Boost Memory, Cognition With Rhodiola

Rhodiola rosea growing in the Tatra Mountains. A prehistoric-looking plant native to cold climates at high altitudes, rhodiola has thick, short, sedum-like leaves that grow in circles around the stem, resembling a stack of crowns. It blooms with a top crown of yellow flowers. Opioła Jerzy/Wikimedia Commons

In Siberian, Tibetan, and Scandinavian folk medicine, Rhodiola rosea root has been one of the most revered herbs for at least a thousand years. More than 20 rhodiola species have been identified, but Rhodiola rosea has captured the attention of scientists from around the globe.

Formal studies on this plant go back as early as the 1700s, but it’s only been known in the United States for the past 20 years. The story of rhodiola’s rise in American popularity involves a husband and wife team of psychiatry professors from upstate New York, and previously classified documents from the Soviet military.