For research and educational purposes only. Not medical advice.
Rhodiola rosea Reference
Educational, not medical advice reference for Rhodiola rosea: Nootropic, Longevity; regulatory status, evidence posture, source review, and sche…
Reference summary
Multiple small randomized trials and reviews report modest improvements in stress-related fatigue, mental performance during sleep deprivation or shift work, and mild-to-moderate depression: Darbinyan 2007 (depression), Olsson 2009 (fatigue), Spasov 2000 (medical-student exam stress), and a 2012 Cochrane-style systematic review collectively describe small-to-moderate effect sizes with reasonable replication for stress and fatigue endpoints. The literature is weaker for athletic performance and substantially weaker for any 'cognitive enhancement in healthy young adults' claim. Mechanism is thought to involve modulation of HPA-axis cortisol response and monoaminergic signaling rather than direct stimulant activity.
Regulatory and posture
- Categories
- Nootropic, Longevity
- Aliases
- Golden root, Arctic root, Rhodiola, SHR-5, WS 1375, Rosenroot
- Evidence posture
- human - Sold as a dietary supplement in the US, not as an FDA-approved drug. Effects on stress and fatigue are reported in multiple small trials with mixed quality and short duration. Not a treatment for clinical depression, anxiety disorders, or burnout.
- Regulatory status
- No FDA-approved Rhodiola drug label. Approved in Russia and several European markets as an adaptogen for stress and asthenic conditions. In the US, sold as a dietary supplement, typically standardized to 3 percent rosavins and 1 percent salidrosides; SHR-5 and WS 1375 are the standardized extracts used in most of the Western clinical literature.
- Content review status
- research reference