Rhodiola Rosea – Health Benefits, Uses, and Side Effects

Rhodiola Rosea (also called roseroot, golden root, orpin rose, and lignum rhodium) is a flowering herb that belongs to the family Crassulaceae. 

It grows in high altitudes and regions that are cold (for example, in cold and wild areas of North America and Asia).

Rhodiola Rosea is commonly used to increase strength, endurance, mental abilities, and body energy.

Some people use the root of this plant as an adaptogenic to make their bodies adapt and develop resistance against chemical, physical, and ecological stress.

Many scientists are still conducting researches over this plant to determine its usefulness against medical conditions.

Health Benefits of Rhodiola Rosea

Today, Rhodiola Rosea is comprehensively used due to its various health benefits, some of which are:

• Adaptogenic Effects

Rhodiola Rosea is a naturally occurring substance that provides resistance against stress through non-specific methods.

Many research studies claim that if you consume a specific type of its extract before eating breakfast or lunch, it can manage and improve stress symptoms and anxiety attacks.

• Anxiety and Depression

Continuous use of Rhodiola and its related extracts can lower down anxiety and depression in people who are suffering from “generalized anxiety disorder.” 

The working mechanism of this plant is similar to some anti-depressant medicines.

The neurotransmitters work positively to make you feel better.

• Fight Fatigue

Anxiety, depression, stress, and lack of sleep can cause fatigue in your body, which will eventually lead to constant mental and physical exhaustion.

Rhodiola Rosea has adaptogenic properties so that it can have a constructive effect on attention and fatigue level.

• Premature Ejaculation

There are certain products in the market with a combination of Rhodiola extracts and other ingredients that can improve a person’s control over ejaculation.

Though it lacks evidence, high-quality research is going on to confirm this health aspect.

• Short-Term Athletic Performance

Short doses of Rhodiola abstracts can improve a person’s athletic performance, as well.

It can also improve muscle functioning and decrease muscle damage due to excessive exercise.

• Bladder Cancer

Rhodiola Rosea can provide some benefits to patients with bladder cancer. It can be used as an assistive treatment but cannot decrease the onset of relapse.

• Control Diabetes

Diabetes develops when a human body is unable to produce enough insulin (a hormone), resulting in a high level of sugar in the bloodstream.

Diabetic people usually use insulin injections to keep their blood sugar in check.

Interestingly, Rhodiola can lower blood sugar by improving the number of glucose transporters in the body.

• Cognitive Functioning

If you are going through an extreme amount of stress and tension, then you must be aware of how tough it is to cope up with this condition.

Several researchers have found out that Rhodiola can help with intricate cognitive perceptive functions such as concentration, calculation, short-term or long-term memory, audio or visual perception, and associative thinking.

The compound salidroside found in Rhodiola can serve to enhance your memory and provide anti-depressant effects on the body.

• Better Physical Performance

Just like everyone else, you might wish to become agile, fast, and strong.

Various research studies have reported that regular use of Rhodiola is associated with multiple health benefits.

It has acute effects over a person’s endurance and physical performance like exercise so they can complete a task faster and with more ease.

• Anti-Aging Effects

The extracts of Rhodiola can also prevent you from developing age-related reduction of immune functions, physical activity, and stress.

• Burn Belly Fat

This medicinal plant can help your body to burn an extra amount of fat that has been stored inside the body.

A regular exercise has a significant impact to shed weight faster, extracts of Rhodiola can give you an edge to accelerate your weight loss efforts.

Dosage

The suitable dose of Rhodiola Rosea depends upon different factors, for example, the patient’s age, his/her health, allergic reactions, and family history.

Clinically measured doses of this plant extracts are 200mg-600mg per day. For depression, the dosing is 340mg-680mg per day.

Before taking any extract or supplement containing Rhodiola Rosea, remember that appropriate dosing is crucial when it comes to natural products as they are never too safe to consume. 

Be sure that you are following proper directions and the guidelines provided over the label.

Side Effects of Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola Rosea is safe to consume via oral route if used on a short-term basis.

An accurate dose of Rhodiola two times a day can be used without any possible side effects for six weeks- 12 weeks.

However, like any other drug, there are specific side effects related to its use. These side effects are usually rare and can range from mild to moderate in severity.

General Side Effects:

Rhodiola Rosea can cause

• Agitation and anxiety
• Restlessness
• Nauseous
• Hyper-salivation and insomnia
• Dry mouth
• Dizziness

Alter Blood Pressure:

Rhodiola Rosea can change your blood pressure, which can be a life-threatening situation for people who are also consuming other medicines like ACE inhibitors.

Increase the Risk of Bleeding:

This plant can also increase the risk of excessive bleeding if you take it with aspirin or any other anticoagulant medicines such as heparin or warfarin.

Increase Symptoms of Autoimmune Disorders:

It can increase your chances of developing an autoimmune disease because it triggers the immune system.

It can cause inflammatory bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune thyroid disorders.

Jitteriness:

People who are prone to anxiety and are consuming Rhodiola Rosea in high doses can go through jitteriness and agitation.

Conclusion:

Rhodiola Rosea is a kind of flower-bearing herb that grows well in a cold environment and high altitude areas of the world.

Many people believe that they can use this herb or plant to treat and manage depression, fatigue, headaches, anemia, and anxiety.

Various studies have already been conducted over this plant, and some of them are still under investigation to determine how effective Rhodiola Rosea is and whether it is active enough to be included in medicines and treatment campaigns. 

Though it has some side effects, almost all of them are rare and can easily be cured.