Benefits

Understanding the many different ways rhodiola rosea works and why this adaptogen transcends the nebulous hype of most natural herbal remedies can be a bit challenging. Over the years I’ve received thousands of different questions through this website, and most of them tend to center around a few of the same themes.

From understanding why one would want to take rhodiola rosea to understanding how to cope with potential side effects, the questions I’ve received have had a distinct and reoccurring theme. So to help people find quick answers to their most pressing questions I have gathered these questions and answers together into a single, succinct FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). I hope this helps you quickly grasp the benefits of rhodiola and the most pertinent facts about what it is, where it comes from and how it should be used. Read on to read the most common rhodiola questions and their answers.

So how will we use Rhodiola rosea in modern medicine? To better understand where modern research begin and who pioneered the research that led to our current understanding of the benefits of rhodiola, we have to start with the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. Then we move to the progressive researched conducted by Europeans and Scandinavians. And then where we go from here? Relatively recent pharmacological studies may indicate the way as suggested by this part of our reformatting of the classic research aggregated and discussed in Rhodiola Rosea: A Phytomedicinal Overview.

Read on to develop a better understanding modern research for the modern uses of this potent adaptogen.

For nearly a century now, rhodiola rosea depression studies have indicated that this herbal remedy helps relieve depression and regulate anxiety. This extract’s use as a supplement in Siberia and for Soviet soldiers helps explain why so many of these early studies originated in Soviet academies and universities.

But now the clinical support is appearing further west.

A recent study in Sweden has found that R. rosea extract exhibits an anti-depressant effect in individuals who suffer mild to moderate forms of depression.

The Nordic Journal of Psychiatry published the results of the first double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of this extract in patients diagnosed with depression. This study indicates

While the research still rests more in the hands of the east than the west, rhodiola rosea still holds tremendous promise for athletes looking to enhance their performance in a safe, legal and natural way. In this comprehensive piece of research, RhodiolaRosea.Org founder Dr. Zakir Ramazanov and his esteemed colleague collect and discuss the aggregate reality of the research supporting the use of rhodiola rosea for muscle development.

The potential benefits of this extract are broad and diverse, from providing herbal stress relief to treating mild depression. However, the Internet is ripe with hype and it can be difficult to discern the sales pitches from the real research. I encourage you to explore Dr. Ramazanov’s detailed discussion so you learn why that hype (some of it admittedly excessive and empty) has a reason for existing in the first place. At the very least, it seems exploring something with so few side effects is the only responsible thing to do.

So read on to learn more about the benefits of supplementing your diet with rhodiola rosea if you desire to improve your ability to develop muscles and enhance your athletic performance.

One of the lesser known benefits of rhodiola rosea is that it not only features very few side effects, but that it also shows promise in minimizing the damage done by potent medical treatments such as chemotherapy. As usual, the evidence is preliminary and requires further corroboration, but at least it is promising enough that I believe more institutions should exercise greater interest in either verifying or fully refuting this promise.

If we can determine how Rhodiola rosea provided the benefits indicated in a few pilot studies, we may be able to devise new medications from it’s components that provide meaningful relief to many people suffering a great deal as they endure the side-effects of potent medications and aggressive treatment programs.

In this section you will learn how some pilot studies suggest this adaptogen could provide significant relief to people enduring chemotherapy.

Moving rhodiola research from theory and preliminary to proven or dis-proven is something I would love to see happen. I recognize that not all the preliminary promise will be proven valid or statistically significant, but I believe many people would be better off if we at least knew with some degree of certainty. And I believe this collection of research on Rhodiola rosea antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic effects should compel researchers to take this adaptogen more seriously.