodiola has been found to decrease harmful blood lipids and thus decrease the risk of heart disease. It also decreases the amount of cyclic-AMP (c-AMP) released into cardiac cells. Cyclic AMP is related to ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the body's primary energy molecule. C-AMP acts as a 'second messenger' or liaison between the outer and inner environments of the cell. It assists in the uptake of more intracellular calcium into the heart thus promoting a greater potential for heart muscle contraction. Rhodiola thus regulates the heart beat and counteracts heart arrhythmias. ^3,9

4.Potent Antioxidant
Rhodiola rosea has potent antioxidant properties. By limiting the adverse effects of free radical damage, it is able to combat diseases associated with aging.

5.Improve performance

Like Siberian ginseng, Extract of Rhodiola Rosea is routinely used by athletes to improve performance. While the mechanism is not completely understood, it seems to improve the ratio of muscle/fat and increases hemoglovin and erythrocytes levels in the blood. 

6.Anticancer Activity 
Administration of Rhodiola rosea extract appears to have potential as an anticancer agent, and might be useful in conjunction with some pharmaceutical antitumor agents. In rats with transplanted solid Ehrlich adenocarcinoma and metastasizing rat Pliss lymphosarcoma, supplementation with Rhodiola rosea extract inhibited the growth of both tumor types, decreased metastasis to the liver, and extended survival times.⁷  Administration of Rhodiola rosea extract also directly suppressed the growth of and the extent of metastasis from transplanted Lewis lung carcinomas. ⁵ When Rhodiola rosea extract was combined with the antitumor agent cyclophosphamide in these same tumor models, the antitumor and antimetastatic efficacy of drug treatment was enhanced. The presence of free radicals is associated with cell mutagenicity, the immediate cause of cancer. Again, Russian researchers have found that the oral administration of rhodiola inhibited tumor growth in rats by 39 percent and decreased metastasis by 50 percent. It improved urinary tissue and immunity in patients suffering with bladder cancer.² In other experiments with various types of cancer, including adenocarcinoma (cancer of glandular tissue such as breast cancer) and lung carcinoma, the use of orhodiola rosea extract resulted in significant increased survival rate.¹⁰  

7, Sexuality Enhancement

Rhodiola rosea extract has been used to enhance sexuality for a long history in Russia and Far East cultures. In a study of 35 men suffering from weak erection, premature ejaculation, or both were treated with 100-150mg Rhodiola rosea extract in an open clinical trial that lasted for three months. 26 of the 35 patients recognized a substantial improvement in sexual function as a result of the treatment. ⁷

8, Memory Boost

A placebo-controlled study of Rhodiola rosea extract's effects on intellectual performance employed 120 subjects who took a proofreading test. Test subjects took the test both before and after administration of the Rhodiola rosea extract or placebo. The test group experienced significant improvement in their scores while the control group did not. Members of each group were continually tested for their ability to perform on the proofreading test for 24 hours after administration of the extract or placebo. The control group experienced a large increase in the number of errors made in the proofreading test while the group receiving Rhodiola rosea extract experienced performance decline to a much lesser extent. ¹⁰

Chemistry

Nearly 200 different rhodiola species have been identified. Only 14 have been subjected to biochemical study and it has been found that the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of rhodiola rosea is definitely species related. The most uniquely active chemical constituents are rosavin (the most active), rosin, rosarin, rhodiolin, and salisoroside. Only Rhodiola rosea contains rosavin, rosin and rosarin.

Dosage
Rhodiola rosea extract was found to be four times less potentially toxic than Korean ginseng even in high doses. In the two double-blind clinical trials, ¹¹ the dosage of a standardized Rhodiola rosea extract ranged from 100-170 mg per day. The content of rosavin consumed in these daily doses is approximately 3.6-6.14 mg. The therapeutic dose of available Rhodiola rosea preparations will vary depending on degree of standardization; however, for chronic administration rosavin content within the above range seems prudent. This would suggest a dose of approximately 360-600 mg Rhodiola rosea daily of an extract standardized for 1% rosavin, or the dose of between 100-170 mg for an extract standardized for 3.6%rosavin. As an adaptogen, chronic administration normally begins several weeks prior to a period of expected increased physiological, chemical, or biological strain, and continued throughout the duration of the challenging event or activity. When using Rhodiola rosea as a single dose for acute purposes (e.g., for an exam or athletic competition), the suggested dose is three times the dose used for chronic supplementation.  

Safety

The following side effects may occur in doses above 800mgs/day in some cases: Irritability, insomnia and unpleasant sensations. No other effects were observed.

References 

1. Petkov VD, Yonkov D, Mosharoff A, et al. Effects of alcohol aqueous extract from Rhodiola rosea L. roots on learning and memory. Acta Physiol Pharmacol Bulg 1986;12:3-16.
2. Brekhman II, Dardymov IV. New substances of plant origin which increase nonspecific resistance. Ann Rev Pharmacol 1969;9:419-430.