Herb: Rhodiola rosea

Herb: Rhodiola rosea

　　Rhodiola refers to plants of the genus Rhodiola in the Crassulaceae family. There are over a hundred species worldwide, mostly distributed in the cold highland regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Most grow at altitudes of around 3,500–5,000 meters, often under alpine scree or in shrub thickets. China has 73 species, including 32 found in Tibet and 2 varieties, but they have yet to be well developed or utilized. Rhodiola is primarily used medicinally for its roots and rhizomes, though the whole plant can also be used. Key active components include salidroside (C14H20O7), tyrosol (C6H10O2), as well as starch, protein, fat, tannins, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, trace volatile oils, and bioactive trace elements such as iron, aluminum, zinc, silver, cobalt, cadmium, titanium, molybdenum, and manganese. The leaves and stems contain small amounts of alkaloids. Through extensive pharmacological and clinical research, the Soviet Union designated rhodiola as an "adaptogen"-like medicine in 1976. It is widely used to combat fatigue, aging, and to enhance mental and physical performance.

China has a long history of using rhodiola. As early as the Qing Dynasty, people in rhodiola-growing regions used it as a tonic to boost vitality, relieve fatigue, and withstand the cold. Later, emperors dispatched expeditions specifically to search for rhodiola and demanded it as tribute from various regions. Historical records note that during Emperor Kangxi’s campaign to suppress the rebellion of Tsewang Rabtan, which threatened national unity, his troops endured long marches across the arid northwest. Since ginseng was considered “heat-inducing” and unsuitable, rhodiola was used instead to combat war fatigue. During the Qianlong era, the Torghut tribe of Mongolia presented rhodiola among their tributes to Emperor Qianlong upon returning to China from the Volga River region of the former Soviet Union. In parts of Northeast China, locals commonly used it as a supplement and for treating illnesses, brewing it into water or wine to relieve fatigue from heavy labor and to withstand the harsh cold of high-altitude winters.

The Tibetan people have used rhodiola even earlier, with records in texts such as *The Crystal Beads Materia Medica* and *Illustrated Tibetan Pharmacopoeia*. In Tibetan folk medicine, rhodiola is commonly used to treat hemoptysis, coughing up blood, pneumonia-related coughs, and leukorrhea in women.

In the 1960s, the Soviet Union’s Military Medical Academy in Kirov discovered rhodiola while researching tonics. After in-depth studies, they proposed that rhodiola has adaptogen-like effects similar to traditional Chinese medicine’s concept of “bolstering vitality and consolidating foundation,” and that its immune-enhancing properties are even stronger than ginseng. Professor Saratov of the Sklifosovsky Institute of Medicine in the Soviet Union believed that when the body is fatigued and unable to recover naturally, taking rhodiola extract yields significant results without toxicity or addictive properties. In the food industry, rhodiola can be used to make non-alcoholic beverages that provide an alcoholic-like euphoric effect and boost work efficiency. In Soviet folk medicine, rhodiola was used as a tonic for age-related heart failure, sedation, erectile dysfunction, and diabetes.

The Hemostatic Effect of Rhodiola

The salidroside and tyrosol (its aglycone) in rhodiola have anti-fatigue, anti-hypoxia, anti-microwave radiation, anti-toxin, and bidirectional regulatory effects on the nervous system and metabolism. It is also considered an environmental adaptation medicine. Over a thousand years ago, Tibetan people living on the high plateau used rhodiola medicinally to strengthen their bodies and resist adverse environmental conditions. As an environmental adaptation drug, rhodiola holds significant importance in military and aerospace medicine.

Beyond the above effects, according to *Commonly Used Tibetan Herbal Medicines*, rhodiola also promotes blood circulation and stops bleeding, clears the lungs and relieves coughs, reduces fever, and treats leukorrhea. It is used to treat hemoptysis, coughing up blood, pneumonia-related coughs, and leukorrhea in women. Why does rhodiola have a hemostatic effect? Its composition contains over a dozen physiologically active compounds. Among them, salidroside and tyrosol act as ginseng-type stimulants, while gallic acid, umbelliferone, scopoletin, and kaempferol have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, kaempferol and scopoletin also help relieve coughs and expel phlegm. The most abundant component in rhodiola is tannins, also known as tannic acid or tannins. Tannins are a class of polyphenolic compounds with large molecular weight and strong polarity. They can bind with proteins to form large, water-insoluble precipitates, giving them an astringent quality. This also hardens the skin and forms a protective layer on mucous membranes, reducing excessive secretions and stopping bleeding. Thus, it is used in medicine as a hemostatic agent. Clinically, it is applied externally for localized bleeding and taken internally to stop gastric bleeding in ulcers, while also protecting ulcer surfaces. It can also treat diarrhea due to its protective, secretion-reducing effect. Furthermore, tannins can coagulate microbial protoplasm, giving them some antibacterial properties.