Hey friend,

You wouldn’t have recognized me six years ago.

I was bedridden, deep in treatment for chronic Lyme disease, while unknowingly battling mold toxicity.

My brain barely worked; I lived in a fog I couldn’t escape.

Neurological symptoms and systemic pain made my waking hours feel unbearable. Dark circles etched beneath my eyes.

And the fatigue… a crushing exhaustion so heavy that climbing a single flight of stairs would leave me collapsed. No amount of rest could touch it.

I tried everything to claw my way back, to reclaim my health, my life.

Slowly, piece by piece, I found practices and remedies that helped restore my vitality.

But there’s one plant that became a true ally in my healing: Rhodiola rosea.

Historical use of Rhodiola rosea

Rhodiola rosea, also known as Rockroot or Golden Root, thrives in some of the harshest climates on Earth—from the icy expanses of Siberia and Scandinavia to the high fells of the Alps, Pyrenees, and Carpathians.

This rose-scented succulent has long been celebrated in folk medicine, revered for the near-magical properties it developed while evolving under such extreme weather and high-altitude conditions.

Across cultures, Rhodiola has been used in a variety of ways:

• Siberians relied on it to withstand brutal winters and prevent illnesses like colds and flu.
• Mongolians applied it for serious conditions, including cancer and tuberculosis.
• Tibetans used it for pneumonia, fevers, anemia, impotence, circulation issues, and boosting energy.
• Traditional Chinese medicine prized it for longevity; Chinese emperors even sent expeditions to Siberia to retrieve it, seeking its life-extending properties.
• Greeks, including the famed physician Dioscorides and botanist Linnaeus (who gave Rhodiola rosea its official Western name), recommended it for headaches, hysteria, and hernias.
• Vikings famously used it to enhance strength, endurance, and energy, giving them an edge during raids and battles.

Through centuries and across continents, Rhodiola has been recognized as a plant of resilience, helping humans adapt, endure, and thrive just as it does in the wild.

Health benefits of Rhodiola rosea

Modern science is now confirming what ancient medical traditions long recognized (and even uncovering new health benefits of Rhodiola).

Rhodiola rosea contains a variety of bioactive compounds, including rosavins (rosavin, rosarin, rosin), salidroside, and tyrosol, which contribute to its therapeutic effects. [1]

Some of the most remarkable health benefits that modern research is confirming include:

Stress support

Rhodiola is an adaptogen [2], a natural medicine that helps your body:

• Build resilience to the effects of stress. [3]
• Improves the stress response, making the systems involved in the handling stress—specifically the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and the sympathoadrenal system (SAS)—run more efficiently, so less energy and resources, like stress hormones (cortisol), are used. [4]
• Recover from stress quickly and more comprehensively.

Since chronic stress is linked to conditions ranging from fatigue and burnout to anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular issues, this support is significant.

A 4-week clinical trial with 101 participants found that Rhodiola rosea extract (200 mg twice daily) significantly reduced stress, fatigue, and functional impairment, with improvements noticeable as early as day 3 and continuing through week 4. The treatment was safe, well-tolerated, and free of serious side effects. [5]

Chronic fatigue & energy

Unlike stimulants such as caffeine or amphetamines, which mask tiredness by blocking fatigue signals and revving up neurotransmitters, Rhodiola works differently.

Stimulants push the nervous system into overdrive, giving the illusion of energy but leaving you depleted once they wear off.

Rhodiola, as a stimulating adaptogen, helps restore balance instead.

Its anti-fatigue power comes largely from enhancing mitochondrial energy production—boosting ATP (your cells’ fuel) and oxygen efficiency—so you feel more resilient, not just temporarily wired. [6]

An 8-week clinical trial tested Rhodiola rosea extract (WS® 1375, 200 mg twice daily) in 100 people with prolonged or chronic fatigue.

