Rhodiola Rosea, a very useful perennial plant of the Crassulaceae family, grows in the Scandinavian countries as well as in the arctic regions of Europe and the colder regions of Central Asia and many other countries. It grows up to a height of about 30 inches, and bears yellow flowers. The Russians know it by the name, the ‘golden root’. In some other countries its common name is ‘roseroot’. It gives out a pleasant rose-like fragrance, when cut.

In olden times, an element of secrecy enveloped the knowledge about the usefulness of the plant, where to harvest the plant and how to extract the medicine from it were confined to only certain families. The Siberians adopted secret routes for transporting Rhodiola Rosea and trading it for wine and honey, fruits and garlic and other precious commodities of Georgia.

The Greeks perhaps were the first to record the medicinal properties of Rhodiola Rosea several centuries ago. For ages, the people in many countries like Russia, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France and Iceland have used Rhodiola Rosea as part of their traditional medicine, as it has wonderful qualities beneficial to both the mind and the body.

For ages, people traditionally have been using Rhodiola Rosea for fighting fatigue, anemia, and high altitude blues so that they can increase their endurance physically as well as mentally. Impotence, disorders of the intestine, mainly gastrointestinal problems, nervous disorders, depression, infections, even simple ailments like cold and flu, are some of the things treated with the help of Rhodiola Rosea. It is found to be good for increasing memory and one’s attention span. It is also good for longevity. In Mongolia, it appears, doctors used it for treating tuberculosis and cancer. There are references that people used it for controlling vaginal discharge and for treating hernia, hemorrhoids, hysteria and headaches. It is known to be useful as a stimulant and also as an anti-inflammatory agent.

More recently, Rhodiola Rosea has become a subject for scientific study. Rhodiola Rosea finds mentioned in the eighteenth and nineteenth century scientific literature appearing in countries like Norway, Sweden, the Soviet Union, Germany, France and Iceland. Several clinical studies have been conducted in these countries since 1960. There are also several phytochemical and pharmacological studies to ascertain the effects of Rhodiola Rosea as an adaptogen (a substance that ‘increases resistance of an organism’ without disturbing ‘normal biological parameters’). However, until very recently, the people in the West did not know much about the beneficial properties of the plant, as the published scientific literature on Rhodiola Rosea was not in English.

Hundreds of scientific studies on Rhodiola Rosea conducted since the 1960s have confirmed its various medicinal properties. Russia officially included Rhodiola Rosea in its medicine, because of these studies. In Sweden, since 1985, it has been recognized and used as an Herbal Alternative Medicinal Product. Many of these clinical and pharmacological studies prove the effectiveness of Rhodiola Rosea in a wide variety of physical and mental ailments because of its identified beneficial qualities.

So if you wish to enhance your physical endurance or increase your resistance to stress, get rid of depression, or anemia and fatigue without any side effects or toxicity, take Rhodiola Rosea. If you are looking for an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, or a sexual stimulant take Rhodiola Rosea. If you want a safe, natural herbal remedy that has been scientifically proven to be effective for any of the above-mentioned health conditions and disorders, go in for Rhodiola Rosea.