Rhodiola Rosea for Mental Clarity
Reported cognitive benefits of rhodiola come from low-quality fatigue trials, and objective performance measures have generally not improved.
Overview
Verdict
How It Works
Dosing & Protocol
Typical dose
- Recommended dose
- Studied at 170-600 mg/day of standardised Rhodiola rosea extract; mental clarity has not been measured directly
- Expected timeframe
- Not established
Protocol
- form
- Rhodiola rosea root extract standardised to 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside; adulteration with cheaper Rhodiola species is common
- duration
- Trials ran from single doses to 12 weeks
- co factor
- Take in the morning if used; evening doses are activating. Evidence is insufficient. Mental clarity is not a measurable construct and no trial has used it as an endpoint. The adjacent findings are real but narrow: Darbinyan found improved mental performance on a fatigue index in physicians working night duty at 170 mg/day, and Shevtsov found improved capacity for mental work in military cadets. Both studied performance under fatigue, not cognition in rested people. Trials in non-fatigued adults have not shown cognitive benefit, and the effect appears to be relief of fatigue-related impairment rather than enhancement.
- titration
- Not applicable - no dose-response for cognitive clarity has been established
- starting dose
- Not established for this outcome. Trials used 170-600 mg/day of extract standardised to 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside
Evidence
What the studies say
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.
The effects of Rhodiola rosea L. extract on anxiety, stress, cognition and other mood symptoms
Cropley M, Banks AP, Boyle J
Relative to the controls, the experimental group demonstrated a significant reduction in self-reported, anxiety, stress, anger, confusion and depression at 14 days.
Safety
Caveats
Only three of five mental-fatigue RCTs were positive, and the 80-person Cropley trial found no difference in objective cognitive performance despite improved self-reported mood.
Less likely to help if
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