Tibetan Rhodiola

Rhodiola sacra

Common names

Rhodiola
Tibetan Rhodiola

The Tibetan Rhodiola Sacra is a highly valued medicinal herb that grows in the slopes of the Himalayas, known to be the supreme mountain range on the earth. This herb belongs to the family Crassulaceae, a plant genus that is indigenous to the arctic region, for instance, the eastern region of Siberia. Because Tibetan Rhodiola Sacra grows in an unpolluted and cold endurance environment, this valuable herb is used to prepare medicines that normalize and regulate the various systems of the body. Besides, the pure and cold climatic conditions also help the medicines prepared from the herb to retain its finest medicinal qualities. The Tibetan Rhodiola Sacra is entirely safe for human use and does not possess any toxic substances whatsoever. Over the centuries Tibetan Rhodiola Sacra has been effectively used to support the heart as well as protect from strokes. The Tibetan Rhodiola Sacra is not only an exceptional plant, but comparatively it is also a rare herb that grows in one of the cruelest ecological surroundings in the world. The herb is known as the 'Plateau Ginseng' in the Orient, while the Tibetans regard rhodiola as a revered plant. Traditionally, people in Tibet have been using rhodiola like a potent adaptogenic energizing medicine and also as a important therapeutic agent since the commencement of their civilization. Even the Chinese hold Rhodiola Sacra in high esteem and this herb received rave and positive reviews in the maiden Chinese herbal classic that was documented more than 2,000 years ago. The Chinese considered Rhodiola Sacra as a superior medicinal plant that helped to prolong life span as well as improve wisdom. Nevertheless, Tibetan rhodiola has not become a very popular medicinal herb outside the limits of Asia till date since it is a rare herb found growing in one of the harshest environmental conditions of the world. The Tibetan monks extensively used rhodiola to augment their internal spiritual powers, the power to concentrate as well as enhance their physical fortitude or endurance. Hence, there is no doubt that this sacred and valuable herb, Rhodiola Sacra, has had a significant role in the progression of the Tibetan culture. There are numerous evidences that aptly demonstrate the superiority as well as potency of the Tibetan rhodiola compared to ginseng in several ways. Rhodiola Sacra is an extremely beneficial herb for people who toil hard - mentally or physically. It has been proved that using Tibetan rhodiola has helped to enhance endurance and stamina as well as mental ability, together with improving memory power. This rare herb has also demonstrated that it is an excellent energizer and tonic for people who are engaged in physical conditioning. In addition, the herb rhodiola has also proved to be a better quality tonic for people who spend long hours behind a desk or work for several hours on computer terminals. Internal administration of small doses of an extract obtained from rhodiola notably enhances an individual's ability to absorb as well as make use of oxygen. The herb Tibetan rhodiola is particularly helpful for people who are always living under hectic and traumatic conditions. In addition, it has also been proved that Tibetan rhodiola lessens the body's tension responses and, thereby, provides relief from mental tension also. People who use Tibetan rhodiola or medications prepared with the herb have higher concentrating capabilities and can remain focused on a subject for long. At the same time, they also tend to endure less exhaustion even when they are under acute stressful conditions. In fact, Tibetan rhodiola is the appropriate herb supplement for the present-day world. It has also been established that Tibetan rhodiola herb is highly useful for the cardiovascular system and it has been proved to be effective in preventing heart ailments, which are the major reason behind most deaths in the United States. Tibetan rhodiola is also a potent controller of the immune system and facilitates in putting the immune system together to transform it into a fine tuned machine to combat various ailments. Currently, many herbal medicine practitioners are also using the exclusive herb obtained from the Himalayan region, Tibetan rhodiola as a potent and safe medication to cure depression. Many herbalists are of the view that the Tibetan rhodiola is more potent compared to St. John's wort, which is presently the most popular and hot selling herb to treat depression naturally worldwide. As discussed before, Tibetan rhodiola is extremely safe and non-poisonous or harmless herbal nourishment. Many herbal medicine practitioners recommend daily consumption of Tibetan rhodiola for its use as a tonic as well as a supplement to maintain the overall health of an individual. In many countries across the world, herbalists have used the root of the herb Tibetan rhodiola in their traditional medicine. Rhodiola has been categorized as an adaptogen. In other words, this herb may be described as a substance that encourages the normal actions of the body and helps it to enhance its fight against adverse situations, including contagions, damages caused by free radicals, the aging process and other symptoms. As aforementioned, being an adaptogen, Tibetan rhodiola has the aptitude to augment the resistance capabilities of the body against any type of contagion and, at the same time, the herb facilitates the healing process by enhancing the fighting capabilities against an assortment of biological, chemical and physical activities that cause stress or tension. The consequences of rhodiola are basically attributed to the herb's capability to enhance the levels of serotonin and dopamine as well as its impact on opioid peptides (brief series of amino acids that attach to opioid receptors in the brain) like beta-endorphins (a powerful endorphin discharged by the frontal pituitary gland in reaction to pain, trauma and other symptoms that cause stress or tension). Tibetan rhodiola also has an effect on the intensity as well as actions of biogenic monoamines, for instance, dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine in the cerebral cortex (the furrowed external stratum of gray matter in the brain's cerebrum), hypothalamus (an area of the brain flanked by the thalamus and the midbrain), and the brain stem. In addition, the herb Tibetan rhodiola also possesses an imprecise capability to help the body to endure stress as well as maintain the normal activities even at a time when it is endangered with pathological conditions. The herb Tibetan rhodiola possesses the unique aptitude to simultaneously improve as well as protect the immune system primarily owing to its capability to refurbish the equilibrium of the metabolic condition, also known as homeostasis, of the body. In addition rhodiola also notably enhances the propagation of the natural killer cells, also known as NK, in the spleen and the stomach.

