Rhodiola and More

By Alice R. Laule, M.D.

In 2004, at an Integrative Medicine meeting in Colorado, I first heard about Rhodiola. Since that time, it has become easier to find, and is such an amazing little herb, it is time to talk about it more.

          The physician who spoke at the meeting had actually gone to arctic regions where Rhodiola rosea grows, and witnessed the successful adaptation of the people in these very stressful climes and altitudes who use Rhodiola to strengthen themselves. He was very impressed with the stoutness of the people who used it, as well as with the beneficial effect it had for himself when he took it to help adjust to the high altitude.

          Rhodiola is one of a group of herbs known as adaptogens, these being herbs that have a wide range of beneficial effects that help us with all sorts of stress situations, chemical, biologic and physical.

          Russian and Scandanavian countries, places where Rhodiola grows in the arctic regions, have done most of the research on this herb. In some cases we don’t have the entire text of studies. Nonetheless, it appears that neurotransmitters and stress hormones can be altered for the better by Rhodiola, through the mechanism of 28 separate compounds isolated from roots and leaves. Rat studies showed that the hypothalamic/pituitary/adrenal axis reactions to stress (see the April,2006 Stepping Stones newsletter) were normalized, allowing the rats to tolerate stress much better when treated with Rhodiola. It also helps the tissues of the body utilize oxygen better. Anti-cancer effects have been reported, with positive studies in rats, where adriamycin’s liver toxicity was also reduced when that chemotherapeutic agent was given with Rhodiola.

          This same herb has been shown to favorably affect sex hormones. Men in the arctic regions visited by the physician I mentioned earlier were virile, and women were still having babies at ages well above what we ordinarily expect.

          Here are some of the conditions for which Rhodiola has been recommended:  Adaptation to high altitude

          Amenorrhea

          Infertility

          Cardiovascular disease

          Cancer treatment

          Insomnia

          Depression

          Colds and flu

          Weakness, fatigue, weight loss

          Headaches

          High blood pressure

          Sexual dysfunction (male)

          Cognitive decline.

          Makes you want to run right out and get some, doesn’t it? And all of this is supported by some fairly decent research, although some of the Russian studies are not fully available.

          With all this research it seems odd, but agreement on the correct dosage seems to be lacking. A fairly reliable source suggests 300-600 mg. daily of a standardized extract, but others recommend taking it only a few days of the week, and no more than 300 mg. Yet another resource says it is important to take more that 200 mg. daily, because the effects are absent at lower doses.         

          Over all, I have to conclude that this herb is too new to the scientific community for all the data to be in, though it has a long history of use in fairly large quantities in the arctic, high altitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere. At the very least, this is an herb to keep watching as more data comes forth.

Stay healthy.

Alice R. Laule, M.D.

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