Rhodiola Rosea

In the 1960s, the Soviets studied Rhodiola Rosea through medical and pharmaceutical studies. They wanted to better understand their Cosmonauts and Special Forces soldiers who they thought performed better when enhanced. 

The Soviets decided to look into alternative medications after determining amphetamines only increased the rate at which temporary energy sources like adrenaline were released. Called Adaptagens by the Soviet Union, these herbs were ultimately chosen as a replacement for Amphetamines.

Adaptogens must meet the following five criteria:

Any resistance that is non-specific takes minimal physical, chemical, or biological stress. It also normalizes any overactive systems and decreases any underactive systems. 

This provides no side effects or changes to the organism's physiology. In order to balance the body's regulatory systems (including the cardiovascular, immune, and neuroendocrine systems), one must maintain a proper balance between modulation and balancing. 

Modulation is the process of adjusting the body's stress response to match danger levels while balancing and maintaining appropriate proportions in cell energy depletion.

The many benefits of Rhodiola Rosea come from a more efficient cell. The increased production of ATP and CP alongside oxygen more effectively used are the main three benefits:

The supplement improves memory and cognitive performance:

Soviet studies show Rhodiola Rosea improves memory, learning speed, and accuracy as well as mental processing power. These findings were tested on 60 foreign students who had to learn Russian. 

Twenty people took the Rodaxin Vitamin C and Rhodiola Rosea formula, which contained 660mg of Vitamin C and Rhodiola Rosea. They all received a placebo instead of nothing. People who received this supplement showed a 60.7% increase in their language learning abilities and reported less fatigue than those who didn't.

The supplement increases endurance and physical performance:

Taking a single dose of a Rhodiola root extract can significantly decrease fatigue and increase mental work efficiency. This was demonstrated through numerous methods in a double-blind study with two groups. One group took a placebo, and another group did nothing. Rhodiola supplements showed a significant effect on fatigue when compared to placebos. 

There was no significant difference between the dosage groups, although an initially surprising trend in favor of the lower dosage group was suggested.

Increases the body's capacity to handle stress:

Researchers in Russia and Sweden found that a formula containing Rhodiola had a significant effect on stress levels.

The researchers sent quail into space to study the effects of these extreme environmental stresses. Half of the quail received an adaptogen formula containing Rhodiola and the other half served as a control group. Interestingly, the quail given the formula continued to lay eggs, while the others did not.

The researchers concluded that the adaptogen formulation "reduced excitability in quail and suppressed their negative responses to stress."

For those looking for benefits or just looking to improve their overall health, Rhodiola is certainly a viable option.