Parts used

Primarily the root, but to some degree the stem of the herb may be included.

Uses

Tibetan rhodiola is extremely beneficial for the lungs as well as the respiratory functions. This vital herb possesses antipyretic (ability to prevent or curb fever) and energizing properties. The 'Supernatural Peasant's Materia Medica Classics' had described rhodiola as possessing the aptitude to relax and soothe the body as well as improve the power of eyesight or make the eyes brighter. When rhodiola is used as a stimulant or tonic, it helps to potently enhance vivacity. Consumption of Tibetan rhodiola is effective for fortifying the body as well as the mind, combating fatigue, defending against absence of oxygen as well as extreme exposure to radiation. In addition, rhodiola is also known to facilitate extending one's life span. Tibetan rhodiola is particularly known for its ability to augment the intellect of people who intake this herb or medications prepared from it regularly. In addition, herbal medical practitioners prescribe rhodiola or its extract as a tonic for the cardiovascular system as well as to encourage the management of blood sugar. In Asia as well as Eastern Europe, the herb Tibetan rhodiola has been a popular and well accepted therapy in the traditional medical systems for several centuries now. In fact, the Russians have been consuming a tea prepared with rhodiola for hundreds of years with a view to perk up their energy levels. Both, the Russian as well as Chinese scientists have studied the health benefits offered by rhodiola root for a number of decades now. The roots or rhizomes of rhodiola are also known to have a stimulating effect on the nervous system. In addition, the roots of this herb and extracts obtained from them help in combating depression, diminish exhaustion, augment one's work performance as well as diminish the altitude sickness suffered by many. The Russian scientists have classified rhodiola as an adaptogen owing to its unique characteristic to facilitate reinforcing the resistance power of the body against a range of biological, chemical and physical conditions that may result in stress and tension. As an adaptogenic, the roots of Rhodiola Sacra possess the aptitude to vitalize the central nervous system as well as protect the cardiopulmonary system. As aforementioned, the use of rhodiola is helpful in enhancing mood as well as assuaging depression. The use of Tibetan rhodiola is also known to have a beneficial influence on the physical as well as mental performance of individuals who take the herb regularly. In addition, rhodiola is effective in diminishing fatigue. The use of rhodiola has also proved to be beneficial in treating cardiac ailments caused or worsened due to stress or strain. It has also been established that rhodiola is effective in combating all types of contagions and motion sickness. Besides the uses of rhodiola discussed above, this rare and precious herb is also used for healing impotence, anemia, cancer, headaches, contagions and complaints of the nervous system. Other than these, rhodiola has also been found to be useful in enhancing the life span of individuals and also improving fertility. In addition, the herb Tibetan rhodiola is also known to possess strong antioxidant properties and helps to diminish the harmful actions of the free radicals produced by the body. This way, rhodiola is very helpful in combating different ailments related to the affects of free radicals and aging. Apart from the health benefits of Rhodiola Sacra discuss thus far, by and large, this herb also helps to considerably enhance as well as cleanse the blood quality. At the same time, rhodiola also perks up the immune system by enhancing blood circulation throughout the body. In addition, scientists have discovered that rhodiola has the aptitude to assuage as well as relieve angina (chest pain owing to spasms) that may be a result of the insufficiency of the coronary artery. At the same time, rhodiola has been found to be very effective in healing the consequences of exposure to radiation, toxins, and lack of oxygen as well as fatigue. Rhodiola Sacra has also been found to be beneficial for people suffering from cerebral thrombosis and atherosclerosis (a condition wherein fatty substances deposit in the form of plaque on the inner lining of the walls of arteries). Moreover, use of Rhodiola Sacra is also useful during the recuperation phase from cerebral infarction (an ischemic type of stroke caused due to a disorder in the blood vessels providing blood to the brain), thereby protecting the blood vessels. This herb and its extract are also said to useful for the myocardial system since it has the ability to assist in protecting as well as providing relief from angina pectoris. The other health benefits offered by Rhodiola Sacra includes its ability to diminish the risk from hypertension by lowering the viscosity of blood. Last, but not the least, rhodiola is also useful in providing relief from exhaustion and headaches and, at the same time, enhancing memory and holding up senility.

