Just a few years ago, rose root was known as a medicinal plant only in Scandinavia and Russia. But now the German market has also finally discovered the miracle herb for itself due to its many positive properties.
Occurrence and cultivation of rose root
Its distribution area extends from northern Europe through Siberia and North America to the Himalayas. The rose root (Rhodiola rosea) is a sap-rich plant (succulent) and comes from the family of the thick-leaf plants (Crassulaceae). It can reach a growth height of between 5 and a maximum of 60 cm and forms taproots. Several scaly and hairless stems grow above ground on its 1 to 5 cm thick stem, on which deciduous leaves develop. These are between 10 and 40 mm long, 2 to 10 mm thick, and also glabrous. The flowers of rosewort are purple in males and yellow in females. As they fade, the female specimens then take on a reddish color. The best growth opportunities for roseroot are in moist soils at high elevations, such as mountains, and there in rock crevices and mountain gorges. However, the plant can also thrive on cliffs, on boggy soils and wet meadows at lower altitudes. Its range extends from northern Europe through Siberia and North America to the Himalayas. In the Swiss Alps, moreover, attempts have been made for some time to cultivate the roseroot commercially.
Effect and application
The rose root is known as a remedy demonstrably since the first century AD. Thus, the Greek physician Pedanios Dioscorides already mentioned it in the fourth book of his work Materia Medica. The plant was also used early on by the Vikings and various Siberian primitive peoples, for whom it was also known as the “golden root”. The positive effects of rose root were rediscovered in the 20th century, first in Russia and then also in Sweden, where it has been available as an extract since 1985. In 2010, for the very first time, a drug based on rose root was approved for the open market in Switzerland. All other rose root products, on the other hand, are considered dietary supplements. Rose root is used exclusively by taking the dry extract of the plant. This can then be taken in various forms such as capsules, drops, powder or tablets. Theoretically, a tea can also be brewed from the dried leaves and flowers, but this is very unusual due to the unpleasant taste. The various products should be taken over a period of several months. Since they need a certain time to accumulate in the body and develop their effect. The maximum daily dose should not exceed 200 milligrams, as an overdose can have a negative effect on health. As a rule, products from rose root are taken twice a day. The intake is then once in the morning and once at noon before a meal and with plenty of water. All rose root products are available in Germany without a prescription in drugstores or pharmacies.
Significance for health, treatment and prevention.
In today’s world of life and work, which is becoming increasingly fast-paced and stressful, placing greater and greater demands on the individual, remedies that help alleviate symptoms of stress are also increasingly in demand. The stimulating and adaptogenic, i.e. stress tolerance-increasing, properties of rose root can help alleviate these stress symptoms. Thus, the ingredients contained in rose root, such as phenylpropanoids, phenylcarboxylic acids, flavonoids, mono- and triterpenes, and phenylethanoids, are said to have a positive effect on physical and mental performance, improve the ability to concentrate and long-term memory, and protect brain cells, thereby helping with stress-related symptoms such as insomnia, hypersensitivity, irritability, exhaustion, listlessness, or anxiety. For this purpose, rose root can be used both preventively and as a treatment. The effect is based on the one hand on the stimulation of various messenger substances of the brain such as dopamine or serotonin, which are involved in many tasks of the brain such as memory or the ability to concentrate, as well as on the antioxidant effect, which intercepts free radicals and thus protects the nerve cells of the brain.This mode of action also makes it interesting for people suffering from burn-out. Due to its relaxing and slightly anxiety-relieving effect, rose root has also been tested for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. However, since the results vary too much and no clear effect has been proven so far, a drug based on rose root has not yet received approval for this purpose. In addition, rose root is also used in the treatment of dementia patients. This is because here, too, the stimulating effect on the neurotransmitters can bring about a slight improvement in the mental state of those affected. Other traditional applications include fatigue, anemia, impotence, erectile dysfunction, altitude sickness, and various diseases of the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. In healthy people, rose root also increases vitality, improves general physical condition as well as memory and concentration. In Germany, mental illnesses such as depression, burn-out or dementia are increasingly developing into widespread diseases of alarming proportions. It has already been proven that rose root can be used to support the prevention and treatment of these diseases. And with further intensive research, it may even play a key role in combating them in the future.
