Rhodiola Rosea as a Treatment for Depression
By Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D.
Rhodiola rosea (Golden Root, Roseroot, Aaron's Rod) is a plant in the Crassulaceae family that grows in cold regions of the world.
These include much of the Arctic, the mountains of Central Asia, the Rocky Mountains, and mountainous parts of Europe, such as the Alps,
Pyrenees, Carpathian Mountains, Scandinavia, Iceland, Great Britain and Ireland.
Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) is a botanical medicine that is useful as a treatment for stress. It is known as an adaptogen herb; helping
the body to cope with stressful situations by reducing the overall stress response. Rhodiola also helps maintain balance in the hormonal
systems that operate in the body.
Rhodiola rosea may be effective for improving mood and alleviating depression. Pilot studies on human subjects
showed that it improves physical and mental performance, and may reduce fatigue.
Rhodiola rosea's effects are potentially mediated by changes in serotonin and dopamine levels due to monoamine oxidase inhibition
and its influence on opioid peptides such as beta-endorphin, although these specific neurochemical mechanisms have not been clearly
documented with scientific studies.
Rhodiola is included among a class of plant derivatives called adaptogens which differ from chemical stimulants, such as
nicotine, and do not have the same physiological effects.
In Russia and Scandinavia, Rhodiola rosea has been used for centuries to cope with the cold Siberian climate and stressful life.
Such effects were provided with evidence in laboratory models of stress using the nematode C. elegans,
and in rats in which Rhodiola effectively prevented stress-induced changes in appetite, physical activity, weight gain and the estrus cycle.
Research with animals has demonstrated protective effects of rhodiola extracts against physical stress. A study of healthcare
workers experiencing the stress from working nightshifts concluded that taking rhodiola prevented mental decline during
neuropsychological performance tests. In a double-blind study is Russia, rhodiola was given to medical students during
medical exams over 20 days. Those taking the extract had improvements in physical fitness, mental fatigue, and motor function
tests as well as an increased sense of well-being.166
Rhodiola reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol, while optimizing levels of key brain chemicals involved in mood.
It also appears to boost synthesis of a molecule known as adenosine triphosphate, which cells need to produce energy.
References (To view, roll mouse over the "References" heading; to hide, click on the heading)
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Duke J. (1997). The green pharmacy: The ultimate compendium of natural remedies from the world's foremost authority on healing and herbs, New York: St. Martin's.
Fredricks, R. (2008). Healing & wholeness: Complementary and alternative therapies for mental health. Bloomington, IN: Author House.
Maslova LV, Kondratev BIu, Maslov LN, Lishmanov IuB. The cardioprotective and antiadrenergic activity of an extract of Rhodiola rosea in stress. Eksp Klin Farmakol 1994;57: 61-3.
Spasov AA, Wikman GK, Mandrikov VB, Mironova IA, Neumoin VV. A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of the stimulating and adaptogenic effect of Rhodiola rosea SHR-5 extract on the fatigue of students caused by stress during an examination period with a repeated low-dose regimen. Phytomedicine 2000 Apr;7(2): 85-9.
Shevtsov VA, Zholus BI, Shervarly VI, Vol'skij VB, Korovin YP, Khristich MP, Roslyakova NA, Wikman G. A randomized trial of two different doses of a SHR-5 Rhodiola rosea extract versus placebo and control of capacity for mental work. Phytomedicine 2003 Mar;10(2-3): 95-105.
Tierra, M. (1998). The Way of Herbs. New York: Pocket.
Wood, Matthew. Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism: Basic Doctrine, Energetics, and Classification. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2004.
Zhu BW, Sun YM, Yun X, Han S, Piao ML, Murata Y, Tada M. Reduction of noise-stress-induced physiological damage by radices of Astragali and Rhodiolae: glycogen, lactic acid and cholesterol contents in liver of the rat. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2003;67: 1930-6.
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