Rhodiola Root Powder 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Rhodiola Root Powder – 100 g ($23.99), 50 g ($14.99), 25 g ($9.99)

Benefits:
Stress  Rhodiola has long been known as an adaptogen, a natural substance that increases your body’s resistance to stress in non-specific ways. Consuming adaptogens during stressful times is thought to help you handle stressful situations better. Rhodiola has also been shown to improve symptoms of burnout, which can occur with chronic stress.

One study involved 118 people with stress-related burnout who took 400 mg of rhodiola daily for 12 weeks. Study participants showed clear improvement in various symptoms such as stress and depression commonly associated with burnout. The most improvement occurred during the first week and continued throughout the study. Researchers noted that this was the first trial investigating clinical outcomes of rhodiola treatment for burnout. They found the results encouraging and recommended further trials.

Fatigue  Stress, anxiety, and inadequate sleep are just a few factors that can contribute to fatigue, which can cause feelings of physical and mental tiredness. Due to its adaptogenic properties, rhodiola is thought to help alleviate fatigue.

In one study, 100 people with chronic fatigue symptoms received 400 mg of rhodiola every day for 8 weeks. They experienced significant improvements in:

• stress symptoms
• fatigue
• quality of life
• mood
• concentration

These improvements were observed after only 1 week of treatment and continued to improve through the final week of the study.

You don’t have to be an athlete to experience the benefits of rhodiola. Not only can it help reduce physical fatigue, but it may also decrease mental fatigue and symptoms like brain fog or lack of concentration.

Rhodiola is also often used to help people overcome exhaustion from low-intensity, but frequent, exercise or movements. Rhodiola has been shown to increase workplace performance and decrease the effects that sleep deprivation can have on your body.

A 2012 systematic review of 11 randomized, controlled trials that focused on rhodiola’s anti-fatigue effects found that “some evidence suggests that the herb may be helpful for enhancing physical performance and alleviating mental fatigue.” However, further studies are needed.

Depression  Depression is a common, serious illness that negatively affects how you feel and act. It’s thought to occur when chemicals in your brain (neurotransmitters) are unbalanced. Health professionals often prescribe antidepressants to help correct these chemical imbalances. It has been suggested that rhodiola rosea may have antidepressant properties that help balance the neurotransmitters in your brain.

One 2015 study compared the effects of rhodiola with the commonly prescribed antidepressant sertraline, which is sold under the name Zoloft. In the study, 57 people diagnosed with depression were randomly assigned to receive rhodiola, sertraline, or a placebo pill for 12 weeks. While rhodiola and sertraline both reduced symptoms of depression, sertraline had a greater effect. However, rhodiola produced fewer side effects and was better tolerated.

Another benefit of supplementing with rhodiola is that it’s been shown to help improve cognitive functioning and to help as a depression natural remedy. Rhodiola may help to increase the sensitivity of your neurons (cells of your brain and nervous system), including the two neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters are known for increasing focus, memory, pleasure, and overall mood improvement — making them very important for preventing anxiety and depression.

In animal studies, rhodiola has also been shown to help repair damaged neurons in the hippocampus, a region of the brain considered to be the center for emotion, memory and the autonomic nervous system regulation. Many doctors of functional medicine prescribe rhodiola as an effective natural alternative to anti-depressant medications. This works because rhodiola may increase dopamine sensitivity, which has been shown to improve moods and also to help fight food cravings and addictions.

A small 2015 study that was supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) tested rhodiola against the drug sertraline (often prescribed to treat depression) and a placebo in 58 adults with mild-to-moderate major depressive disorder. Results showed that all treatments were similarly effective in reducing depressive symptoms (there were no significant difference found between groups at the end of the study), but the participants who took rhodiola had fewer side effects than those who took sertraline.

Can rhodiola also relieve anxiety? A trial involving 80 “mildly anxious participants” found that compared to controls, the experimental group (taking Rhodiola rosea in the form of 2 × 200 mg dose Vitano®) demonstrated a “significant reduction in self-reported, anxiety, stress, anger, confusion and depression at 14 days and a significant improvements in total mood.” No relevant differences in cognitive performance between the rhodiola and untreated groups were observed. Rhodiola supplementation was shown to have a “favourable safety tolerability profile.”

Another small pilot study including 10 adults with anxiety found that supplementing with 360 milligrams of rhodiola daily for 10 weeks led to significant improvement in symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and a reduction in the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale scores.

Brain  Exercise, proper nutrition, and a good night’s sleep are sure ways to keep your brain running strong. Herbs may also help, including rhodiola.

A review of 36 animal studies concluded that rhodiola may improve learning and memory function. An animal study found that a single dose of rhodiola increased memory and had an antidepressant effect on mice. It suggested that rhodiola could become a good tool to increase cognition and counteract mood disorders in people. Another research review concluded that the therapeutic properties of rhodiola may benefit many age-related diseases. Researchers called for more research to bridge the gap between experimental results and clinical applications.

Exercise Performance  Rhodiola has been claimed to improve sports performance by reducing physical and mental fatigue and increasing antioxidant activity. On the positive side, one animal study found that rhodiola could improve muscle power and strength performance in rats. In the study, the rats were given Rhodiola rosea combined with another adaptogen called Rhaponticum carthamoides (maral root) after resistance exercise. Another study found that ingesting rhodiola shortened reaction time and total response time in young, healthy, physically active men. It also increased antioxidant activity but had no effect on overall endurance. In other studies, rhodiola has been shown to improve exercise performance by decreasing perceived exertion, or how hard participants felt their bodies were working.

