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Rhodiola (roseroot)
Rhodiola (roseroot) — what the European monograph actually supports, what it is not for, the form and how long it is meant to be used, side effects, and the 1 medicine interaction documented for it.
This is a reference page, not a diagnosis and not a prescription. Herbal products are real pharmacology: they have effects, side effects and interactions with medicines. Tell your doctor and your pharmacist everything you take, including teas and supplements, and never stop or change a prescribed medicine because of anything you read here.
What it is
Rhodiola rosea L. — rhizome and root (Rhodiolae roseae rhizoma et radix)
Local names across the region this site serves: roosijuur (ET) · ruusujuuri (FI) · родиола розовая (RU).
Grouped here under Mind, mood and fatigue. Regulatory position: EU herbal monograph — traditional use.
What the evidence supports
The registered indication: Temporary relief of symptoms of stress, such as fatigue and a sensation of weakness.
Rhodiola is one of very few plants marketed as an adaptogen that actually holds an EU herbal monograph, and the indication is carefully hedged: temporary relief of stress symptoms, adults only. It is a genuinely northern plant — it grows on arctic and subarctic cliffs and mountains, including in Scandinavia — and Nordic and Russian folk use is long-standing. Trials exist for fatigue and stress but are small and heterogeneous, and the salidroside and rosavin content that products standardise on varies with species and source. Adulteration with cheaper Rhodiola species has been repeatedly documented in commercial products, and international trade in wild-collected root is now regulated because of harvesting pressure.
C — Traditional use only Plausible from thirty or more years of use, which is what a traditional-use registration means. No clinical evidence was required and none has settled it.
What it is not for
Burnout, depression or an anxiety disorder. "Adaptogen" is a marketing category, not a diagnosis or a treatment.
Form, strength and how long
Dried root as tablets and capsules of standardised dry extract, tinctures, and teas.
Duration. Short courses. The monograph indication is temporary relief, not a permanent daily supplement.
No gram figure appears on this page on purpose. The plant part, the extraction solvent and the drug-to-extract ratio together define a preparation, and a number taken from one does not describe another. The reasoning is set out on the hub; the amount that applies to you is the one printed on the pack you are holding, and a pharmacist will read it with you.
Side effects
Restlessness, difficulty sleeping if taken late in the day, dizziness and dry mouth are the reported ones. It is generally well tolerated at typical supplement amounts.
Who should avoid it
Not established in pregnancy or breastfeeding; adults only.
Interactions with medicines
| Medicine or substance | What is described |
|---|---|
| Prescription medicines generally | Rhodiola's interactions have not been properly characterised, and that is worth stating plainly rather than reporting as reassurance — absence of data is not absence of interaction. It is frequently taken by people who are also on an antidepressant or on blood-pressure medicine, so it belongs on the list you show your prescriber. |
The reverse view — start from the medicine rather than the plant — is in the medicine, food and alcohol interactions reference, and summarised for every herb on this site.
Sources: European Medicines Agency — Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), European Union herbal monographs · NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health — herb fact sheets · checked 2026-09-06
Frequently asked questions
What is rhodiola (roseroot) used for?
Temporary relief of symptoms of stress, such as fatigue and a sensation of weakness. Rhodiola is one of very few plants marketed as an adaptogen that actually holds an EU herbal monograph, and the indication is carefully hedged: temporary relief of stress symptoms, adults only. It is a genuinely northern plant — it grows on arctic and subarctic cliffs and mountains, including in Scandinavia — and Nordic and Russian folk use is long-standing. Trials exist for fatigue and stress but are small and heterogeneous, and the salidroside and rosavin content that products standardise on varies with species and source. Adulteration with cheaper Rhodiola species has been repeatedly documented in commercial products, and international trade in wild-collected root is now regulated because of harvesting pressure.
Does rhodiola (roseroot) work?
Graded C here: Plausible from thirty or more years of use, which is what a traditional-use registration means. No clinical evidence was required and none has settled it. Burnout, depression or an anxiety disorder. "Adaptogen" is a marketing category, not a diagnosis or a treatment.
How much rhodiola (roseroot) should I take?
This reference does not print gram figures, because they do not transfer between preparations of different extract strength. What can be said honestly is the form and the duration: Dried root as tablets and capsules of standardised dry extract, tinctures, and teas. Short courses. The monograph indication is temporary relief, not a permanent daily supplement.
What are the side effects of rhodiola (roseroot)?
Restlessness, difficulty sleeping if taken late in the day, dizziness and dry mouth are the reported ones. It is generally well tolerated at typical supplement amounts.
Does rhodiola (roseroot) interact with medicines?
Yes — documented for Prescriptions. Each one is described on this page, with a link to the medicine-side reference where one exists.
Others in mind, mood and fatigue
St John's wort
Mild to moderate depressive episodes, for particular standardised dry extracts; traditional-use preparations are also registered for temporary mental exhaustion and, externally, for minor wounds and skin inflammation.
Ginkgo
Improvement of cognitive impairment and of quality of life in mild dementia, for a specific standardised leaf dry extract used under medical supervision.
Ginseng (Panax)
Symptoms of asthenia such as fatigue and weakness.
Ashwagandha
Nothing a European regulator has assessed. It is marketed for stress, sleep, testosterone and athletic performance.
Keep the whole list in one place
TempoLife logs supplements alongside food, sleep and how you actually felt — so the answer to "what are you taking?" is a screen, not a guess.