Rhodiola roses goes by several names. Roseroot, Sedum roseum, Arctic Rose, Rose Stonecrop, and Golden Root are a few you might find when you start looking through modern writings on this adaptogen, cardio-supportive herb.
Where does Rhodiola Grow?
Rhodiola hails from the Artic and Northern climates, including the mountainous regions of Central Asia and North America. It loves a good, cold winter and has adapted to high elevations and climates that dip into the cold extremes, although gardeners have pushed Rhodiola’s territory into areas far warmer and lower than its native space.
Rhodiola’s ability to thrive in places of such extreme cold and where oxygen levels are a tad thinner illustrates what we humans have discovered through the ages about Rhodiola’s affect on the human body. We have long been using Rhodiola to clear foggy thinking, boost energy, prevent heart disease, and help us cope with a variety of stressors. Modern scientists have studied Rhodiola’s actions on the body and confirmed that, indeed, Rhodiola has strong cardio-protective, adaptogenic, and brain health supportive properties.
Why Try Rhodiola?
Rhodiola has been used to help the body to adapt to a variety of stressors. It helps boost circulation to the brain, offering the brain tissues increased oxygen that helps improve the action of neurotransmitters and boost brain function. It’s also linked with boosting circulation and oxygen exchange in the heart and chest, making Rhodiola a potential ally for people who struggle with heart and circulatory diseases as well as those who experience lung-related conditions like asthma and chronic bronchitis. Although we don’t have specific scientific data to support its use in COVID-19 recovery, the studies and evidence we do have strongly suggests Rhodiola rosea could be a profitable partner in recovery from COVID and related illnesses, especially for long-haulers.
Using Rhodiola as a Daily Medicine
Modern herbalists generally suggest using Rhodiola in tincture or capsule form. The flavor is bitter and strongly astringent, making it one of the less pleasant herbal remedies we might want to use…especially since Rhodiola is best taken daily. While our ancestors might have made use of Rhodiola’s leaves and flowers as part of the day’s diet, we now gravitate toward the root as our primary medicine. Then, as now, we may choose to add Rhodiola root to teas or decoctions, but the modern palate is not so ready to tolerate a daily does of Rhodiola root in the larger doses required when one takes it as a tea or decoction.
Doses for Rhodiola vary. Some herbalists, like Maria Noel Groves and Sara-Chana Silverstein suggest starting with 10 drops 2-4 times a day of Rhodiola tincture while others, including Leslie Korn and Sharon Marie Tilgner suggest up to 60 drops 3-4 times per day. For some folks, Rhodiola can be stimulating. Folks who tend to be quite sensitive to other energizing adaptogens, like the Ginseng’s, would be wise to start light and work up. Likewise, those who experience anxiety, heart palpitations, or are excessively stimulated by anti-depressants may also want to start light and work up.
Rhodiola in the Garden
If you’re thinking about adding a bit of Rhodiola to your garden, plan for the long-haul before you harvest. Like many of the herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Rhodiola is best harvested after at least three seasons of growth. Plan for up to five years before you dig up your first Rhodiola roots for the best harvest. On the up-side, once established Rhodiola is hardy and easy to divide, so you can potentially plan to keep your Rhodiola patch healthy for far longer than five years.
According to Melanie and Jeff Carpenter, Rhodiola is pretty easy to start from seed but needs a bit of extra care for the first year. Rhodiola doesn’t hold its own well against tenacious, weedy perennials, so they recommend waiting until the starts are larger, healthy and strong before planting them out. They also recommend taking the extra time needed to thoroughly clear the bed of weeds before planting in your young Rhodiola plants. It’d probably be wise to take some extra time with weeding even once they’re well-established.
Rhodiola takes well to full-sun and sandy soils. Once established, it can withstand some drought and is perfectly happy with a long, freezing cold winter. If your climate is hot, though, Rhodiola’s not going to love you. Take care in any climate to provide fertile, well-drained soils, too. Rhodiola doesn’t love wet-feet all year long.
Learn more about Rhodiola this month in the Herbal Nerd Society!
Resources
- Rhodiola rosea
- Natural Woman by Dr. Leslie Korn
- Icelandic Herbs and Their Medicinal Uses by Anna Rosa Robertsdottir
- Body into Balance by Maria Noel Groves
- Moodtopia by Sara-Chana Silverstein
- Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth by Dr. Sharol Marie Tilgner
- The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer by Jeff Carpenter and Melanie Carpenter