On the skeptical side, research points to studies showing that rhodiola supplementation did not change oxygen uptake or muscle performance, and it didn’t enhance the immune system of marathon athletes. Also, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health warns that there is insufficient evidence from human studies to conclude that rhodiola is helpful for any health-related use. Part of the reason for this may be that researchers do not yet understand exactly how rhodiola affects human performance.

Research implies that if you’re looking for a natural way to boost energy and increase athletic performance, then rhodiola may be for you. Today, one of the most popular uses of rhodiola is for increasing energy, stamina and strength.

Rhodiola may help increase your stamina and endurance by increasing your red blood cell count and lowering oxidative damage. Red blood cells carry oxygen to muscles, and having a higher count can dramatically improve an athlete’s performance and help to delay fatigue. Rhodiola benefits work by boosting EPO, also known as erythropoietin, which stimulates RBC production.

According to a study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, rhodiola has anti-inflammatory benefits that aid rapid recovery of muscles and improve endurance. Another study performed on rats found that supplementing with rhodiola could increase endurance by allowing the animals to swim 25 percent longer. The improvements happened because rhodiola was found to increase synthesis of ATP, which is essential for cellular energy.

Belly Fat  One of the many incredible characteristics of rhodiola is that it helps your body burn stored fat more efficiently as fuel. We all know that exercise can increase fat loss, but if you want an extra edge, then consider taking rhodiola along with regularly exercising to accelerate your weight loss efforts.

What allows rhodiola to help lose belly fat? Certain animal studies have found evidence that Rhodiola rosea might reduce visceral white adipose tissue and increase hypothalamic norepinephrine to help prevent diet-induced obesity.

Rhodiola’s most active compound, rosavin, has been shown to trigger a fat-burning response. Because it helps normalize cortisol levels, rhodiola may also reduce cravings for unhealthy “comfort foods” and delay fat-accumulation that is tied to high cortisol levels (especially fat around the abdomen/belly).

Rosavin works by stimulating an enzyme called “hormone-sensitive lipase,” which has the ability to breakdown fat that is stored in adipose tissue (in the belly area). Some sources suggest that combining taking rhodiola with doing moderate exercise, the breakdown of belly fat increases even more.

Reduce Cortisol  One of the main reasons people turn to adaptogenic herbs like rhodiola is to help balance cortisol levels, which can be beneficial for slowing age-related symptoms and for looking and feeling better. Studies indicate that rhodiola can be helpful for calming your body when your nervous system goes into “fight or flight” mode due to dealing with everyday stressors.

When the hormone cortisol stays high for a long period of time, such as from emotional or physical stress, it can cause you to experience stress-related symptoms, such as:

• lowered blood glucose response
• abdominal weight gain
• thyroid issues
• hormone imbalance
• decreased memory
• weakened immunity

By keeping cortisol levels balanced, you can improve your health in multiple ways, especially when it comes to feeling younger and more energized. High cortisol levels over an extended period of time may contribute to accelerated signs of aging, higher levels of psychosocial stress, poorer cognitive performance, atrophy of memory-related structures of the brain, weight gain and exhaustion — exactly the reason why rhodiola may make a helpful anti-aging supplement.

Diabetes  Diabetes is a condition that occurs when your body develops a reduced ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin, resulting in high blood sugar levels. People with diabetes commonly use insulin injections or medications to better manage their blood sugar levels. Interestingly, animal research suggests rhodiola may help improve diabetes management.

The salidroside compound in rhodiola has been shown to help protect against diabetes and diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease) in rats. Results are not necessarily the same for humans, but the reason animals like rats are used for such studies is due to their biological similarities to us. When positive such studies are a compelling reason to investigate the effects of rhodiola on diabetes in people. If you have diabetes and wish to take rhodiola supplements, speak with your dietitian or doctor first.

Anti-Cancer  Salidroside, a potent component of rhodiola, has been investigated for its anticancer properties. Several in vitro studies have shown that it may inhibit the growth of lung, bladder, and colon cancer cells. As a result, researchers have suggested that rhodiola may be useful in the treatment of many types of cancer. Human studies are needed to confirm whether rhodiola can help treat cancer.

Botanical Name: Rhodiola rosea
English: Rhodiola
Also, known as: Arctic root, Golden root, Hong Jing Tian, Rhodiola, Rodiola, Rose root, Roseroot, Aaron’s rod, King’s crown, Lignum rhodium, and Orpin rose
Origin: Ukraine
Harvested: Wild
Parts Used: Root

General Information:
Rhodiola is native to the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and Alaska. In Canada, it is found along the Newfoundland coastline as well as in Northern Quebec and Nunavut. It has a long history of use as a medicinal plant in Iceland, Sweden, France, Russia, and Greece. Rhodiola rosea, is a perennial herb growing up to 5-15 inch high. They have succulent leaves on numerous leafy stems and succulent rhizomes. The plants are either male or female. Leaves are alternate, stalkless and lowest leaves scale-like. Stem leaf blade elliptic-obovate, sharp-tipped, blunt-toothed, flat, glabrous, slightly fleshy, bluish. Flowers are yellow, approx. 0.2-0.5 inch broad with four petals, approx. 3.5 mm long on staminate flowers, 2.5 mm long on pistillate flowers. Calyx fused, 4-lobed, lobes 2.5 mm long.

 

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.