Rhodiola
Rhodiola rosea, also called roseroot or golden root, from the stonecrop family
A root of high mountains and the far north, studied mostly for tiredness, endurance exercise and stress. Here is every study in people we could find, sorted from each study's summary.
- Part used: root
- Most tested: 400 mg a day
- Often 4 weeks or less
From every paper to the studies that matter
Most research on rhodiola is in the lab or about the plant's chemistry. Only a small share tests it in people, and that is what this page is about.
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1,725 papers mention rhodiola. Every record in PubMed, all years
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95 are about people. The rest: 957 lab and animal studies, 156 reviews, 517 on chemistry, farming and more
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59 give rhodiola on its own. 28 more test it inside a blend
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33 are randomised against a placebo. The strongest kind of study
Bar lengths use a square-root scale so the small numbers stay visible.
How much research there is
- 59 studies giving rhodiola to people
- 33 of them randomised against a placebo
- 2,861 people taking part, where studies say
- 37 systematic reviews pooling the trials
Studies in people, by year published
Rhodiola on its own.
What the studies looked at
Each study can measure several things. Choose a topic to see its studies in the list below.
Studies in people with a diagnosed condition are counted here and listed with their population. We describe what they measured, not what they might treat. Most studies also report safety; see below.
What was tested, and how much
Rhodiola extracts are made in different ways, so the same number of milligrams can mean very different amounts of the plant's active compounds. Several studies used a named extract, most often SHR-5, and a few sports studies gave one dose before exercise.
Daily amount, one dot per study
Studies per extract
Named extracts are the maker's brand. "Not named" means the study didn't say.
All studies in people
Filter the list, then open a study on PubMed. Each row comes from the study's published summary.
| Study | Who took part | People | Extract and daily dose | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Li 2026Non-randomised controlled | High-altitude rheumatoid arthritis patients | 160 | Not named | – |
| Dai 2026RCT, placebo | Male collegiate DanceSport athletes | 48 | Tongrentang Brand Rhodiola Capsule, 2,400 mg | 4 weeks |
| Dou 2026RCT, placebo | Male competitive football players | 24 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Yarahmadi 2026RCT, placebo | Female taekwondo athletes with premenstrual syndrome | 24 | Not named, 500 mg | 1 weeks |
| Tao 2025RCT, placebo | Untrained and trained boxing volunteers | 96 | Not named | 8 weeks |
| Wang 2025RCT, placebo | Male volleyball players | 48 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Wang 2025RCT, placebo | Professional male basketball players | 48 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Wang 2025RCT, placebo | Recreationally active female students | 30 | Salidroside, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Koozehchian 2025Crossover, placebo | Resistance-trained adults | 27 | Golden Root Extract | 1 weeks |
| Marcos-Frutos 2025Crossover, placebo | Young healthy adults | 18 | Not named | 1 weeks |
| Lara 2025Crossover, placebo | Healthy young adults doing visual tasks | 18 | Not named, 1,200 mg | 1 weeks |
| Liu 2024RCT, placebo | Patients having oesophageal cancer lung-ventilation surgery | 46 | Rhodiola rosea injection | – |
| Yun 2024RCT, active or other control | Healthy volunteers and trained aerobic athletes | – | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Gao 2021RCT, active or other control | Patients with acute severe CO poisoning | 72 | Rhodiola injection | 2 weeks |
| Williams 2021Crossover, placebo | Resistance-trained males | 10 | Golden Root Extract, 1,500 mg | 0 weeks |
| Gao 2020RCT, placebo | Adults with mild to moderate depression on sertraline | 100 | Rhodiola capsule, 600 mg | 12 weeks |
| Koop 2020Single-arm or open-label | Adult volunteers | 50 | Rosalin (WS 1375), 400 mg | 12 weeks |
| Yu 2019RCT, active or other control | OSA patients with anxiety and depression | 90 | Not named | 13 weeks |
| Ballmann 2019Crossover, placebo | Physically active college-aged females | 11 | Golden Root Extract, 1,500 mg | 0 weeks |
| Concerto 2018Other | Healthy volunteers | 28 | Not named, 500 mg | – |
| Jówko 2018RCT, placebo | Healthy male students | 26 | Not named, 600 mg | 4 weeks |
| Timpmann 2018Non-randomised controlled | Healthy young men during heat acclimation | 20 | SHR-5, 432 mg | 1 weeks |
| Ross 2018Other | Patients with burnout syndrome | – | Proprietary Rhodiola rosea extract | – |
| Kasper 2017Single-arm or open-label | Outpatients with burnout symptoms | 118 | WS 1375 (Rosalin), 400 mg | 12 weeks |
| Lekomtseva 2017Single-arm or open-label | Adults with prolonged or chronic fatigue | 100 | WS 1375, 400 mg | 8 weeks |
| Al-Kuraishy 2016Other | Healthy volunteers | 112 | Not named | – |
| Thu 2016Pharmacokinetic | Healthy volunteers | 13 | Arctic Root | 2 weeks |
| Xu 2016Other | Healthy volunteers in head-down bed rest | – | Not named | – |
| Cropley 2015RCT, active or other control | Mildly anxious adults | 80 | Vitano, 400 mg | 2 weeks |
