Stout, sunny, and strong, Rhodiola rosea or Roseroot is a steadfast friend through cold, dark times. We humans have been partnering with Rhodiola for centuries to help us survive and even thrive in climates and conditions that are particularly cold and weakening, heavy and challenging, dark and unbalanced…in a word: Stressful.
Modern herbalists reach for Rhodiola when the signs of exhaustion have set in. Weakness, fatigue, brain-fog, lack of energy, slow-healing of wounds, and insomnia are all part of the symptom-picture for which Rhodiola is indicated.
Rhodiola and Traditional Western Herbalism
In the language of Traditional Western Herbalism, Rhodiola is described as adaptogenic, astringent, sedative, stimulating and vulenary. It helps to tone lax tissue and drive out that which doesn’t support healing and health. Rhodiola has demonstrated a capacity to help us recover from deep wounds, including those we impose upon ourselves, without the threat of building too much tissue in response. Unlike comfrey, which has been linked to tumor and mass formation, Rhodiola has been linked to positive results in cancer treatment. The key to understanding how Rhodiola’s energy works is rooted in the practicality of this plant.
Rhodiola wastes no energy on that which won’t produce balance or well-being. In its native environment, Rhodiola makes practical use of the resources it has. It can survive and thrive in high elevations, where the air is thin, and through extremely cold winters to flourish in rather short and cool summers. Rhodiola is warming, in that it helps us create better circulation and thus produce more internal warmth, although it is described by Traditional Western Herbalists as cooling and drying. That’s because Rhodiola helps us release excess heat. Unlike Yarrow, which is astringent and helps reduce fever through its diaphoretic action, Rhodiola focuses on helping us move our energy properly to release heat. With Rhodiola’s help, we unblock that which has accumulated, thus allowing stuck energies to flow once again, thus stuck heat is allowed to move and escape, stagnant masses are encouraged to dissipate, and the body is eased back toward a state of healthy balance.
Rhodiola and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Herbalists categorize Rhodiola, aka Hong Jing Tian, as cooling, sweet, and moving. Rhodiola has an affinity for moving blood and Qi, making it a good choice for conditions where blood has stagnated or begun to congeal, as is the case with some cysts, tumors, and forms of cancer. It’s also been used for menstrual disorders and peri-menopausal and menopausal conditions for its ability to move Qi and blood. Rhodiola’s affinity is for the Wood element and the Liver Meridian, making it particularly adept at managing energies that demand both flexibility and strength to manage, as is the case for managing stress of all types and particularly for that of the peri-menopausal and adolescent years.
As a women’s medicine, Rhodiola is often included in formulas for moving stagnant blood, as evidenced by protruding blue veins on the underside of the tongue, for instance. It may pair well with herbs like White Peony, Rehmania, and Fo it or He Shou Wu for building and moving blood through the perimenopausal years. Rhodiola has also been used to ease menstrual cramping and headache. In both cases, Rhodiola helps to move blood and Qi to ease pain and other signs of stagnation.
As a balancer, Rhodiola helps the body adapt to stress. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, part of this is finding the balance between Yin and Yang. Rhodiola helps the body release excess heat and is especially adept at doing so during times of life when our Yin-Yang balance is unstable. Rhodiola helps us release excess heat toxins and heat in general, regardless of whether the heat has accumulated due to excess Yang or deficient Yin.
Rhodiola and Ayurveda
Rhodiola is classified as a Rasayana herb in Ayurveda. It pacifies Kapha and Pitta while helping to stabilize Vata. What this means is Rhodiola is a good choice when the body’s imbalance leads in the direction of heavy-damp-cold or hot-damp. In pacifying Kapha, Rhodiola assists the body to dry excessive dampness, which helps ease symptoms of fatigue. In pacifying Pitta, Rhodiola assists the body to release excess heat, which improves circulation and digestion. Together, these shifts free Vata to flow in balance to the whole system, thus lifting brain fog and helping the mind to better focus, process, and integrate new material. The key here, too, is in Rhodiola’s ability to help the body-mind-spirit recognize imbalance and correct it, thus allowing one to feel energy flowing in a natural and healthy way. This may be part of why Rhodiola is so helpful to athletes and those who require a great deal of endurance for daily life.
Rhodiola has been used in fitness and endurance training with positive results. As a Rasayana herb, Rhodiola promotes optimal health regardless of the conditions one faces. Modern athletes, military personnel, and even astronauts have used Rhodiola to help them prepare for performance in high altitudes and particularly cold or intense conditions. Rhodiola helps boost the body’s energy naturally, encouraging us to rise toward health and balance on all levels and to use our available resources efficiently toward that end.
Rhodiola and Emotional Healing
Modern herbalists have discovered what our ancestors knew: Rhodiola is a gentle yet powerful partner in regaining a sense of rooted balance and positivity in the face of whatever challenges life offers up. Rhodiola’s affinity for the Liver channel in Traditional Chinese Medicine and with the chest, heart, and brain in Traditional Western Herbalism and in Ayurveda gives us some insight to how its energy can help us find emotional balance.
As a Liver channel herb, Rhodiola helps us manage anger and bi-polar-like spurts of energy and calm – both of which are connected to the Liver channel. When the Liver channel functions perfectly, we flow through our emotional states with ease, having the energy we need when necessary to act appropriately in situations that push our boundaries, which is the essence of Anger. We are able to manage our energy in a healthy manner, allowing ourselves to use the intense energy associated with Anger in useful ways and letting the energy go when the situation as resolved.
When there is blockage or exhaustion in the Liver channel, we can find ourselves lacking the energy needed to handle situations that anger us or we might find ourselves excessively angry in response to stimuli or situations that don’t warrant that level of response. In either case, Rhodiola’s ability to help us balance and use energy appropriately can smooth our emotional responses, helping us find the energy we need to respond appropriately without over-reacting.
From the perspective of Ayurveda, Rhodiola’s Pitta-pacifying properties contribute specifically to helping ease Anger, while its Kapha-pacifying action can help us release or move beyond both anxiety and depression of a Kapha nature. When Kapha becomes too heavy or stagnant, particularly in the chest or heart, we often find ourselves feeling depressed. That may look like a thorough lack of energy or motivation to do anything, or it may manifest as feelings of dread and grief. In either case, Kapha has become too cold and damp, weighing one down and draining one’s Prana.
Rhodiola is a Rasayana herb, meaning it contributes to and supports healthy Prana in body-mind-spirit. It can help us to lighten excess Kapha, allowing us enough space to move whatever has stagnated to produce the depression we’re experiencing. Likewise, it supports healthy Vata function, including a healthy nervous system and brain. By pacifying Pitta and Kapha, Rhodiola helps give our Vata enough space and resources to return to a state of balance. This works in part because Rhodiola encourages the Pitta flow of Prana in the form of blood and oxygen to the brain, which in turn ease feelings of anxiety as well as depression.
