I know many people have very little time to conduct thorough rhodiola rosea research online. So I’m collecting the most frequently asked questions I’ve received through my contact form into one quick reference here. I hope this helps you develop a clear overview of this natural herbal remedy.

• What Is the Rhodiola Rosea Plant?
• Where Does Rhodiola Rosea Grow?
• Can I Grow Rhodiola In My Garden?
• What Part of the Plant Is Used For Medicinal Purposes?
• Why Take Rhodiola Rosea?
• What Is An Adaptogen?
• Is There Any Real Science to Support Rhodiola Rosea’s Use?
• Is Rhodiola Rosea Safe?
• What Are Rhodiola Side Effects?
• How Much Rhodiola Should I Take?

What Is the Rhodiola Rosea Plant?

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Rhodiola rosea is in the Crassulaceae family. Its genus is Rhodiola and its species is rosea. The species name derives from the potent rose-like scent of the plant’s root. Rhodiola rosea is a small plant with succulent leaves. Several shoots grow from the same root and over time these shoots will blossom bunches of little yellow flowers. Its delicate appearance belies its toughness, as this rugged little plant thrives in windswept, craggy areas. It is also sometimes called arctic root, roseroot or golden root. The most important medicinal component is believed to be its rosavins.

Where Does It Grow?

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Rhodiola Rosea grows in high altitudes and cold regions of the northern hemisphere. The Arctic, Siberia, the Alps and the Rocky Mountains are common places where rhodiola rosea can be found growing in the wild. It tends to thrive in dry, sunny and cold environments.

Can I Grow Rhodiola In My Garden?

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Technically, yes, but several studies indicate that cultivated rhodiola rosea plants lack the medicinal properties of wild grown rhodiola rosea plants. Quality supplements rely on wild gathering and harvesting in places like Iceland and Siberia. If you do try to grow rhodiola rosea on your own, note that it needs to be grown for around five years before harvesting.

What Part of the Plant Is Used For Medicinal Purposes?

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Rhodiola rosea extract is derived from the thick, richly scented root of the rhodiola rosea plant.

Why Take Rhodiola Rosea?

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In several human pilot studies, rhodiola rosea has exhibited the ability to alleviate mild depression and improve mood. Rhodiola rosea is one of the only adaptogens to be supported by legitimate double-blind, placebo-controlled studies published in peer-reviewed journals. Many claims are made for various natural herbal remedies and adaptogenic herbs, but only rhodiola rosea features real corroborating evidence in the scientific community. I encourage you to research the many rhodiola benefits currently being researched and verified.

What Is An Adaptogen?

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An adaptogen is an herbal remedy that helps a person adapt to external stressors. This means an adaptogen should theoretically help you adapt to either emotional or physical stress and thus help you maintain mental or physical performance despite the presence of those stressors. While rhodiola rosea is categorized an adaptogen, there is significant skepticism among conventional researchers for the claims made for adaptogens. Don’t discount the benefits of rhodiola rosea because of the skepticism for many other herbal remedies categorized as adaptogens.

Is There Any Real Science to Support Rhodiola Rosea’s Use?

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Separate clinical trials conducted by the Department of Neurology, Armenian State Medical University, and the Swedish Medical Center and published in several peer-reviewed medical journals verified the use of Rhodiola Rosea for depression, particularly for treating mild depression and for maintaining mood and energy while working long hours at night.

Is Rhodiola Rosea Safe?

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Rhodiola rosea features a remarkably low toxicity and very few side effects. Its LD50 (lethal dose at which 50 percent of animals perish) has been tested to be 3,360 mg/kg. That would be about a 235,000 mg dose for an average human, and most daily doses of rhodiola rosea are only between 200 mg and 600 mg. Additionally, there are little to no rhodiola side effects, most of which can be avoided with responsible use.

What Are Rhodiola Side Effects?

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There are very few side effects of rhodiola rosea and most of those can be avoided with responsible, cautious use. The most common side effects include nervousness or a jittery feeling and if rhodiola rosea is taken in the second half of the day, mild cases of insomnia. Read more about how side effects occur and how you can avoid them in my comprehensive guide: Rhodiola Side Effects.

