Rhodiola Rosea – can it improve your exercise performance?

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Rhodiola rosea
The leaves and shoots are eaten raw, having a bitter flavor, or cooked like spinach, and are sometimes added to salads.

Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola Rosea is an adaptogenic herbal remedy that comes from a root. It contains compounds that affect the stress hormone, cortisol, and it helps alleviate stress by balancing cortisol levels. Gavin Van De Walle MS from Healthline states that ” People in Russia and Scandinavian countries have used Rhodiola to treat anxiety, fatigue and depression for centuries”. (1)

Rhodiola Rosea may help with

    1. Coping with stress
    2. Improving stamina
    3. Improving heart health
    4. burning fat

What are the Benefits?

1) Helps with stress

Rhodiola is an adaptogen and so may help the body to cope with stress, both mental and physical.

2) It may improve stamina and endurance

It may increase blood supply to the brain and muscles, which may enhance concentration, muscle function and stamina. Rhodiola may also increase physical endurance and improve recovery after exercise. Another benefit of Rhodiola is that it could help maintain creatine phosphate levels in muscle cells. (2)

3) It may improve heart health

Rhodiola could improve heart health. According to WebMD “early research suggests that taking a Rhodiola constituent called salidroside starting one week before chemotherapy and continuing throughout chemotherapy reduces heart damage caused by the chemotherapy drug epirubicin”. (3)

4) Helps with mild anxiety

In 2015, 57 participants suffering from mild anxiety took part in a study to determine the safety and efficiency of Rhodiola Rosea compared to Sertraline. The results indicate that Sertraline might be more efficient, but Rhodiola Rosea might have fewer side effects when used to treat anxiety. (4)

Helps to burn fat

Rhodiola can help the body utilise stored fat more efficiently. Taking Rhodiola if you are exercising can increase fat loss results, this may be due to the active compound Rosavin, which encourages the body to burn fat.

Rhodiola synergy and works well with

  • Ginseng to help boost energy, mental alertness and emotional endurance.
  • Fish oils may improve brain function, memory, concentration, heart function and circulation.
  • Multivitamins can help maintain proper nutrition during times of stress.

Resources

Last accessed online 20/04/2020

  1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rhodiola-rosea
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15500079
  3. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-883/rhodiola
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4385215/

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