Noticeable improvement in fatigue occurred as early as the first week and continued to increase through week 8, with significant overall reductions in symptoms. [7]

Cognitive function

Rhodiola rosea has been shown to support various aspects of cognitive function, such as:

• Mental processing
• Memory and learning
• Attention span
• Work capacity by eliminating mental fatigue

A 12-week open-label study involving 50 adults who took Rhodiola rosea extract (2 × 200 mg daily) found improvements in reaction time, attention, and mental speed, along with increased brain activity associated with cognitive processing (P3 amplitude). [8]

Athletic performance

If you’re an athlete—or push your body to its limits in any sport or activity—Rhodiola deserves a spot in your supplement stack.

It helps you go longer by delaying fatigue and extending time-to-exhaustion, speeds up recovery by reducing exercise-induced muscle damage, and sharpens your mental edge with faster reaction times, quicker movements, better focus, and greater resilience under stress. [9]

Depression

Beyond boosting physical performance, Rhodiola also supports mental well-being. It helps optimize key neurotransmitters—serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine—enhancing mood and motivation. [10]

A 12-week randomized trial compared Rhodiola rosea to sertraline and placebo in 57 adults with mild to moderate depression.

While Rhodiola was slightly less effective than sertraline in reducing depressive symptoms, it caused significantly fewer side effects and was better tolerated. [11]

Dosage and safety

Rhodiola rosea comes in several forms, with various levels of efficacy, but I personally like tinctures (alcohol extracts) because they capture the full spectrum of the plant’s active constituents.

You can also make a decoction (tea) from the root, but it requires boiling for 20–30 minutes, which can be inconvenient, and I’ve noticed it sometimes causes stomach discomfort.

The standardized extract of Rhodiola rosea, usually found in capsule form, is a concentrated preparation that guarantees consistent amounts of the plant’s key active compounds.

Unlike raw root or unstandardized powders, which can vary widely in potency, standardization ensures each dose delivers reliable effects.

The main bioactive compounds commonly standardized are:

• Rosavins (including rosavin, rosarin, and rosin) – typically standardized to 3%
• Salidroside – typically standardized to 1%

These extracts are often labeled as Rhodiola rosea WS® 1375 or similar in clinical studies. Clinical research and expert reviews on standardized Rhodiola suggest the following doses:

Typical dosing range:

• Stress, fatigue, and mental performance: 200–600 mg per day, often split into 1–2 doses.
• Depression and mild mood support: Around 340–600 mg per day has been used in trials.
• Athletic performance: 200–600 mg/day for several weeks is common in studies assessing endurance and recovery.

Timing tips:

• Take in the morning or early afternoon to avoid potential interference with sleep, since it can have mild stimulating effects.
• Some protocols use 2 × 200 mg (morning and noon) for optimal sustained effects.

Safety:

• Well-tolerated; side effects are rare and usually mild (e.g., dry mouth, dizziness, or mild jitteriness).
• Long-term studies suggest that it is safe for use over several weeks to months.

The bottom line

Rhodiola rosea is a powerful botanical that has been a cornerstone of folk medicine across the northern hemisphere.

From helping Siberians endure extreme climates, to supporting Chinese emperors in their quest for longevity, to boosting the strength, endurance, and alertness of Viking warriors.

Modern research confirms what traditional medicine has long known: rhodiola can support wellness, vitality, and performance on multiple levels.

From combating stress and fatigue, to enhancing cognitive function and sports abilities, to supporting mental health—and even offering potential benefits for cardiovascular health, immunity, cancer, and more—it’s an ancient medicine that feels especially relevant today.

Personally, it played a key role in my healing journey from chronic illness.

It helped me regain energy, strength, and endurance after years of chronic fatigue, and restored my brain power, reducing brain fog and supporting my focus. I owe a lot to this remarkable herb.

Now, I’d love to hear from you…

…have you ever tried the “Viking herb” Rhodiola rosea? Or are you interested in dabbling in this herbal medicine?

Hit reply and let me know.

To plants,

Onjae