Rhodiola Rosea for Endurance Enhancement
Acute rhodiola dosing improved time-to-exhaustion in a few small trials, but chronic supplementation has not shown reproducible performance gains.
Overview
Verdict
How It Works
Dosing & Protocol
Typical dose
- Recommended dose
- 200-600 mg/day of Rhodiola rosea extract standardised to 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside, or 200 mg acutely 60 minutes before exercise
- Expected timeframe
- Acute, within 60 minutes
Protocol
- form
- Rhodiola rosea root extract standardised to 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside
- duration
- Acute effects within 60 minutes in the positive trials; chronic dosing over 4 weeks showed less
- co factor
- Take on an empty stomach, 60 minutes before exercise for acute use. Evidence is mixed, with an unusual pattern. De Bock and colleagues found a single 200 mg dose improved time to exhaustion and maximal oxygen uptake in a crossover trial, while 4 weeks of daily supplementation in the same study produced no improvement - suggesting acute rather than chronic benefit, and possibly tolerance. Noreen found a single 3 mg/kg dose improved 6-mile time trial performance and reduced perceived exertion. Other trials show no effect on endurance measures. The mechanism proposed is reduced perception of effort rather than a change in physiological capacity.
- titration
- Up to 600 mg/day for chronic use; the acute studies used single doses of 200-3 mg/kg
- starting dose
- 200 mg once daily in the morning, or a single 200 mg dose 60 minutes before a session for acute use
Evidence
What the studies say
Rhodiola rosea supplementation on sports performance: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Sanz-Barrio PM, Noreen EE, Gilsanz-Estebaranz L +3 more
The results were heterogenous, having 11 studies with some positive effects, while 2 studies show no effect in variables such as rating of perceive exertion, heart rate, antioxidant capacity, blood lactate, creatine kinase, or C-reactive protein.
The effectiveness and efficacy of Rhodiola rosea L.: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials
Hung SK, Perry R, Ernst E
R. rosea may have beneficial effects on physical performance, mental performance and certain mental health conditions.
Rhodiola rosea for physical and mental fatigue: a systematic review
Ishaque S, Shamseer L, Bukutu C +1 more
Two of six trials examining physical fatigue in healthy populations report R. rosea to be effective as did three of five RCTs evaluating R. rosea for mental fatigue.
Safety
Caveats
The evidence pattern here is unusual and worth respecting: acute dosing helped in a couple of small trials, four weeks of daily use did not, and the effect appears to be on perceived exertion rather than physiological capacity. That means the ceiling is low and the mechanism is partly psychological. Training, periodisation, carbohydrate availability, iron status, sleep and heat and altitude acclimatisation move endurance far more, and caffeine has vastly better evidence for acute performance. Safety of rhodiola: generally well tolerated, with dizziness, dry mouth, irritability and insomnia; doses above 600 mg/day are not well studied. Avoid evening dosing because it is activating - a real issue for athletes with evening sessions and early races. Avoid in bipolar disorder because of activation and possible mania. Theoretical interactions with MAO inhibitors, SSRIs and other serotonergic medication, and possible CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein inhibition. Rhodiola is not currently on the WADA prohibited list, but supplement contamination is a real risk for tested athletes - use batch-tested products only. Adulteration with cheaper Rhodiola species is common. Avoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Less likely to help if
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