| Mao 2015RCT, placebo | Adults with mild to moderate major depression | 57 | Standardized extract | 12 weeks |
| Ahmed 2015RCT, placebo | Experienced marathon runners | 48 | Not named, 600 mg | 5 weeks |
| Shanely 2014RCT, placebo | Experienced marathon runners | 48 | Not named, 600 mg | 5 weeks |
| Punja 2014RCT, placebo | Nursing students on shift work | 48 | Not named, 364 mg | 6 weeks |
| Duncan 2014Crossover, placebo | Active men | 10 | Not named | – |
| Ross 2014Other | Adults with stress-related fatigue | – | SHR-5 | – |
| Ross 2014Other | Adults with mild to moderate depression | – | SHR-5 | – |
| Noreen 2013Crossover, placebo | Recreationally active adults | 18 | Not named | – |
| Xu 2013Other | Healthy men in 45-day head-down bed rest | – | Not named | 6 weeks |
| Edwards 2012Single-arm or open-label | Adults with life-stress symptoms | 101 | WS 1375, 400 mg | 4 weeks |
| Shi 2011RCT, placebo | Soldiers with high-altitude de-adaptation symptoms | 543 | Rhodiola Rosea Capsule | 2 weeks |
| Shen 2010RCT, active or other control | Patients with epirubicin chemotherapy heart damage | 42 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Parisi 2010Crossover, placebo | Trained male athletes | 14 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Olsson 2009RCT, placebo | Adults with stress-related fatigue syndrome | 60 | SHR-5, 576 mg | 4 weeks |
| Schutgens 2009RCT, placebo | Healthy adults | 30 | SHR-5 | 1 weeks |
| Skarpanska-Stejnborn 2009RCT, placebo | Professional rowers | 22 | Not named, 200 mg | 4 weeks |
| Evdokimov 2009Non-randomised controlled | Healthy volunteers in 7-hour cycling test | – | Rhodiola rosea cryopowder | – |
| Bystritsky 2008Single-arm or open-label | Adults with generalised anxiety disorder | 10 | Rhodax, 340 mg | 10 weeks |
| Darbinyan 2007RCT, placebo | Adults with mild to moderate depression | 89 | SHR-5, 340 mg | 6 weeks |
| Walker 2007Crossover, placebo | Resistance-trained men | 12 | Not named, 1,500 mg | 1 weeks |
| De Bock 2004Crossover, placebo | Healthy young volunteers | 24 | Not named, 200 mg | 4 weeks |
| Abidov 2004Other | Healthy untrained volunteers around exhausting exercise | – | Rhodiola rosea radix extract | – |
| Shevtsov 2003RCT, placebo | Healthy military cadets aged 19 to 21 | 161 | SHR-5 | – |
| Wing 2003Crossover, placebo | Healthy volunteers in simulated altitude | 15 | Not named | 1 weeks |
| Ha 2002RCT, active or other control | Young men living at high altitude | 24 | Not named | 3 weeks |
| Darbinyan 2000Crossover, placebo | Healthy young physicians on night duty | 56 | SHR-5 | 2 weeks |
| Spasov 2000Other | Foreign students at a Russian university | – | Rodakson | – |
| Spasov 2000RCT, placebo | Foreign students during exam period | – | SHR-5 | 3 weeks |
| Bocharova 1995Non-randomised controlled | Patients with superficial bladder cancer | 12 | Rhodiola rosea extract | – |
| Frolova 1981Other | Patients with periodontosis | – | Golden root tincture | – |
What's known about safety
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In trials
A review of 11 placebo-controlled trials found only a few mild side effects. Headache, dizziness, stomach upset and poor sleep are listed, and it is thought possibly safe for up to 12 weeks.
Hung 2011, review of 11 trials; NCCIH, updated April 2025; EMA herbal monograph, 2024
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In the UK
Rhodiola rosea root can be sold in food supplements. It is also in several registered traditional herbal medicines (THR), which are approved on long use rather than trial results.
EU Novel Food Status Catalogue; FSA novel foods guidance; MHRA products register, THR 23056/0039 and 21710/0020, Oct 2026
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Check first
It isn't recommended in pregnancy, breastfeeding or under 18, because there isn't enough safety data. Interactions have been reported with losartan, a blood pressure medicine, and with an antidepressant, so speak to a pharmacist or doctor first if you take regular medicines.
EMA herbal monograph, 2024; NCCIH, updated April 2025; Maniscalco 2015, case report with paroxetine
Where these studies come from
We list every published study of rhodiola in people. This first version is built from each study's summary; full-paper checks come next.
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We search
PubMed, the world's main library of medical research, for every paper on L-theanine.
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We keep studies in people
Lab and animal work is counted but left out of the list, because it doesn't tell you what happens in people.
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We note the basics
Who took part, how many, how much and for how long, from each study's published summary. A second check corrects what the first read gets wrong.
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We read them in full
Results appear once we've read the whole paper and checked every number. The date at the top shows when this entry was last updated.
Download the study list
Every study in people as a spreadsheet, 59 rows, free to reuse with a link back.
Versions
Each update to the data gets a new version number, so you can tell what changed and when.
See every version
1.0 · 19 Oct 2026. First release. Every published study giving rhodiola on its own to people is listed from its summary. None is read in full yet.
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