How Much Rhodiola Rosea Should I Take?

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This will depend on your size, age, your sensitivity to the compounds in rhodiola rosea and your desired results. The typical single dose is 100 to 200 milligrams, with the average daily dosage being between 200 and 600 mg per day. You can read more about identifying the right rhodiola dosage for you in my comprehensive new dosage guide: Rhodiola Dosage.

If you’re looking for more detailed information on rhodiola rosea, I encourage you to start with my home page (Rhodiola Rosea) or our Rhodiola Rosea Phytomedicinal Overview.

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To better appreciate the relative safety and mildness of rhodiola side effects, I recommend comparing them to other adaptogens. When you consider ashwagandha side effects, you have to carefully consider if the verified ashwagandha benefits outweigh the mild but not uncommon problems caused by ashwagandha side effects.

Navigate this guide to Ashwagandha Side Effects:

• What Is Ashwagandha?
• Ashwagandha Uses
• Ashwagandha Dosage
• Ashwagandha Benefits
• Ashwagandha Side Effects
• Ashwagandha Contraindications and Cautions

What Is Ashwagandha?

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Ashwagandha is a nightshade plant used as a natural herbal remedy in Ayurvedic medicine. It is also known as Indian ginseng, winter cherry and scientifically as withania somnifera.

It grows as a short shrub with bright reddish orange berries and small greenish flowers. Both the berries and the roots are used as medicines.

Unlike Rhodiola, Ashwagandha can be found grown most often in the dry regions of India, including Panjab and Sindh. It also flourishes in other parts of the Middle East and east Africa. It grows best in warm, dry climates, but it does need some rain or watering to thrive.

Ashwagandha Uses

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The active compounds in ashwagandha appear to be withanolides, a form of triterpene lactones. The plant is also considered a good source of iron, though the extracts used for medicinal purposes often are isolated from the iron source of the plant.

In Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha is used to treat a wide variety of conditions, including tumors and ulcers. There are no placebo-based double-blind studies in peer-reviewed journals verifying that these are legitimate and effective uses, however ashwagandha remains a popular herbal remedy with a large amount of anecdotal evidence supporting its use and a very long history of use in Ayurveda.

Common claims of uses include improving your immune system, increasing your energy and lifting your mood. If you spend much time researching ashwagandha online, you will see a very long list of potential ashwagandha uses, but very few of them have any scientific evidence to support these other claims. These other claims include treating cancer, HIV, improving fertility and libido or treating impotence. A fair amount of sketchy hype surrounds its use for sexual vitality.

Besides its medicinal uses, ashwagandha is sometimes used to coagulate milk when making cheese (thus it works as a replacement for rennet).

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Ashwagandha Dosage

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Dosage can vary depending on the dosage theory of the source and the form of ashwagandha taken. It can come in a root powder or a concentrated extract, with the extract usually being more potent and more likely to cause side-effects. The most common form in North America is a capsule with both root powder and concentrated extract. The extract within these capsules is usually concentrated at 4.5% ashwagandha with that extract featuring 2.5% Withanolides and 0.1% Sitoindosides. Capsules come in 450 mg to 500 mg strengths.

The most common dosages are 1 or 2 capsules a day, but some report benefits by taking up to 2000 mg (2 g) per day. Please exercise caution when raising your dosage to these levels and I recommend you follow each manufacturer’s suggested dosage as only that manufacturer knows the exact concentration and potency of that particular capsule.

Some supplements feature ashwagandha as just one ingredient among many. In these usually 100 mg of ashwagandha is used.

Ashwagandha Benefits

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Many claim to experience mind-soothing, energizing effects from taking the ashwagandha tonic, but unlike the benefits of rhodiola the only evidence suggesting real, concrete benefits come from animal studies not yet verified with human studies.

These ashwagandha benefits include suppressing symptoms of withdrawal from morphine and reversing cognitive deficits caused by brain damage. Again, these studies were conducted on rats, not humans, so the efficacy of these benefits on humans is still unknown and unverified.

One of the oldest and most common claims made in relation to ashwagandha involve treating cancer. For hundreds of years ashwagandha was used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat tumors. But we now have nearly 30 years of modern scientific research attempting to verify these benefits and the evidence is still lacking.

