Rhodiola - For Physical and Psychological Stress
Rhodiola is an herb that grows in the mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. Its scientific name is Rhodiola rosea. Its roots have been found to contain more than 140 active ingredients. It is considered an adaptogen, which means that it helps your body adapt to stress.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodiola_rosea
It has been known for a long time in Scandinavian countries and in Russia for being used to treat anxiety, fatigue and depression.
Today, it is widely used as a dietary supplement for these problems, and it is also believed that it may also help protect against certain medical conditions as well as help with fatigue and physical performance. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rhodiola-rosea
The term “adaptogen” was first used in 1940 Trusted Source to describe certain plant-based extracts that can non-specifically help the human body. “Adaptogen” is a functional term which describes how these substances affect your body rather than what chemicals they contain. Adaptogens are substances that may reduce the negative effects of stress on your body. They help to improve your body’s resistance to stress and offer other benefits as well. Nowadays, adaptogens refer to a range of supplements that may help the body adapt to stressful situations by interfering with the “fight or flight” response without causing harm. They may also help reduce the risk and impact of long-term stress.
Rhodiala’s Adaptogenic Effects
Reduce stress
Consuming adaptogens during stressful times is thought to help you handle stressful situations better. Rhodiola has also been shown to improve symptoms of burnout, which occurs with chronic stress. In one study published by trusted Source 118 people with stress-related burnout took 400 mg of rhodiola daily for 12 weeks. The study participants showed improvements in symptoms such as stress and depression commonly associated with burnout. And the improvement occurred very quickly- during the first week and it continued throughout the study. Researchers noted that this was the first trial investigating clinical outcomes of rhodiola treatment for burnout. They found the results encouraging and recommended further trials.
Improve fatigue
Stress, anxiety, and inadequate sleep are just a few factors that can contribute to fatigue, which can cause feelings of physical and mental tiredness. Due to its adaptogenic properties, rhodiola is thought to help alleviate fatigue.
In one study, 100 people with chronic fatigue symptoms received 400 mg of rhodiola every day for 8 weeks. They experienced significant improvements in stress symptoms fatigue quality of life mood concentration. These improvements were observed after only 1 week of treatment and continued to improve through the final week of the study.
Reduce symptoms of depression
Depression is a common condition that negatively affects how you feel and act. It’s thought to be associated with natural chemicals in your brain called neurotransmitters which can become unbalanced. Doctors commonly prescribe antidepressants to help correct these chemical imbalances. Rhodiola rosea may have antidepressant properties that help balance your neurotransmitters.
One 2015 study compared the effects of rhodiola with the commonly prescribed antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft). In this study, 57 people diagnosed with depression were randomly assigned to receive rhodiola, sertraline, or a placebo pill for 12 weeks. Rhodiola and sertraline both reduced symptoms of depression, and the drug sertraline was seen to have had a greater effect. But the natural supplement, rhodiola also worked while producing fewer side effects and was therefore better tolerated.
Improve brain function
A review of 36 animal studies Trusted Source concluded that rhodiola may improve memory function and learning abilities.Another animal study Trusted Source found that just one single dose of rhodiola had an antidepressant effect and improved memory in mice. This suggests that rhodiola could be of use to increase cognition and help mood disorders in people. Another research review Trusted Source showed that the therapeutic properties of rhodiola might benefit a number of age-related conditions. We certainly do need more research to bridge the gap between experimental results in animals and clinical applications for people.
Improve exercise performance
Rhodiola has been used to improve sports performance by its ability to reduce physical and mental fatigue. A Trusted Source published study found that rhodiola supplementation shortened reaction time and total response time in young, healthy, physically active men. One showed that rhodiola improved muscle power and strength performance in rats.
In other studies Trusted Source, rhodiola improved exercise performance by decreasing the perceived exertion- how hard participants felt their bodies were working.
May help manage diabetes
Diabetes occurs when your body becomes unable to produce or to respond to the hormone insulin, which results in high blood glucose levels. When this occurs people will need lifestyle changes to be made such as weight loss and exercise, or be prescribed oral medications or insulin to manage their diabetes. As per animal research Trusted Source suggests that rhodiola may help improve diabetes management.
May have anticancer properties
Salidroside, a component of rhodiola, has been studied for the possibility of its being cancer protective. Studies printed in Trusted Source show that it may inhibit the growth of lung, bladder, and colon cancer cells. Therefore, researchers have continued to see if it may be beneficial in the treatment of various cancers.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10784128/
Exercise and Physical performance Enhancement
There have many stuides conducted to investigate rhodiola’s effect of physical performance
Eight of the documented clinical studies used bicycle ergometry as a measurable exercise testing modality. Different protocols were utilized among these many studies(23,24,25,28,29,30,35,36). Some studies used running, either on a treadmill(33,37) or in an outdoors competitive race(31,32). Other studies used walking on a treadmill (34), one trial used rowing(27) and three othr studies incorporated resistance exercises such as bench press(38,39) and/or squat exercises(39).
Supplementation for strength and power outcomes. Two trials found benefits of 1,500 mg/day of Rhodiola rosea on various metrics of power during repeated anaerobic tests on a bicycle ergometer and mean concentric velocity during the bench press exercise. Another study documented the benefit of 2400 mg/day of Rhodiola Rosea on adaptations to resistance training. The supplementation in these studies was administered within 1 h before commencing exercise. There were apparent differences in recommended dosing for endurance v. strength/power outcomes. Future research is needed to clarify and confirm the optimal doses of Rhodiola for those seeking to improve different exercise performance outcomes.
In conclusion Rhodiola seems to possess the potential to enhance performance and performance-related outcomes in a number of different types of exercise. The variations in the supplementation dose and duration, concentrations of bioactive compounds and study participant characteristics, as well as differing exercise tests employed may explain the disparate findings in the existing study literature. While studies to date have provided valuable insights, further investigations should help to clarify remaining questions regarding effects of Rhodiola Rosea on recommended supplementation protocols, exercise modalities that can be employed and other factors. In summary it seems that the longstanding historical use of Rhodiola, the number of animal research studies done as well as human clinical trials in humans seem to indicate that this herbal supplement has physiological effects that enhance exercise performance and improves related outcomes.