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Botanical extract mixture · Fact sheet

Rhodiola rosea

Also known as Rhodiola · SHR-5 extract

Rhodiola rosea is a botanical extract investigated for stress and fatigue. Small studies provide inconsistent results, and a placebo-controlled depression trial found no significant between-group symptom difference.

Not FDA approvedEarly human evidence
Brain, mood & sleepAging & energy

What is Rhodiola rosea?

Different Rhodiola species and extracts do not necessarily share the same chemistry.

The adaptogen label describes a proposed stress-related effect rather than an established clinical outcome.

Benefits & claims

Interest in Rhodiola rosea spans cognition and sleep, aging and energy. Study findings apply to the named formulation and population.

What the evidence supports

  • Acute laboratory task results suggest a reason for further fatigue research.
  • The small depression study cannot establish equivalence to sertraline merely because both comparisons were inconclusive.
  • NCCIH concludes that reliable evidence is insufficient to determine usefulness for health purposes.
Research areas
  • Formulation-specific human outcomes
  • Mechanistic research

Dosage & frequency

No established human regimen

The reviewed sources do not establish a human treatment amount or frequency for Rhodiola rosea. Animal and laboratory exposures are not human regimens.

How to read these amounts

An approved regimen belongs to a specific product, indication, and population. A study regimen describes what researchers tested; it does not establish a prescription or a safe self-use protocol. Products, routes, and formulations are not interchangeable. A prescriber uses the full label and individual clinical circumstances.

Personal accounts may describe amounts, schedules and outcomes beyond clinical research. They do not establish a regimen. Read the reported experiences

Formulations, interactions & practical context

Formulation differences

  • The adaptogen label describes a proposed stress-related effect rather than an established clinical outcome.

Interactions & precautions

  • The reviewed sources do not establish a comprehensive human interaction profile for this exact substance or combination.

What is still unresolved

  • Reproducibility in larger independent trials
  • Long-term outcomes and adverse effects
  • Equivalence of different preparations and interaction profiles
A randomized trial of two different doses of a SHR-5 Rhodiola rosea extract versus placebo and control of capacity for mental work. Rhodiola rosea versus sertraline for major depressive disorder: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. NCCIH: rhodiola evidence and safety

Side effects & risks

  • Dizziness, headache, insomnia and changes in saliva production are reported safety concerns.
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding and drug-interaction data are limited.

This is a summary of the cited evidence, not a complete product label. A lack of human safety data does not establish safety.

Clinical research

Early human evidence

A 161-cadet study reported an acute fatigue-index effect. A 57-person depression study found no significant symptom difference among rhodiola, sertraline and placebo.

Studies

Personal experiences

Reports describe what someone noticed. They cannot establish cause, typical results, or how often a side effect happens. Amounts and schedules describe the individual account, not an effective or safe dose. Product identity and strength may be unverified, and missing details are left explicit.

Explore 2 sourced accounts by reported effect.

Energy: reported experiences

Positive account · personal report

More energy and mental alertness after initially noticing little

An author described little effect during the first couple of weeks, followed by a stronger sense of energy, mental alertness and improved mood. They particularly noticed the change alongside coffee and a meal.

Reported use in this account

Product
Rhodiola rosea supplement; exact extract composition not established
Amount
Not specified clearly
Frequency
Not specified clearly
Route
Not specified clearly
Duration
A couple of weeks before the reported change

Other exposures described: Coffee; Meals

Coffee and meals were concurrent, the extract was not independently characterized, and the subjective response does not establish an expected onset time or an interaction mechanism.

Read the original account

Approval status

No FDA-approved Rhodiola rosea drug indication is established for the supplement uses discussed here. Supplement availability is not FDA approval of efficacy or safety.

No FDA-approved product for this entry

Approval covers the labeled product, use and population. A trial phase does not establish success; a stopped program is not ongoing research.

Open questions

  • Reproducibility in larger independent trials
  • Long-term outcomes and adverse effects
  • Equivalence of different preparations and interaction profiles

Summary

NCCIH concludes that reliable evidence is insufficient to determine usefulness for health purposes.

Sources

Medical evidence and regulatory sources are listed here. Personal reports are linked separately in the experiences section.

  2. pubmedRhodiola rosea versus sertraline for major depressive disorder: A randomized placebo-controlled trial.

    57-person, 12-week depression trial; no significant between-group symptom difference.

  3. nihNCCIH: rhodiola evidence and safety

    Evidence limitations, insomnia and other adverse effects; inadequate pregnancy and breastfeeding data.

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