Some evidence suggests one legitimate use of ashwagandha is in treating mild anxiety. However, be careful not to take it along with any sedatives (see below for details).

Ashwagandha Side Effects

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While on the whole, ashwagandha side effects are relatively mild compare to the side-effects of potent prescription medications and most common dosages are considered nontoxic, there are still some troublesome symptoms and serious contraindications involved in taking ashwagandha.

Ashwagandha can cause gastrointestinal side effects by irritating the gastrointestinal tract. If you suffer from any kind of condition affecting any part of your digestive tract (including ulcers and Crohn’s Disease), you should avoid this Ayurvedic herbal remedy. The general population may experience gastrointestinal disturbances such as:

• Abdominal Pain
• Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Flatulence
• Heartburn
• Nausea

Despite claims of finding this tonic to be energizing, more evidence suggests it could potentially cause mild drowsiness, so it should be taken with caution or preferably avoided altogether before driving or operating heavy machinery.

Ashwagandha Contraindications and Cautions

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Because ashwagandha has been found to enhance the sedative properties of some medications, it should not be taken with sedatives or tranquilizers. Because some evidence suggests it lowers blood sugar and in some cases it lowers blood pressure, ashwagandha should not be taken by those with any form of diabetes and it should not be taken with blood pressure medications or with medications that have the side-effect of lowered blood pressure.

Ashwagandha has also been shown to interfere with diabetic medications and to compromise thyroid treatment.

Because this natural herbal remedy has shown some abortifacient properties, it should not be taken by pregnant women or lactating women.

While there may be cases where a quality ashwagandha tonic can help soothe your anxiety and lift your mood, it is a mild effect and the ashwagandha side effects and contraindications make it a less than optimal choice for treating your anxiety or other ailments. Obviously some will read this and assume this article was written with a bias towards Rhodiola Rosea, but even with rhodiola I try to communicate the many cases where research is ongoing and where benefits are not yet verified.

Beyond the basics as defined by the manufacturer on the label, rhodiola dosage will vary depending on your reason for trying rhodiola rosea and your individual response to different dose amounts. This complete guide to rhodiola rosea dosage will teach you to read rhodiola rosea labels and manufacturer claims and help you prescribe the right rhodiola dosage for your specific needs.

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I provide clickable navigation below so you can skip to the specific rhodiola treatment you are researching, but please at least skim the four sections on taking the right rhodiola and properly timing your dosage.

• Rhodiola Dosage Disclaimer
• Only Take the Right Rhodiola
• Defining A Rhodiola Dosage
• The Rhodiola Rosea Ratio
• Timing Your Rhodiola Rosea Dosage
• Rhodiola Dosage to Improve Memory
• Rhodiola Rosea Dosage for ADD or ADHD
• Rhodiola Dosage for Anxiety or Depression
• Rhodiola Dosage for Fatigue
• Rhodiola Dosage to Improve Athletic Performance

Rhodiola Dosage Disclaimer

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You should not take anything suggested on the Internet without discussing the matter in person with a professional who can take into consideration your exact health situation, including current condition, height, weight, age and medical history.

The reason I suggest beginning all dosages low is that everyone is different. Just because the average person feels an effect from taking 300 mg of rhodiola rosea doesn’t mean you won’t experience a significant change from taking just 100 mg.

And some people may find rhodiola rosea over-stimulating or all together ineffective. So always start slow and easy, paying close to attention to how your body responds. For larger doses, or for taking rhodiola to treat depression or anxiety, or for improving your athletic performance, I strongly recommend taking rhodiola rosea under supervision of a professional familiar with your condition. Rhodiola rosea toxicity is very low, but you should always exercise caution and restraint when taking a new herbal remedy.

Only Take the Right Rhodiola

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First understand that there are several species of rhodiola, and only one of them has the support of multiple animal and human studies verifying its efficacy and safety for human consumption: rhodiola rosea. There are some other rhodiolas for which preliminary animal-based studies suggest benefits, especially rhodiola crenulata, but none of them have the peer-reviewed human studies supporting their use like rhodiola rosea.

