Rhodiola: Does It Help With Depression and Anxiety, and Which Brands Are Best?

Rhodiola (R. rosea) supplements are promoted to treat depression, anxiety, and fatigue – but do they really work? And do products on the market contain the right species, listed amounts, and appropriate doses of rhodiola? Adulteration is a known issue with R. rosea supplements.
To answer these questions, ConsumerLab.com recently reviewed the clinical evidence and purchased nine R. rosea supplements in the US and tested their quality, checking levels of rosavins and salidroside – key marker compounds that may also play a role in R. rosea’s activity. Products made from herb powders were additionally tested to be sure that they did not exceed contamination limits for lead, cadmium, and arsenic.
ConsumerLab.com’s tests revealed that one product contained just one-tenth of the amount of rosavin compounds expected and another contained only half. Among the products that passed testing (including four products tested through CL’s voluntary Quality Certification Program), ConsumerLab identified two as its “Top Picks,” as they contained the expected amounts of R. rosea compounds in doses most closely resembling what has been shown to be effective in clinical studies and at lowest cost to the consumer.
The test results and product ratings are now available in ConsumerLab.com’s Rhodiola Rosea Supplements Review at https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/rhodiola_supplements/rhodiola. The report summarizes the clinical evidence regarding the use of R. rosea, dosage, what to look for on labels, safety and potential drug interactions. Tests and comparisons are included for the following products: Bluebonnet Rhodiola Rosea, Enzymatic Therapy Rhodiola Energy, Gaia Herbs Rhodiola Rosea, GNC Herbal Plus Rhodiola Extract, Herb Pharm Rhodiola, Nature’s Plus Herbal Actives Rhodiola, Nature’s Way Rhodiola Rosea, New Chapter Rhodiola Force 300, Puritan’s Pride Rhodiola Root Extract, Solaray Super Rhodiola, Solgar Rhodiola Root Extract, Thorne Research Rhodiola, TwinLab CleanSeries Pre-Workout Activator, and Vitamin World Rhodiola Root.