SupplementsHerbs & MushroomsRhodiola
Rhodiola
Rhodiola rosea, also called golden root
A root that survives Arctic cold and high mountains, taken for tiredness and focus when life runs hot, and one of the rare herbs that may act within days.
- Builds up
- Days to weeks
- In your body
- Not well known
- Per 1 capsule
- 250 mg
- 30-day supply
- $15.00One capsule a day, plus packing and delivery
What is rhodiola?
Rhodiola rosea grows in cold, high places across Europe, Asia and North America, and goes by some fine names: golden root, arctic root, rose root, king's crown. People used it for hard work, endurance, tiredness and altitude sickness long before anyone studied it.
It's often called an adaptogen. That's the word for a herb thought to help your body cope with stress, rather than doing one specific job.
Ours is a root extract holding rosavins and salidrosides, the two compounds rhodiola is best known for. They occur naturally at about three to one, and ours keeps that ratio: 7.5 mg of rosavins to 2.5 mg of salidrosides. That matters, because among rhodiolas rosavins are found only in this species, so they help show you've got the real thing.
What it does
- Mental energyHelps reduce feelings of tiredness during demanding periods.
- StressSupports a healthy response to everyday stress.
- FocusSupports concentration when you're worn down.
- ExerciseMay help hard effort feel a little easier.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
What people take it for
MixedStress and tirednessA month of 576 mg a day eased fatigue in people with burnout. Reviews still call the overall research contradictory.
Early daysFocus when tiredTired young cadets did better on mental work after a single serving, and people with burnout kept better attention.
Early daysEnduranceAn hour before a 6-mile bike time trial, it made effort feel easier. Riders finished about 24 seconds faster.
How long it takes
Unusual for a herb, it may not need long. In one open study, people felt less stressed after 3 days, and more so by 4 weeks. Nobody in that study got a comparison capsule, so read it as a hint.
- 1 hourWhen a single serving was tested before a bike time trial
- About 4 weeksWhen stress and fatigue studies measured their main changes
- 12 weeksAs long as it's been judged possibly safe, so check in beyond that
How long it stays in your body
We couldn't find a solid number in people. It seems to act fast enough to be tested an hour before exercise, and it hasn't been shown to pile up.
What's in a capsule
One capsule holds 250 mg of extract, with 7.5 mg of rosavins and 2.5 mg of salidrosides. Stress studies used 400 to 576 mg a day, so one capsule is less than that.
Your morning cortisol, and a caution about a common medicine
Cortisol is your main stress hormone, and it normally jumps in the first half hour after you wake. In people with burnout, a month of rhodiola calmed that morning jump, and they scored better on attention and fatigue. People given a dummy capsule improved too, though less. Feeling looked after does a lot on its own, so any honest read has to allow for that.
This is also why the research is hard to summarize. One review looked at 11 trials and found rhodiola helped in about half, with problems in how nearly all were run. A sports review was kinder: a single serving helped endurance, while steady use helped short, hard efforts more than long ones.
The other thing to know is about your liver, which clears most medicines. After 2 weeks of rhodiola, healthy volunteers' bodies processed the blood pressure medicine losartan about 21% more slowly. That's modest, but it can matter for medicines where small changes count, like warfarin or phenytoin. In the lab, rhodiola root also blocks MAO, the same target as an older group of antidepressants, which is why antidepressants sit at the top of the list below.
What it interacts with
- AntidepressantsRhodiola blocks MAO in the lab, which could add to these medicines' effects on serotonin. One woman had a fast, irregular heartbeat for 3 days after taking it with her antidepressant. Talk to your doctor first.
- Antipsychotic medicinesA review of reactions to herbs and psychiatric medicines named rhodiola among the ones to watch. Ask first.
- Losartan and other blood pressure medicinesRhodiola slowed how the body processes losartan by about 21% after 2 weeks, and may add to the pressure-lowering effect of these medicines. Ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- Warfarin and phenytoinThey use the same liver pathway, and small changes matter with them. Ask before you start.
- Caffeine and other stimulantsRhodiola may add to their effect, including on blood pressure, so you could feel wired. Check first if you take a stimulant medicine.
- Any regular medicineLab work suggests it could affect how other drugs are cleared too, and little is known about most combinations, so run it past your pharmacist.
Goes well with
Side effects
- Dizziness, headache and trouble sleeping.
- Dry mouth, or the opposite, more saliva than usual.
Check first if
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding: little is known, so check with your doctor.
- Taking an antidepressant or any psychiatric medicine: talk to your doctor first.
- Blood pressure medicines, blood thinners or seizure medicines: ask first.
- Trouble sleeping: it can keep some people awake, so the evening may not suit you.
- Long-lasting exhaustion: worth a proper check, since low iron, thyroid problems and other causes are easy to test for.
The blood tests that go with it
- Morning cortisolYour main stress hormone. Rhodiola calmed its morning jump in one study.
