Rhodiola Rosea, also known as Artic Root and Golden Root, is an incredible herb with a lot to offer.
Rhodiola Rosea Benefits And Side Effects
Rhodiola has traditionally been used in Northern Europe and Asia for endurance, energy, and fatigue and to help acclimate to high altitudes. It has a long history of being used by athletes to improve performance. It has a number of benefits and uses.
Rhodiola is an adaptogen, an herb that helps support a healthy stress response and brings balance to the body, which promotes overall well-being.
Many of the benefits of Rhodiola root come from this. Combining it with consistent stress management practices creates a powerful combination that can have a very big positive impact on your life because chronically high levels of uncontrolled stress have very detrimental effects.
Rhodiola supports healthy cortisol levels and adrenal health via its actions on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system.
Rhodiola supports healthy energy levels.
Rhodiola supports athletic performance, endurance, and stamina.
Rhodiola supports healthy brain function.
Rhodiola side effects, in a very small number of people, include dry mouth and dizziness.
Rhodiola has not been studied in pregnancy and breastfeeding, so pregnant and nursing women should not use it.
Rhodiola Quality Control and Sourcing
As with other herbs, there’s a lot to know about quality control and sourcing regarding Rhodiola.
First, Rhodiola is a threatened and endangered species. It grows in a limited range and climate, mainly in Russia and China. Because of those countries' lack of environmental regulations and protections, it is suffering from huge amounts of overharvesting. If this does not change soon, wild Rhodiola may be gone forever. It is imperative that people stop buying wild-harvested Rhodiola from China and Russia and that stores stop stocking it to allow wild populations to recover.
The next issue with Arctic root is the growing problem of adulteration. Rhodiola Rosea root is an expensive raw material, so a lot of adulteration occurs. The most common adulterant is other species of Rhodiola, such as Rhodiola Crenulata. These different species do not have the same benefits but are much cheaper to produce.
Substituting cheaper species of Rhodolia leads to products that are very low in marker compounds like salirosides and rosavins. When nearly forty products were tested, most were low in or completely missing these compounds. Even many that listed certain levels of these compounds on their labels failed testing, which showed far less or none of the claimed amounts. What nearly all of these problematic products had in common was that the raw materials came from Rhodiola, which was wild harvested or farmed in Russia and China.
How to choose a good Rhodiola Root Supplement
Because of widespread adulteration, finding a good Rhodiola supplement can be particularly challenging. So, what should you look for in a Rhodiola root tincture or capsule?
The first thing to look at is sourcing. Look for companies that have a direct relationship with the farmers who grow it. Don’t buy from companies that don’t source their Rhodiola directly from the farm that grows it. Middlemen increase the risk of adulteration problems. Never buy products made with wild-harvested Rhodiola because of its endangered status.
The second is production. Look for companies that produce their own Rhodiola capsules and tinctures from the root, not just put some powder from a middleman into a bottle or slap their name on white-label or private-label products. When companies control the process from whole raw material to bottle, there is much less chance of adulteration and contamination.
The third thing to look out for is ethical problems. Look for companies that don’t buy from Russia and China. They should buy from family farms that ethically grow it without the use of slave or exploited labor.
Fourth is solvents. A lot of Rhodiola extracts are made with solvents like hexane or acetone. You don’t want those in your supplements. Instead, look for Rhodiola root tincture or capsules extracted with alcohol and water.
Fifth is farming methods. Look for companies using Rhodiola grown on small family farms without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. None of those are needed to grow Rhodiola, and we all benefit when less are used.
A beautiful family farm of Alaskan Rhodiola
Our Favorite Rhodiola Root Tincture
It was not easy finding a Rhodiola rosea tincture that met all of our standards. Thankfully, we found the trailblazing company Alaska Rhodiola, which has created an entire Rhodiola ecosystem in Alaska.
They are bringing together a network of incredible farmers and teaching them to grow Rhodiola. This will allow so many people to experience the benefits of Rhodiola without putting pressure on its wild populations and ensure it is ethically grown. It also creates an opportunity for family farmers to get much needed income. Thankfully, Alaska has the perfect climate for growing Rhodiola, producing plants high in marker compounds, salirosides, and rosavins. Because there are no pests in Alaska that eat the Rhodiola, they can farm it without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
They make small batches of their Rhodiola root tinctures by hand, the old-fashioned way that herbalists have been doing for a very long time. They use only dried Alaskan Rhodiola roots, gluten-free alcohol, and Alaskan glacier water. There are no middlemen involved. Each bottle can be traced back to the farm it came from. We wish every supplement were made with this level of transparency.
How Do You Take Rhodiola Root Tincture?
As with all herbs, the dosage can vary from person to person. Some people feel well with a small amount, like one dropperful, while others need more or less. Unless you have used Rhodiola before, start out at a low dose, as some people are sensitive to its effects.
Start with one dropperful in the morning for a couple of days. After a week, you can increase it to two to three dropperfuls and even add an early afternoon dose if you need an energy boost. Don't use Rhodiola at night. Shake it well before using. When you squeeze the pipette, it fills up only half-way, .5 ml, which is considered a dropperful.
Because the tincture is very potent, its taste can be intense. Many people dilute it in a small amount of water or add it to a beverage such as tea. It is best taken on an empty stomach about twenty minutes before eating, as food will slow down the absorption.
Rhodiola is an herb that works better the longer you take it because of how it works in the body. For the best effects, take it consistently and daily. An excellent way to use it is to take it for three months, then take two weeks off and resume if needed. It's great to take upon waking up in a big glass of water. As with other supplements, always talk to your doctor before starting it.
Why do we recommend Rhodiola Tincture instead of capsules?
The compounds that impart the color and flavor to Rhodiola Rosea are soluble in water. That is why the tea has such a rich reddish color, rose-like fragrance, and a bitter, somewhat tannin taste. The main beneficial compounds, primarily rosavins and saldrosides, are better dissolved in an organic solvent such as ethanol (alcohol). Therefore, it is best to use water and ethanol to extract as much of the entire spectrum of beneficial compounds out of the root as possible. They experimented with various concentrations and found that 75% alcohol and 25% water seemed to be the best in pulling out the essential constituents while also keeping enough of the color and flavor intact. Most capsules are made from Rhodiola root that has not been extracted properly and lack the full range of important compounds or are very low in them. They are working on a process to produce a properly made capsule version, and it should be ready next year!
We are proud to have Alaska Rhodiola as part of our Farm-To-Bottle Program. It's the only Rhodiola we sell! You can get the fantastic benefits that Rhodiola has to offer without spending a fortune while helping small family farmers and preserving this incredible plant for future generations. Everybody wins!