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Rhodiola

Rhodiola
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Common Names: arctic root, golden root, rose root, king’s crown

Latin Names: Rhodiola rosea

Background

  • Rhodiola grows in cold regions and at high altitudes in Europe and Asia.
  • Rhodiola has a long history of medicinal use in Russia, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe. Traditionally, it was used to attempt to increase endurance, work performance, and tolerance of high altitudes and to treat fatigue, weakness, and other symptoms.
  • Today, rhodiola is promoted to increase energy, stamina, strength, and mental capacity, improve athletic performance, resist the effects of stress, and help manage depression, anxiety, and other symptoms.

How Much Do We Know?

  • Some preliminary research has been done on rhodiola and its components, but few rigorous studies of this herb have been done in people.

What Have We Learned?

  • There isn’t enough evidence from studies in people to allow conclusions to be reached about whether rhodiola is helpful for any health-related use.

What Do We Know About Safety?

  • Rhodiola has been used safely in studies lasting 6 to 12 weeks. Possible side effects include dizziness and either dry mouth or excessive saliva production.
  • Little is known about whether it’s safe to use rhodiola during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Keep in Mind

  • Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.

For More Information

NCCIH Clearinghouse

The NCCIH Clearinghouse provides information on NCCIH and complementary and integrative health approaches, including publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.

Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226

Telecommunications relay service (TRS): 7-1-1

Website: https://www.nccih.nih.gov

Email: info@nccih.nih.gov (link sends email)

PubMed®

A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed.

Website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

ODS seeks to strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by evaluating scientific information, supporting research, sharing research results, and educating the public. Its resources include publications (such as Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know) and fact sheets on a variety of specific supplement ingredients and products (such as vitamin D and multivitamin/mineral supplements).

Website: https://ods.od.nih.gov

Email: ods@nih.gov (link sends email)

Key References

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NCCIH has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s). We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH.

Last Updated: October 2020