- Heart rateDropped by a few beats during a warm-up after a serving.
- LactateBuilds up with hard effort, and sports studies often measure it.
- CKShows muscle stress. Steady use may ease muscle damage from exercise.
- hs-CRPShows low-level inflammation, also tracked in sports studies.
- INRYour clotting number, if you take warfarin.
- TSHThyroid problems are a common, testable cause of long-lasting tiredness.
- FerritinYour iron stores. Low iron is another testable reason to feel worn out.
Work it out
Supplementation
Find Rhodiola in a ready-made protocol.
Start from one of these, or add it to your own. Everything comes in one pouch each morning.
Mind & balance
For your focused hours.
30-day pack · 5 a morning · 150 pills
$70.35 / month
Choose this packMind & balance
Make space for balance.
30-day pack · 6 a morning · 180 pills
$73.50 / month
Choose this packYour own
Build your own pouch.
Know what you want to take? Pick each ingredient, and we time it through your day.
Build your own
- cGMP-certifiedFacilities
- FDA-registeredFacilities
- Accredited labsIndependent testing
- Non-GMOIngredient options
- OrganicIngredient options
- VeganFormula options
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Want it more precise? Get the app.
A page can only tell you about Rhodiola. The app tells you about you: whether it fits, when to take it, and whether it's working.
- Checked against your blood work and everything you already take
- On your daily timeline, around your sleep, training and meals
- Followed over time, so you can see what moved
RhodiolaOPEN 09:00Rhodiola against your blood work, your sleep and what you already take.
AIYour long workdays are lining up with worse sleep. Your morning cortisol is from last year, so want to retest it?
ASK ABOUT RHODIOLAFind the goal that's yours.
Your record, your routine and LifeFrom AI, pointed at the outcome that matters to you.
Questions
What is rhodiola good for?
Mostly tiredness from stress, focus when you're worn out, and how hard exercise feels. There's some real research here, but its quality is mixed.
How long does rhodiola take to work?
It can be quick. One study saw changes after 3 days, and a bike study tested it just an hour before riding. Most stress studies measured results at about 4 weeks.
What are the side effects of rhodiola?
Dizziness, headache, trouble sleeping, and dry mouth or extra saliva. Serious problems haven't shown up in studies, and most effects were mild.
What does rhodiola interact with?
Antidepressants and losartan are the main ones to know. Warfarin and phenytoin use the same liver pathway as losartan, so ask if you take either. Caffeine and stimulants may also add to the buzz.
Can I take rhodiola every day?
It's been judged possibly safe for up to 12 weeks. Beyond that we don't know enough, so check in with your doctor if you'd like to stay on it.
Is rhodiola better than ashwagandha?
They're different. Rhodiola is studied more for tiredness and can feel a bit energizing, while ashwagandha is studied more for stress and sleep and takes weeks.
Does rhodiola lower cortisol?
In one study of people with burnout, it calmed the morning cortisol jump after a month. That's a single study, and it wasn't measuring cortisol all day.
What's the half-life of rhodiola?
We couldn't find a solid number in people. What we know is how fast it can act, and that it's usually used daily.
Who should not take rhodiola?
If you're pregnant, breastfeeding or on antidepressants, blood pressure medicine, seizure medicine or blood thinners, ask first. If you sleep badly, you may find it makes that worse.
Sources
- NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Rhodiola.
- Olsson EM et al. The standardised extract SHR-5 of the roots of Rhodiola rosea in stress-related fatigue. Planta Med, 2009.
- Ishaque S et al. Rhodiola rosea for physical and mental fatigue: a systematic review. BMC Complement Altern Med, 2012.
- Shevtsov VA et al. Two different doses of a SHR-5 Rhodiola rosea extract and capacity for mental work. Phytomedicine, 2003.
- Edwards D et al. Rhodiola rosea extract WS 1375 in subjects with life-stress symptoms. Phytother Res, 2012.
- Kasper S, Dienel A. Clinical trial with Rhodiola rosea extract in patients suffering from burnout symptoms. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat, 2017.
- Noreen EE et al. The effects of an acute dose of Rhodiola rosea on endurance exercise performance. J Strength Cond Res, 2013.
- Sanz-Barrio PM et al. Rhodiola rosea supplementation on sports performance. Phytother Res, 2023.
- Thu OK et al. Effect of commercial Rhodiola rosea on drug-clearing enzymes in humans. Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 2016.
- Spanakis M et al. Interaction between losartan and Rhodiola rosea in rabbits. Pharmacology, 2013.
- van Diermen D et al. Monoamine oxidase inhibition by Rhodiola rosea roots. J Ethnopharmacol, 2009.
- Woroń J, Siwek M. Unwanted effects of psychotropic drug interactions with plant extracts. Psychiatr Pol, 2018.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Rhodiola.
Written by LifeFrom from these sources, and not yet reviewed by a clinician. Talk to your doctor before starting a supplement.