For more on the different species of rhodiola, read rhodiola taxonomy.

So you first want to make sure your rhodiola supplement features only rhodiola rosea. Some supplements try to cut corners by features multiple rhodiola species, but these will not provide the rhodiola benefits you are hoping to enjoy.

In medical literature and on product labels you may see rhodiola listed as R. rosea. This is still rhodiola rosea, it is just the more formal way to specify the rosea species, with the plant genus (Rhodiola) abbreviated.

You can take rhodiola rosea as a tablet, capsule or tincture. The rhodiola rosea tincture is more common in Europe and Russia than in the United States, but tinctures are becoming more available.

Note that you should stick with Siberian rhodiola rosea. Some studies suggest rhodiola rosea grown in lower Asia lack the same potency of rosavins as Siberian rhodiola rosea. So avoid Tibetan rhodiola, for example.

Always take a standardized extract to ensure product quality and consistent dosage.

Defining A Rhodiola Dosage

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I will describe all recommended dosages with three data points: milligrams per individual dosage, dosages per day and total milligrams per day. You may need to adapt the exact dosage depending on potency of individual brands. For example if the suggestion is to take 300 mg, but your tablets have 200 mg per tablet.

Until you have been taking rhodiola for at least two weeks, I would round down if your particular tablet or capsule won’t allow you to take the exact suggested dose. Because of this variable, I recommend taking a table or capsule with 100 mg of rhodiola rosea extract. This will give you greater rhodiola dosage flexibility.

There is no real research to support how additional ingredients enhance rhodiola rosea’s properties or improve rhodiola’s benefits, so be wary of manufacturer claims and aim for a pure and simple supplement with only rhodiola rosea extract.

Don’t pay more for a fancy formulation with unproven additional ingredients and a persuasive marketing message.

The Rhodiola Rosea Ratio

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A good rhodiola rosea supplement should come in a 3 to 1 ratio of rosavins to salidrosides. As long as the ratio is between 3 to 1 and 3 to 0.8, it should be okay. You may also see the ratio listed as 3:1 or similar.

Don’t succumb to hype for products boasting a greater ratio of rosavins to salidrosides. The 3 to 1 ratio is both the naturally occurring ratio of rosavins to salidrosides within a real piece of rhodiola rosea root and it is the ratio used in all the most legitimate studies supporting rhodiola rosea’s usage.

Timing Your Rhodiola Rosea Dosage

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You should time your rhodiola dosage carefully for three reasons.

Take Rhodiola Rosea On An Empty Stomach

Taking rhodiola rosea with food may cause the extract to be carried beyond the stomach and proximal intestine where it is best absorbed. While it may still be absorbed well enough, you greatly increase the likelihood it will be fully absorbed if you take it on an empty stomach and at least 30 minutes before you eat anything.

Take Rhodiola Rosea In the First Half of the Day

While this may vary with each individual, for most people rhodiola rosea has a stimulating, energizing effect. To keep your rhodiola dosage from negatively affecting your ability to sleep, you should take your dosage during the first half of your waking hours, preferably before breakfast and then before lunch.

Take Rhodiola Rosea Separate From Any Stimulants

At least when you first begin taking rhodiola rosea, you should not take it within two hours (before or after) you consume any other stimulants. This includes coffee and soda pop. If after you begin your dosage you are confident rhodiola rosea doesn’t over-stimulate you, you might be able to take a small dosage near when you drink your coffee, but be careful. For many people this may cause nervousness or make them feel jittery.

If you really don’t want to compromise your morning coffee routine, you might try taking your doses of rhodiola before lunch and then mid-afternoon. This is not ideal, but it makes it easier to avoid over-stimulation from taking both rhodiola rosea and caffeine too near each other.

Rhodiola Dosage to Improve Memory

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To see if taking rhodiola rosea improves your memory, start with 100 mg a day, with a single dose taken 30 minutes before breakfast. If you’re sure your body tolerates this dosage after five days, add one additional dosage, taken 30 minutes before lunch.

If after another five days you still are doing fine, you can increase your dosage by 100 mg every few days until you are taking 400 to 500 mg a day, split in two doses. Do not start taking rhodiola rosea at that amount right away (work up to it), and do not take rhodiola rosea with any other stimulants.

