Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola increases the body's resistance capacity. It allows adaptation to psychological and physiological stress through the secretion of dopamine, serotonin and endorphins, molecules of cerebral well-being. It also allows certain organs to make energy and fuel reserves available to our cells, unlike coffee, which depletes our energy reserves and adrenal glands.

Rhodiola prevents the body and brain from passing from phase I, known as the stress or "mobilization" phase, to phase III, known as the exhaustion phase.

Rhodiola and neural stem cells

Rhodiola improves states of cerebral fatigue, particularly due to stress, because it stimulates the proliferation of neuronal stem cells in the hippocampus (the area of the brain responsible for memory and emotions). It revitalizes brain cells when acute or chronic stress via cortisol damages brain cells. This allows the brain to find new solutions through the creation of new neural networks.

Rhodiola also stimulates BDNF (Brain Derived Nerve Factor) for this purpose. This protein powerfully stimulates the growth of neurons and prevents atrophy or loss of neurons following a period of stress.

Rhodiola and replenishment of internal resources

Rhodiola regulates a fundamental marker of the manufacture and distribution of physical and cerebral energy resources: cortisol. 
The latter is the hormone of stress and resource mobilization. During stress, cortisol mobilizes our energy reserves and seems to bring a semblance of energy at first, while at the cerebral level it causes mobilization, tension, hypervigilance, which can be perceived as a salutary reaction, but if the stress persists, cortisol causes nervous tension, anxiety, and even sleep disorders.

It is very possible to remain at an intermediate stage, i.e. to feel mobilization and nervous tension that is not too great.

The need for coffee to start the day indicates fatigue or even exhaustion of the adrenal glands. However, coffee encroaches on our medium- and long-term reserves and simultaneously causes runaway (which can be perceived as energy) and exhaustion. 
A tension in the body and/or mind is in any case an expenditure of internal resources. It is therefore important to bring the resource/expenditure ratio back to equilibrium.

Rhodiola and physical performance

Rhodiola improves physical performance as shown, in particular, by two studies carried out on rats subjected to a 90-minute swimming test for 4 weeks.

The swimming test increases O2 production and in order of importance in the liver, then in the muscles and finally the blood.

Rhodiola:

• Increases the swim to exhaustion time by 24.6%.

• also increases glycogen reserves in the liver (slow sugars available to continue the effort)

• Stimulates the synthesis of ATP in the mitochondria of muscle cells (immediately available energy reserve).

• stimulates energy repair processes

Rhodiola decreases the production of O2 in the blood, liver, muscles. This protects these organs from toxins and the production of free radicals by O2.

The rhodiola allows :

• increasing the two antioxidants that protect liver cells (SOD and catalase)

• a significant increase in performance in swimming events

• the reduction of oxidative stress thanks to its powerful antioxidant properties

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Cardiology department. Kuang Tien General Hospital. Taichung.2009

Institute of Immunopathology. Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. Moscow. 2009