Rhodiola rosea — also called golden root or arctic root — is a hardy flowering plant that grows in the cold, high-altitude regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. For centuries it has been used in Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Russian and Chinese herbal traditions to boost stamina, sharpen the mind, and help the body adapt to physical hardship. In the last two decades it has become one of the most-studied adaptogens in modern clinical research, with randomized trials examining its effects on stress-related fatigue, mood, cognitive performance, and exercise recovery.
Here is what the current evidence shows about how rhodiola works, what randomized trials have found, and what to consider before adding it to a wellness routine.
What is an adaptogen?
Adaptogens are a class of plant compounds proposed to help the body resist and normalize its response to physical, chemical, and emotional stressors, largely by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that governs cortisol release. To meet the traditional definition, an adaptogen must be non-toxic at normal doses, produce a broad, non-specific stress-protective effect, and help return body systems toward balance regardless of the direction of the imbalance.
Rhodiola’s activity is attributed to a group of compounds called rosavins and salidroside, along with a range of flavonoids and phenolic acids. Standardized clinical extracts — most commonly SHR-5 — are usually calibrated to deliver about 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside.
Stress-related fatigue
The strongest signal in the clinical literature is for stress-related fatigue. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial published in Planta Medica in 2009 by Olsson and colleagues enrolled 60 adults with chronic fatigue symptoms. Participants who received 576 mg per day of the SHR-5 rhodiola extract for 28 days showed statistically significant improvements in Pines’ burnout scale scores and cognitive function tests compared with placebo, along with lower cortisol responses to awakening stress.
An earlier double-blind crossover study of 56 healthy physicians on night duty, published in Phytomedicine in 2000, reported that a low daily dose of rhodiola improved a composite index of mental performance — including short-term memory, calculation, and concentration — during two weeks of night shifts, with the effect largely reversing after supplementation stopped.
A 2014 randomized trial in PLOS ONE from Punja and colleagues tested rhodiola in Canadian nursing students dealing with mental and physical fatigue, and a 2022 trial in Nutrients by Noah and colleagues examined a combination formula containing rhodiola, magnesium, B vitamins, and L-theanine in chronically stressed but otherwise healthy adults, reporting improvements in perceived stress and fatigue scales.
Anxiety and mood
A 2015 study in Phytotherapy Research by Cropley and colleagues randomized 80 mildly anxious adults to 200 mg of rhodiola extract twice daily or placebo for 14 days. The rhodiola group reported significant reductions in self-reported anxiety, stress, anger, confusion, and depression, though the study was open-label rather than fully blinded.
A 2015 proof-of-concept trial in Phytomedicine by Mao and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania compared rhodiola with the antidepressant sertraline and placebo in 57 adults with mild to moderate major depressive disorder over 12 weeks. Sertraline produced the largest reduction in depression scores, but rhodiola produced clinically meaningful improvement with notably fewer side effects. The authors cautioned that the sample was small and that rhodiola should not be considered a substitute for established treatment in more severe depression.
Exercise performance and recovery
Rhodiola’s traditional reputation as a stamina booster has drawn growing interest from sports-science researchers. A 2023 systematic review in Phytotherapy Research by Sanz-Barrio and colleagues analyzed randomized trials of rhodiola on physical performance and muscle damage, concluding that acute supplementation may modestly reduce perceived exertion and blunt some markers of exercise-induced stress, though effects on maximal strength and endurance were inconsistent across studies.
A 2025 randomized, double-blind, crossover trial in Nutrients by Koozehchian and colleagues examined dose-response effects on resistance exercise and cognition in trained athletes. A separate 2025 triple-blinded crossover trial from Marcos-Frutos and colleagues, also in Nutrients, tested four days of rhodiola supplementation on bench-press performance under mentally fatiguing conditions, adding to a growing body of small trials focused specifically on the fatigue-performance interaction rather than raw strength.
What official reviewers say
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health, offers a more cautious summary. According to NCCIH, “there isn’t enough reliable evidence to determine whether rhodiola or its components are useful for any health-related purpose,” and “most of the research in people is of low-to-moderate quality.” That does not mean rhodiola is ineffective — only that the trials so far have generally been small, short, and heterogeneous in dosing and populations.
Dosing used in the trials
Across published studies, effective daily doses have generally fallen between 200 mg and 680 mg of a standardized extract, most often taken in the morning or split between morning and early afternoon. Because rhodiola can feel mildly stimulating, most researchers advise against taking it in the evening. Benefits in the stress and fatigue trials typically emerged within one to four weeks of consistent use.
Safety and interactions
The NCCIH describes rhodiola as “possibly safe” when used for up to 12 weeks. Reported side effects in trials are usually mild and include dizziness, headache, insomnia, dry mouth, or excessive salivation. Long-term safety data beyond a few months is limited.
Important cautions include:
- A documented interaction with the blood-pressure drug losartan has been reported to NCCIH, and rhodiola may theoretically affect other medications metabolized by similar liver enzymes.
- Because rhodiola can influence mood and serotonin pathways, people taking antidepressants — especially SSRIs or MAOIs — should speak with a clinician before combining them.
- People with bipolar disorder should be cautious, as stimulating herbs may theoretically trigger manic or agitated states.
- Safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established, and use in these settings is generally not recommended.
What the evidence actually supports
The clearest signal from randomized trials is that standardized rhodiola extract, taken at roughly 200 to 600 mg per day for two to eight weeks, may help reduce symptoms of stress-related fatigue and modestly improve some measures of mental performance under pressure. Evidence for mood support is promising but limited to a small number of trials, and evidence for exercise performance is mixed. Independent regulators including the NCCIH continue to describe the overall evidence base as preliminary rather than conclusive.
As with any herbal supplement, quality varies widely across brands. Studies that reported positive effects almost always used standardized extracts specifying rosavin and salidroside content. Consulting a qualified healthcare provider is especially important for anyone taking prescription medication, managing a mood disorder, pregnant or breastfeeding, or considering rhodiola in combination with other supplements.
Disclosure: This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health regimen.