While a couple of studies indicate a 200 mg dose increases performance on memory exercises for four hours, most studies suggest you need to take around 300 to 400 mg for 4 to 6 weeks before you experience a tangible difference in mental performance.

I suggest an omega 3 fatty acid supplement and a vitamin B complex as well to help you improve your memory and clarity. For omega 3, make sure you get a supplement with EPA and DHA instead of ALA, as your body must convert ALA to EPA and DHA, and the conversion is inefficient. An excellent non-Fish option is the following:

Ovega-3 Omega-3 Supplement at Amazon

Rhodiola Rosea Dosage for ADD or ADHD

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If you are trying to take rhodiola rosea for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), you first need to consult your doctor. For clinically diagnosed disorders, a doctor should at least help you monitor your consumption of any therapies.

The rhodiola dosage for ADD or ADHD is to start with 100 mg, 30 minutes before breakfast. If you see improvement after a week, don’t increase your dosage. However, if you don’t see improvement and you don’t experience any rhodiola rosea side-effects, then increase your dosage by 100 mg every 5 days, splitting the doses between your dose before breakfast and our dose before lunch, until you either start experiencing the benefits you desire or you reach 600 mg per day.

Don’t exceed 600 mg of rhodiola rosea each day without discussing the matter with a doctor, nutritionist or naturopath. This is being on the safe side, but I want you to be careful and responsible.

To see improvement to ADD or ADHD, most studies suggest a dose of around 500 to 600 mg may be necessary. But again, don’t start with this dose and pay close attention to yourself at the lower doses, because they may be enough. When it comes to rhodiola dosage, more is not always better.

Rhodiola Dosage for Anxiety or Depression

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Most people will require about 400 mg of rhodiola rosea each day for four to six weeks to achieve herbal stress relief as well as relief from depression or anxiety. However, you should start with 100 mg. As long as you experience no rhodiola side effects, increase your dose by 100 mg every 3 to 7 days until you reach 400 mg. As always, split the doses evenly between a first dose 30 minutes before breakfast and the second dose 30 minutes before lunch.

Once you have reached 400 mg, stay at that dosage for 2 weeks to see how you feel. If you are not experiencing an improvement and you are not experiencing any side effects, talk to your doctor or therapist about increasing your dosage to 600 mg, with 300 mg taken before breakfast and 300 mg before lunch. This is a high dosage so discuss your personal situation with a professional before you stay on this dosage for very long.

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Rhodiola Dosage for Fatigue

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To improve your energy and reduce your fatigue, your rhodiola dosage will slightly depend on your need. For example, if you are trying to combat general fatigue, follow the same dosage plan I described in the above section on rhodiola for depression.

However, if you need a one-time dose before doing something where you need to maintain your energy and focus while being tired, you will want to follow a slightly different dosage regiment.

First of all, you still need to test to see how your body responds to taking rhodiola rosea. Start with 100 mg 30 minutes before breakfast for three days. If all is well, then add 100 mg 30 minutes before lunch. Increase your dose by 100 mg every 3 to 5 days until you are taking two doses of 200 mg. Then for one day after you have been taking 400 mg for at least 3 days without side effects, take a single 400 mg dose on an empty stomach before breakfast and make sure you don’t have any caffeine for at least 2 hours afterwards. Skip the lunch time dose for that day.

Do this for one day just to see how your body responds to the single large dose. If you don’t experience any side effects, move to the next step below.

If your body responds well to this single dose, you can reduce your dosage to 200 mg a day split between two 100 mg doses. Then when you are about to face your fatigue-inducing task, such as before working the night shift at work or cramming for an exam, take 300 mg of rhodiola about 45 minutes to an hour before the task begins, then eat a small, healthy snack about 30 minutes after taking the rhodiola. Then about half way through the task, take another 100 mg dose of rhodiola rosea.

It is important that you not take the large dose around the same time as you consume any other stimulant, and it is also important that you see how your body responds with smaller doses before taking a single large dose like this.

Rhodiola Dosage to Improve Athletic Performance

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To improve your physical endurance or athletic performance, you basically want to use the same approach described in the section above on Fatigue, with one exception.

