People mainly take Rhodiola for energy, anxiety, mood. Based on 182 first-hand reports and 18 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #50 of 1,974 overall.
Of reports that state an outcome, 58% are positive.
Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.
3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.
Conclusion: The data from the meta-analysis showed that plant adaptogens could provide a number of benefits in the treatment of chronic fatigue, cognitive impairment, and immune protection. In the future, there is great potential to register medicinal products that contain plant adaptogens for therapeutic purposes.
PubMed 34445021 ↗Conclusion: In conclusion, RR supplementation is an effective ergogenic aid for enhancing endurance performance and improving physiological biomarkers related to oxidative stress, muscle damage, and metabolic efficiency, though heterogeneity across studies warrants cautious interpretation. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, PROSPERO CRD42024619014.
PubMed 41080184 ↗Conclusion: Research regarding R. rosea efficacy is contradictory. While some evidence suggests that the herb may be helpful for enhancing physical performance and alleviating mental fatigue, methodological flaws limit accurate assessment of efficacy. A rigorously-designed well reported RCT that minimizes bias is needed to determine true efficacy of R. rosea for fatigue.
PubMed 22643043 ↗Conclusion: The review addresses current issues in herbal psychotherapy: herbal safety, future areas of application, the relationship of herbal medicine with pharmaceuticals and the potential prescriptive integration of phytomedicines with synthetic psychotropic medicines. Particular attention is given to clinical and safety issues with St John's wort and kava.
PubMed 17562566 ↗As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.
How often each side effect came up across all reports.
Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.
“Rhodiola”
“I've also used (and liked) the herb rhodiola as a caffeine alternative in the evenings.”
“next thing to add rhodiola (proportion 3:1) 1/day”
“mixing many natural 100% organic herbs and plants into small pills to treat anxiety, focus the mind, alleviate minor depression. damiana, avena sativa, rhodiola, ginko biloba, green tea, yerba mate.”
“consider versions with Bacopa and/or Rhodiola”
User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate