Rhodiola Rosea Phytomedicinal Overview

Today I am proud to reinvigorate this classic and seminal rhodiola rosea research. I will publish this important work in an updated form and in a manner more consistent with the modern web. You can continue to see the PDF as originally published on RhodiolaRosea.Org back in 2003 at Rhodiola Rosea: A Phytomedicinal Overview (PDF viewer required).

The article itself was originally published in the Herbal Gram newsletter, owned and published by the American Botanical Council in 2002 and soon after published online with permission on this site by Dr. Zakir Ramazanov. The article and its images are by Richard P. Brown, M.D., Patricia L. Gerbarg, M.D., and RhodiolaRosea.Org founder Zakir Ramazanov, Ph.D., D.S.

Several years after this article was researched, written and published, Dr. Brown and Dr. Gerbarg published their continued research in a book called The Rhodiola Revolution. You can preview that book or buy it and read it yourself at Amazon.com: The Rhodiola Revolution.

We’ve taken care to publish this seminal research on rhodiola rosea in a format more compatible with the modern web and in a way that should make navigating it much easier for readers. I have divided this enormous work of research into separate interlinking web posts to make each section more accessible, distinct and clear. Please note the superscripts (citations) will refer to the following extensive list of references and credits:

Rhodiola Rosea Phytomedicinal Overview References, Credits and Acknowledgments

If you would prefer to read it all in one document, here is a link to the original PDF as originally republished on RhodiolaRosea.Org in 2003 (22 pages, 7138 words): Rhodiola Rosea: A Phytomedicinal Overview.

Please note this table of contents will be fleshed out as I publish each and every section of this article over the next few days.


Table of Contents for this Rhodiola Rosea Phytomedicinal Overview:


Rhodiola rosea: A Phytomedicinal Overview

by Richard P. Brown, M.D., Patricia L. Gerbarg, M.D., and Zakir Ramazanov, Ph.D., D.S.

Rhodiola rosea L., also known as “golden root” or “roseroot” belongs to the plant family Crassulaceae.1 R. rosea grows primarily in dry sandy ground at high altitudes in the arctic areas of Europe and Asia.2 The plant reaches a height of 12 to 30 inches (70cm) and produces yellow blossoms. It is a perennial with a thick rhizome, fragrant when cut. The Greek physician, Dioscorides, first recorded medicinal applications of rodia riza in 77 C.E. in De Materia Medica.3 Linnaeus renamed it Rhodiola rosea, referring to the rose-like attar (fragrance) of the fresh cut rootstock.4

Rhodiola Rosea Phytomedicinal Overview

For centuries, R. rosea has been used in the traditional medicine of Russia, Scandinavia, and other countries. Between 1725 and 1960, various medicinal applications of R. rosea appeared in the scientific literature of Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Iceland.2,4-12 Since 1960, more than 180 pharmacological, phytochemical, and clinical studies have been published. Although R. rosea has been extensively studied as an adaptogen with various health-promoting effects, its properties remain largely unknown in the West. In part this may be due to the fact that the bulk of research has been published in Slavic and Scandinavian languages. This review provides an introduction to some of the traditional uses of R. rosea, its phytochemistry, scientific studies exploring its diverse physiological effects, and its current and future medical applications.


Next Section: Rhodiola Rosea In Traditional Medicine


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