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therapeutic doses for many years with good response, while others may need to take
“holidays” of from 2 to 4 weeks to restore effectiveness.
In a second study, 40 medical students were randomized to receive either a low dose of
SHR-5 (100 mg per day) or placebo for 20 days during a stressful examination period.
Subjects receiving rhodiola demonstrated significant improvements in physical fitness,
mental fatigue, psychomotor performance and general well-being. They also reported
improvement in sleep patterns, reduced need for sleep, greater mood stability, and a
greater motivation to study.^7 (Spasov et al., 2000).
Fintelmann and Gruenwald’s 2007 open label study of “Vigodana” (a German vitamin
and mineral tonic^8 containing rhodiola)^9 showed it to be associated with a statistically
significant (P<.001) improvement in physical and cognitive deficiencies. The treatment
was rated as “good” by over 80% of physicians and subjects. More research is needed,
but the use of rhodiola for cognitive disorders is certainly promising. This treatment
cannot yet be treated as fully evidence-based, but, in light of a benign side-effect
profile, it may be appropriate to use rhodiola for prevention and treatment of cognitive
impairment as the evidence is accumulated.
- DEPRESSION: THE 2007 DARBINYAN ET AL. STUDY: There is only one randomized study
investigating the antidepressant effect of rhodiola monotherapy in people with
depression. Darbinyan et al. (2007)^10 conducted a 6 week double-blind, placebo-controlled
pilot study with 89 persons diagnosed with mild to moderate depression. The research
subjects were randomized to receive placebo or SHR-5 at two different doses (340 or 680
mg per day). The efficacy of SHR-5 was assessed on the basis of specific subgroup scores of
the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Although qualified by the researchers as
“modest but significant,” the results were impressive, with equivalent results at both
doses:
Group A (340 mg): from 24.52 to 15.97 (p<0.0001)
Group B (680 mg): from 23.79 to16.72 (p<0.0001)
Group C (placebo): from 24.17 to 23.41 (p=0.3306)
