 Rhodalia Rosea is also known as golden root. It is a member of the family Crassulacae, a family of plants native to the arctic regions of eastern Siberia. It grows at altitudes of 11,000 to 18,000 feet above sea level. As an herb, it grows approximately 2 1/2 feet high and has yellow flowers that smell similar to attar of rosese, hence Rhodiola rosea.
In 77 A.D., the Greek physician Dioscorides documented the medical applications of Rhodiola rosea, which he then called rodia riza, in his classic medical text De Materia Medica. Chinese emperors sent expeditions to Siberia to bring back "the golden root" for medicinal uses. People in central Asia have used a tea brewed from Rhodiola rosea for the treatment for cold and flu and Mongolian physicians prescribed it for tuberculosis and cancer.
Russian scientists have categorized Rhodiola rosea as an adaptogen -meaning it has a nonspecific ability to enable the body to withstand stress and maintain normalcy even when threatened with pathological conditions, similar to Siberian ginseng, reishi mushroom and other herbs. This also makes Rhodiola rosea effective in increasing resistance to a variety of chemical, biological, and physical stressors. Additional benefits include antidepressant properties, cancer fighting properties, the ability to improve cardiovascular health and central nervous system enhancement as well as cognitive improvement.
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