Constituents

Chemical analysis of the herb Tibetan rhodiola has revealed that this rare plant growing in the Himalayan region encloses phenylpropanoids like rosarin, rosavin and rosin. In addition, rhodiola also contains amalgams, such as flavonoids, salidroside, tannins as well as certain essential oils. Besides these, rhodiola also encloses an assortment of antioxidant amalgams, such as organic acids (caffeic acid, gallic acid and chlorogenic acid), p-tyrosol and flavonoids like proanthocyanidins and catechins. Rhodiola also possesses invigorating as well as adaptogenic characteristics that are attributed to salidroside, p-tyrosol, rhodiolin, rhodioniside, rosin, rosarin, rosavin (the element presently utilized to maintain the standards of the extracts from the herb) and rosiridin. The root and stem of the Tibetan rhodiola herb are primarily made use of for preparing medicines or a valuable stimulant or tonic. Nevertheless, the entire herb may also be used for preparing the medicines as well as the potent tonic that is generally used as an energizer for the mind and the body. The main constituents of the herb Tibetan rhodiola that have effective therapeutic properties include ethyl gallate, salidroside, P-sitosterol, tyrosot, gallic acid, phenol compounds, flavones and 35 different types of trace elements that are biologically active, such as iron, zinc, cobalt, silver, titanium, cadmium, manganese, molybdenum and several others. In addition, rhodiola also encloses a volatile oil. In addition to the above mentioned elements, the herb rhodiola also contains as many as 18 amino acids that are essential to the human body. In fact, the human body cannot produce seven constituents of rhodiola, though they are vital for its normal functioning. The spectrum or range of bio-nutrients enclosed by Tibetan rhodiola is rarely found in any other herb. The elements like tyrosot, salidroside and sitosterol enclosed by the Tibetan rhodiola primarily work to augment the resistance power of the human body and help it to adapt to conditions that cause stress as well as fine-tune the physiological functions of the body for restoration. The effects of rhodiola are double-directional regulating the consequences on the nervous system as well as the endocrine system. In addition, this herb contains several types of components that are physiologically active. Several researches have demonstrated that these physiologically active components contained by rhodiola possess antiviral, anticarcinogenic (an agent that combats cancer producing substances) and antimicrobial activities.

From Anonymous - Jul-02-2013: I have joint pain and tired easily mainly due to auto immune system disorder. My brother bought me the Rhodiola Sacra which I consume 2 capsules daily. Not only is my health improving but also energise my concentration power. Love my Brother & RS!!
From Hi - Dec-02-2011: I've been taking a dose of liquid Rhodiola extract each morning for the last three weeks, and it's been fantastic. It gives me the alertness and energy that a cup of coffee used to give me - only there's no "crash" later in the day. No jitters either. As for mood - I think it improves my mood quite a bit as well.