For people engaging in moderate daily exercise, use the basic dosage regiment alluded to at the beginning of the Fatigue regiment and described in detail in the Anxiety and Depression section.

For people engaging in more intensive exercise regiments, including highly competitive sports and extreme sports, combine the two regiments described in the Fatigue section. I’ll clarify this combination here. Please note that before beginning this regiment you should make sure you are in good health and discuss this dosage with a medical professional first.

So you would slowly work up to about 400 mg a day in 100 mg increments, with doses split between 30 minutes before breakfast and 30 minutes before lunch. Then for one day, test your ability to tolerate a single 300 mg dose before breakfast. Take this larger dose at least 2 hours away from any other stimulant.

If your body responds well to this single dose and you don’t experience side effects, maintain your two doses of 200 mg per day, but in addition, take an addition 200 to 300 mg dose about an hour before you engage in your intensive training. I recommend starting with the 200 mg dose the first time, and only if you feel fine and you don’t notice an improvement, up it to a 300 mg dose.

Do not take this larger dose around the same time as any other stimulant.

For some people, rhodiola rosea has little to no effect. And for some people it makes them just feel a little too stimulated or nervous. Be prepared for the possibility that rhodiola rosea may not work for you. It is not a miracle remedy, despite some claims you my find elsewhere on the Internet.

This concludes my comprehensive guide to rhodiola dosage. I’ve tried to create the most comprehensive guide to taking rhodiola rosea online, but if anything is confusing or missing, please let me know.

While in most cases rhodiola side effects tend to be minimal, you can also avoid them by taking some basic precautions. To understand how rhodiola side effects might manifest, however, it’s important to learn some basic chemistry including how rhodiola rosea works to create those physical and physiological effects so many people want from this supplement.

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I’ve organized this guide so you can learn as much or as little as you want. If you’re feeling impatient and just want to see the list of rhodiola rosea side-effects, feel free to skip to that section with the following navigation.

• Active Compounds In Rhodiola Rosea
• Rhodiola Rosea’s Low Toxicity
• How Side Effects of Rhodiola Occur
• Common Rhodiola Side Effects
• Rhodiola Rosea and Bipolar Disorder
• How to Avoid Rhodiola Side Effects

Active Compounds In Rhodiola Rosea

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Rhodiola Rosea provides a wide selection of potentially potent compounds which may be the origin of both its positive and negative effects. The most publicized compounds are a class of rosavins which include rosin, rosarin and rosavin itself. (Please note that the name Rosavin also happens to be a specific brand of rhodiola extract.)

However studies suggest that the most active compounds in rhodiola rosea — the most proven of adaptogens — are likely tyrosol and rhodioloside. It is also important to note that when these components have been tested in isolation, no consistent, measurable effects were observed. Thus rhodiola rosea side-effects appear to be a synergistic result of the tyrosol and rhodioloside acting with the rosin, rosarin and rosavin.

Additional components which may contribute to rhodiola rosea include rosiridin, rhodiolin, rhodioniside and salidroside. However, most studies indicate that these polyphenols cause little in the way of measurable physiological effects in humans. For most people the rhodiola benefits outweigh the typically minimal side effects.

The phytochemical geraniol provides R. rosea’s distinct rose-like odor and thus its name, but according to current studies geraniol has no measurable impact on either humans or animals.

Rhodiola Rosea’s Low Toxicity

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All current research suggests rhodiola rosea has a very low toxicity. Current toxicity studies indicate its LD50 (dose at which 50 percent of the tested animals perish) is about 28.6 ml/kg, or about 3,360 mg/kg.

For perspective, such dosage in a 70 kg (roughly 154 pounds) man would be 235 gm or 235,000 mg. Since most recommended doses are about 100 to 400 mg and the total recommended dosage for an entire day rarely exceeds 600 to 1000 mg, you can see there is a very large margin of safety, much larger than with apparent ashwagandha side effects.

How Side Effects of Rhodiola Occur

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Most rhodiola side effects occur as a result of its effects on a delicate brain chemistry. Rhodiola rosea inhibits subtypes A and B of an enzyme called monoamine oxidase and effects opioid peptides like beta-endorphin.

Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) metabolizes serotonin and caffeine, while monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) metabolizes dopamine (among other things).

Increasing serotonergic activity creates a mood lift, while increasing dopaminergic activity both creates energy and increases focus. And by preventing caffeine metabolism (and possibly other stimulant activity), rhodiola rosea can extend and increase caffeine’s effects.

But by increasing this brain chemical activity, R. rosea may also deplete these neurotransmitters, which can produce the complete opposite effects of those described above (less energy, less focus).

This is why there is some anecdotal evidence that a smaller rhodiola dosage may energize you while larger doses actually create a relaxed or even sleepy feeling.

We have not seen indications that rhodiola rosea can decrease one’s mood, but it is a theoretical, chemical possibility, particularly in individuals already prone to mood swings or people with bipolar disorder.

Common Rhodiola Side Effects

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With that charming clinical tedium out of the way, let me get to the heart of the matter: rhodiola side effects.

The most common rhodiola rosea side effects include:

• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Mild Jitters or Shakes
• Restlessness
• Vivid Dreams

Essentially, these are the same common side effects often observed in any mild stimulant. For most people to perceive these rhodiola side effects, the rhodiola extract would need to be taken in higher-than-average doses or combined with another stimulant, such as caffeine.

However, some people are more sensitive to it than others, so it is always a good idea to start with small dose and slowly increase your dosage to the recommended dose.

If taken in high doses or especially if taken with another stimulant, the most disturbing rhodiola rosea side effect could be:

• Heart palpitations
• Panicked Feeling (not quite a panic attack)
• Rapid Heart Beat

I’ve also heard anecdotal evidence that these side effects of rhodiola rosea can cause the “shakes” if you first spike your blood sugar by eating sweets on an empty stomach than take rhodiola rosea extract. This is easily avoidable, but I still find it worth mentioning. It is not a good idea to take rhodiola rosea when you know you have low blood sugar and won’t be able to eat anytime soon.

If you have hypoglycemia or diabetes and you want to try rhodiola rosea, I recommend you start with a very small dose to see how you feel, and make sure you plan on eating a healthy snack or meal no more than 30 to 45 minutes after you take the rhodiola.

Rhodiola Rosea and Bipolar Disorder

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Taking rhodiola for depression is not uncommon, but one area where researchers urge caution is in clinical cases of any bipolar spectrum disorders. This includes Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depression. In these cases I suggest you avoid Rhodiola Rosea unless explicitly prescribed by a medial professional treating you.

In general, if you are prone to agitation, the jitters or excitability, be careful as rhodiola rosea may only exacerbate these qualities.

How to Avoid Rhodiola Side Effects

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As I stated on the Rhodiola Dangers page, most of these symptoms of rhodiola side effects can be avoided by starting rhodiola in smaller doses than recommended, then working your way to the higher doses suggested on any specific rhodiola supplement label.

Do not exceed the higher end of the suggested dose, and do not combine rhodiola with other stimulants (like caffeine) until you are confident your body accepts rhodiola well and you’ve been taking it for some time.

Because of its restlessness and insomnia side effects, I suggest that you avoid taking rhodiola rosea in the later afternoon or evening and definitely not before bed. Side effects of rhodiola can impact your ability to obtain quality, restful sleep when it is taken later in the day.

There are a few additional ways to avoid most rhodiola rosea side effects.

As mentioned earlier, it is technically possible that rhodiola rosea’s ability to increase the activity of certain brain chemicals could lead to a depletion of those brain chemicals. Thus adding safe, healthy foods that help boost those brain chemicals can compensate for that depletion.

The precursor to serotonin is tryptophan, and bananas are an excellent source of this amino acid. The precursor to dopamine is tyrosine, which can be found in cheese, milk and dark legumes like black beans.

So if you have recently started rhodiola rosea dosage or if you have increased your dosage, adding these to your diet can help you avoid some of the negative consequences of the increased brain chemical metabolism created by taking R. rosea.

I hope this detailed guide to why rhodiola side-effects occur and how you can avoid them helps you feel more confident and informed in your rhodiola rosea usage.