Stay sharp - goodnews - herb rhodiola boosts mental energy - Brief Article

Better Nutrition, April, 2003

A new study supports previous research indicating that the herb rhodiola improves flagging mental energy.

The March 2003 issue of the journal Phytomedicine reported a study by Georg Wikman, PhD, of the Swedish Herbal Institute. Wikman and several Russian scientists compared 180 military cadets before and after routine night duty. Cadets taking low and medium doses of rhodiola scored significantly higher on memory and abstract thought tests than cadets who took either a placebo or no pill at all.

Wikman is chairman and president of the Swiss Herbal Institute, which is a company that markets rhodiola and a variety of other herbal products.

Previous research had shown improved performance in medical students during exams and in physicians on night call.

How does it work? Animal research suggests rhodiola reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increases levels of brain chemicals involved in mood. Rhodiola also appears to boost synthesis of adenosine triphosphate, a molecule needed by cells to produce energy.

Doctors caution that further research is needed on long-term complications and adverse drug interactions. So far, neither has been noted. However, pregnant women should never try new herbs.

Some herbalists warn that effects vary with the individual, and benefits may be modest.

One of the world's leading herbal gurus, Andrew Well, MD, AB, has been taking rhodiola himself for six months and now reports "increased energy, but nothing dramatic." Others may have no energy boost at all if the real problem is a medical disorder such as an underactive thyroid.

Look for bottles that say rhodiola rosea--not rhodiola sacra or other rhodiola species that lack the active compounds called rosavins.