A recent study published in the journal Nutrients suggests that daily supplementation with 200–1,500 mg of Rhodiola rosea for seven days may help enhance strength, endurance, and cognitive performance in athletes undergoing resistance training.
Although there are approximately a hundred species in the Rhodiola genus, the most well-known and common among them is Rhodiola rosea L. Due to its bright yellow roots, Rhodiola rosea is also known as “golden root.”
It is a relatively rare and highly valuable medicinal plant that grows in alpine regions (elevations of 1,800 to 2,700 meters) across Europe, Asia, and North America, typically found on forested slopes or grassy hillsides. In China, Rhodiola is primarily distributed in Tibet, northwestern Yunnan, western Sichuan, and other areas.
To date, over 140 compounds have been isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Rhodiola plants, including monoterpene alcohols and their glycosides, cyanogenic glycosides, aryl glycosides, phenylethanoids, flavonoids, flavonolignans, proanthocyanidins, and gallic acid derivatives. Among these, the most potent active components include salidroside, tyrosol, rosavin, and triterpenoids.
These bioactive constituents grant Rhodiola a variety of effects, such as enhancing athletic performance, improving mood, protecting cardiovascular health, and extending lifespan.
Rhodiola Rosea Applications
Improving Mood and Cognitive Function
Research has found that Rhodiola extract helps alleviate stress-related symptoms and their complications by regulating the release of stress hormones and promoting cellular energy metabolism. Long-term supplementation with Rhodiola can mitigate symptoms of physical and mental exhaustion, including mood swings, fatigue, decreased attention, and negative attitudes toward work.
Studies also indicate that its primary active component, salidroside, increases norepinephrine levels in the brainstem and prefrontal cortex while promoting the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in the hippocampus. This provides a physiological basis for Rhodiola’s ability to alleviate stress and improve mood and cognitive function.
Cardiovascular Protective Effects
In animal models, salidroside has demonstrated potential in protecting the cardiovascular system. It reduces cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats with acute myocardial infarction by enhancing Akt phosphorylation and inhibiting caspase-3 activation. In experiments on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, salidroside exhibited dose-dependent inhibitory effects on serum creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β. Furthermore, salidroside can mitigate sepsis-induced cardiac damage via the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway.
Neuroprotective Potential
Salidroside has also shown positive effects in neuroprotection. In addressing the pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease—β-amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangles—salidroside protects PC12 neuronal cells from β-amyloid-induced toxicity through dose-dependent antioxidant mechanisms. Additionally, it counters β-amyloid-induced neural damage by upregulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and inhibits apoptosis and injury of midbrain dopaminergic neurons via the same pathway.
Delaying Aging and Extending Lifespan
In model organisms such as fruit flies and nematodes, Rhodiola extract has demonstrated lifespan-extending effects without affecting food intake, body weight, or reproductive capacity. For example, the Rhodiola extract SHR-5 increased the average and maximum lifespans of fruit flies by 24% and 31%, respectively, a mechanism possibly related to enhanced antioxidant stress capacity and reduced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production. Research also suggests that Rhodiola’s impact on lifespan is closely linked to dietary composition (such as protein-to-carbohydrate ratio and sucrose content) and the expression of regulatory proteins like Msn2/Msn4 and Yap1.
It is worth noting that in recent years, with increasing consumer interest in natural adaptogens and stress-relief supplements, as well as growing awareness of the potential health benefits of Rhodiola, its use as a dietary supplement has become more frequent, and the market size continues to expand.
According to data from Global Growth Insights, the global market size for Rhodiola extract was $37.83 million in 2023 and is expected to reach $47.52 million by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.56% from 2024 to 2032.
In the North American market, particularly in the United States, the popularity of Rhodiola continues to rise. Vitaquest, a leading U.S. dietary supplement manufacturer, analyzed the trending categories of dietary supplements in the United States for 2026 and found that Rhodiola has been frequently used in dietary supplements in recent years to help enhance cognitive function under stress, improve mental performance, and boost physical endurance. It also aids in alleviating fatigue, improving mood, and increasing work efficiency. Currently, over 1,700 Rhodiola products and their labels have been included in the Dietary Supplement Reference Guide in the United States.
Reference
[1] Koozehchian, M.S.; Newton, A.T.; Mabrey, G.; Bonness, F.M.; Rafajlovska, R.; Naderi, A. Dose–Response Effects of Short-Term Rhodiola rosea (Rhodiola Rosea Extract) Supplementation on Anaerobic Exercise Performance and Cognitive Function in Resistance-Trained Athletes: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study. Nutrients 2025, 17, 3736.
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