Rhodiola Rosea
Rhodiola rosea
Arctic root adaptogen for fatigue and mental stamina.
Evidence tier
Preliminary
Research weight
Citations
17 verified / 17
Classification
Adaptogen
❝
What the evidence says. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive.
What is Rhodiola Rosea?
Rhodiola Rosea (Rhodiola rosea) is an adaptogen used for reduced fatigue. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Rhodiola is a high-altitude adaptogen traditionally used to combat fatigue and altitude stress. Several small RCTs show reduced mental and physical fatigue, improved concentration under stress, and modest antidepressant effects. Study quality is variable and effect sizes inconsistent, keeping evidence at a preliminary tier. It is often taken in the morning due to mild stimulating effects.
Purported Benefits
✓Reduced fatigue
✓Stress resilience
✓Mental performance
✓Mild mood lift
Evidence by outcome
The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.
| Outcome | Evidence | Effect | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reduced fatigue (mental/physical)2012 SR of 11 trials found contradictory results and all had high/unclear bias; NCCIH says evidence insufficient. | Mixed | ↔ mixed · small | 3 |
| Mild-moderate depressionOne small RCT matched sertraline; a key positive RCT used a rhodiola+saffron combo, not rhodiola alone. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · moderate | 2 |
| Endurance exercise performanceMeta-analysis of 26 RCTs found small VO2max/time-to-exhaustion gains; reviews call ergogenic effects minor and inconsistent. | Moderate | ↑ benefit · small | 2 |
| Cognitive/mental performanceSome trials show Stroop gains; multiple crossover RCTs found no cognitive benefit. | Mixed | ↔ mixed · small | 3 |
| Stress/anxiety symptomsOpen-label and non-placebo trials suggest reduced stress/anxiety; lack of blinding limits confidence. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · small | 2 |
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
200–600 mg/day standardized to 3% rosavins / 1% salidroside.
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
Well tolerated. May cause jitteriness/insomnia if taken late. Caution with stimulants and bipolar disorder. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Rhodiola Rosea with any medicine.
Key Studies ★ 17 studies
Meta-analysis
Zhang 2025 (meta-analysis)
✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of 26 RCTs (668 healthy participants) found Rhodiola rosea modestly improved endurance: VO2max (ES=0.32), time-to-exhaustion (ES=0.38) and time-trial performance (ES=-0.40), plus better antioxidant markers.
Meta-analysis
Wang et al. 2025 (Front Nutr)
✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 26 RCTs (n=668 healthy adults) found Rhodiola rosea supplementation significantly improved endurance: VO2 (ES=0.32), time to exhaustion (ES=0.38), and time-trial performance (ES=-0.40); it raised antioxidant capacity (SOD ES=1.16, TAC ES=0.59) and reduced oxidative/muscle-damage markers (MDA ES=-1.21, creatine kinase ES=-0.84, lactate ES=-0.87), with no effect on IL-6 or CRP. Greater VO2 gains at >600 mg/day.
Meta-analysis
Du et al. 2025 (Front Pharmacol)
✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 25 RCTs (n=2,325) of standardized Rhodiola rosea injection (adjunct) in HFrEF showed improved left-ventricular remodeling: LVEF +6.81% (95% CI 5.71-7.91), LVEDD -4.37 mm, LVESD -4.48 mm; reduced inflammation (TNF-alpha -10.37, IL-6 -6.99, hs-CRP -2.58) and natriuretic peptides (BNP -105.10, NT-proBNP -415.95), with no increase in adverse events (RR=0.86). Evidence limited by methodological quality.
Systematic review
Stojcheva 2022 (review)
✓ PubMed
Review of clinical trials concluded Rhodiola rosea preparations provide an encouraging but not definitive basis for managing life-stress symptoms, fatigue, mild depression, anxiety and burnout.
Systematic review
Ishaque et al. 2012 (BMC Complement Altern Med)
✓ PubMed
Systematic review of 11 trials (10 RCTs + 1 CCT) for physical/mental fatigue: 2 of 6 physical-fatigue trials and 3 of 5 mental-fatigue RCTs reported R. rosea effective. Evidence was contradictory and all included studies had high or unclear risk of bias, precluding meta-analysis; rigorous RCTs needed.
RCT
Concas 2025 (RCT)
✓ Full text
Double-blind placebo-controlled RCT (n=126) of a rhodiola (308 mg) plus saffron (30 mg) combination found a roughly 10-point HAM-D reduction by day 21 versus placebo in moderate depression (combination product, not rhodiola alone).
RCT
Marcos-Frutos 2025 (RCT)
✓ PubMed
Triple-blind placebo-controlled crossover RCT (n=18) found 4 days of Rhodiola rosea produced only small, inconsistent strength gains (14 of 52 comparisons favouring rhodiola) and no benefit on cognitive or mental-fatigue outcomes.
randomized controlled trial
2025 dose-response RCT (Nutrients)
✓ Full text
Randomized double-blind crossover trial in 27 resistance-trained adults found 7 days of Rhodiola rosea (200 or 1500 mg/day) produced no improvement in anaerobic Wingate power outcomes, but improved Stroop cognitive performance and some resistance-exercise endurance/strength measures versus control.
RCT
Bernardez-Vilaboa / Nutrients 2025
✓ Full text
Randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial (n=18) of 4 days Rhodiola rosea found only trivial-to-small effects on mental fatigue, visuo-cognitive processing and perceived exertion; of 52 comparisons, 17 were small effects (14 favouring Rhodiola), with modest strength benefits in some sets.
product quality/safety analysis
Walsh 2026 (PLoS One, market analysis)
✓ Full text
Analysis of 10 US-market Rhodiola rosea products (7 capsules, 3 tinctures bought on Amazon in 2024) found wide biomarker variability (rosavins 0.01-3.08%, salidroside 0.07-2.91%) with some products far below label claims, and detectable arsenic, cobalt and lead in all seven capsules (up to ~200 ng arsenic per serving), highlighting quality-control concerns.
Clinical trial
Mao 2015
✓ PubMed
Comparable to sertraline for mild depression with fewer side effects (small trial).
randomized controlled trial
Cropley 2015 (RCT)
✓ PubMed
Randomized (non-placebo, no-treatment control) trial in 80 mildly anxious adults found that 2x200 mg/day Rhodiola rosea extract (Vitano) significantly reduced self-reported anxiety, stress, anger, confusion and depression and improved total mood at 14 days, with no change in cognitive performance.
Review
Tinsley 2024 (review)
✓ PubMed
Review of at least 16 human studies concluded acute ~200 mg Rhodiola rosea pre-exercise may prolong time-to-exhaustion and improve time-trial performance, but ergogenic effects are generally minor, outcome-dependent and inconsistent for chronic use.
review
Lucius 2024 (review)
✓ Source
Clinical review of Rhodiola rosea's adaptogenic and ergogenic effects summarizes evidence that it is generally well tolerated with mostly mild adverse events (e.g., dizziness, dry mouth) and may modestly benefit stress-related fatigue and mood, while cautioning that supporting trials remain small and methodologically limited.
Review
Hung 2011 review
✓ PubMed
Promising for fatigue but methodological limitations noted.
Study
Darbinyan 2000
✓ PubMed
Reduced fatigue and improved cognition in night-shift physicians.
government/authoritative body
NCCIH (NIH) Rhodiola fact sheet
✓ Source
The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health concludes there is not enough reliable evidence to determine whether rhodiola is useful for any health purpose (most human research being low-to-moderate quality); it is considered possibly safe for up to 12 weeks, with reported side effects including dizziness, headache, insomnia and dry mouth.