Not quite sure what this is supposed to do? Anyone get it? I must just be too dense…
Did you read the article for the product launch? Explains quite a bit.
Go to the homepage and click on the new product release article. The same as going to the store and clicking on ‘more information’ for a product.
Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea), also known as golden root, is one of over 200 different species of Rhodiola, 20 of which are currently used in traditional medical systems in Asia. In fact, Rhodiola has been used in the traditional medical systems of Eastern Europe and Asia for hundreds of years as a means to stimulate the nervous system, decrease depression and fatigue, and even to help prevent high altitude sickness.
For the past quarter century, Russian and Scandinavian scientists have studied Rhodiola and its constituents. However, much of this research was unavailable to Western scientists until recently, one of the reasons we havent heard about Rhodiola until the past few years. Their research indicates that Rhodiola has diverse benefits on physiological functions, including central nervous system and cardiovascular function. Most of this research was done on Russian athletes. In fact, its now known that Russian athletes used Rhodiola for many decades before Western medicine became aware of it, and its believed to be part of the reason Russian athletes were such formidable foes in athletic events of the past half century. Their ability to quickly adapt to the unique stress of athletic competition took on legendary proportions. And this was partially due to supplementation with Rhodiola.
The results of this research led them to classify Rhodiola as an adaptogen. The Russian scientist Lazarev (1947) established the criteria for an adaptogen3, and his definition is still valid today:
An adaptogen produces a non-specific response in an organism; i.e. an increase in power of resistance against multiple stressors including physical, chemical and biological agents.
An adaptogen has a normalizing influence on physiology, irrespective of the direction of change from physiological norms caused by the stressor.
An adaptogen is incapable of influencing normal body functions more than required to gain non-specific resistance.
Basically, an adaptogen helps the body adjust to different stressors, and also helps the body to reassume homeostasis (the balance between various bodily functions and the chemical composition of fluids and tissues) once the stressor is no longer present2. Rhodiola certainly fits these criteria, having shown beneficial results against stressors such as fatigue and nervous tension, as well as anxiety due to different factors such as intense study and dieting2. If these factors are limiting your effectiveness, then Rhodiola may be the answer youre looking for.
So what does all this mean? It means that Rhodiola can offer generalized, non-specific resistance to physical, chemical and biological stressors you may experience every day, without affecting normal body functions, thereby enhancing the quality of life. Scientists believe that Rhodiola does this in part by promoting the release of certain neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of well-being, as well as regulating hormone production in response to stress1,2,3,4. It also appears to increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to neurotransmitter precursors, aiding and even increasing their beneficial effects.
the dual action of cognitive stimulation and emotional calming creates benefits for both immediate cognitive and memory performance and for the long-term preservation of brain functions.
Rhodiola also imparts antioxidant protection by helping to protect the nervous system from oxidative damage by free radicals.2
Chemical analysis of the genus Rhodiola has isolated a number of naturally occurring compounds found in the roots and above ground parts of the plant that provide Rhodiolas adaptogenic properties. Rhodiola rosea differs from other species in the genus due to three unique phytochemicals that only occur in this particular species rosavin, rosin, and rosarin (collectively referred to as rosavins). Researchers believe these phytochemicals are responsible for the unique characteristics found ONLY in the Rhodiola rosea species2,3. A good quality Rhodiola rosea supplement should be standardized to contain a minimum of 3% rosavins.
References:
- Ramazanov, Zakir & Appell, Brian; �??Rhodiola Rosea For Chronic Stress Disorder�??; National Bioscience Corporation, 2002
- Brown, Richard P.; Gerbarg, Patricia L.; Ramazanov, Zakir; �??Rhodiola rosea: A Phytomedicinal Overview�??; HerbalGram: The Journal of the American Botanical Council, 56: 40-52 3) Kelley, Gregory S.; �??Rhodiola rosea: A Possible Plant Adaptogen (evaluation of therapeutic properties); Alternative Medicine Review, June 2001; 6(3): 293-302 4) �??Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea (Golden Root, Arctic Root))�??; intramedicine website, Professional Monographs, January, 2001
Damn icecold, you beat me to it, I was just going to say the exact same thing :-p
Cheers to icecold, that’s one heckuva response.
Damn, he even listed references with a bunch of interspersed question marks.
[quote]allNatural wrote:
Damn, he even listed references with a bunch of interspersed question marks.[/quote]
That’s a problem with T-Nation using an encoding that doesn’t support all of the punctuation needed to communicate in languages using the Latin alphabet. It’s a pretty common problem.
[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Did you read the article for the product launch? Explains quite a bit.
Go to the homepage and click on the new product release article. The same as going to the store and clicking on ‘more information’ for a product.[/quote]
It is basically some generic verbage that says it helps the body adapt to stress. I really don’t understand it completely either.
Where does it fit in? Bulking? Cutting? …?
Well it says one should take it when trying to change body comp. so does that mean if I’m training to get bigger than it should be taken all the time at a 3:1 ratio. Thats the confusing part. When is the ideal time for someone like me to take it haha
[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
It is basically some generic verbage that says it helps the body adapt to stress. I really don’t understand it completely either.
Where does it fit in? Bulking? Cutting? …?[/quote]
I agree it isn’t completley clear
Still not 100% clear on this one either.
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Where does it fit in? Bulking? Cutting? …?
Living.
Bushy[/quote]
What benefits can you expect to see if you’re not making body compsition changes? I’m in a very stressful period right now, and for the first time in a very long time, I’m not making physique and performance changes. Just holding onto what I’ve got. Any use for this supplement for me right now? A supplement supporting general well-being would be great, actually…
I have been using a generic version for about 2-3 weeks. Basically, it helps your hormonal profile (cortisol) which may lead to, for one reason or another, improved body comp. Generally this is lumped in the ‘superfood’ type category in that, its more directly for overall health.
My experiences on it are it helps me relax and stay relaxed when normally I wouldn’t. Its just allows more calm throughout the day.
As the article says, its like a medicine, use it when you need it. I.E. high stress periods.
I know Thomas Gabriel has used it for a long time, hopefully he’ll chime in or you might PM him.
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
jsbrook wrote:
bushidobadboy wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Where does it fit in? Bulking? Cutting? …?
Living.
Bushy
What benefits can you expect to see if you’re not making body compsition changes? I’m in a very stressful period right now, and for the first time in a very long time, I’m not making physique and performance changes. Just holding onto what I’ve got. Any use for this supplement for me right now? A supplement supporting general well-being would be great, actually…
Well co-incidentally, I began using a generic rhodiola supp for the first time, a few days (3-4) before Biotest announced their own product.
So it’s early days for me, regarding personal experience.
Having said that, I have noticed the following:
Potentiation of other stims such as HRX, Spike and geranamine.
Increased sense of wellbeing.
Less daily stress yet I’m more ‘zingy’ with it. In a good way, lol.
Less daily fatigue.
I’m still waiting to see what happens to my sleep patterns. I’m already a user of melatonin and ZMA (and occasional 5HTP usage if I regularly start to wake early), but sleep can always be improved upon - at least in my case.
Libido is definitely down, though I don’t necessarily attribute that to the rhodiola since I had a fun but tiring weekend canoeing and camping with friends.
Bushy[/quote]
That bodes well. I’m pretty stressed out right now. Not sleeping so great either. I’ll give it a try. Hopefully the rhodiola won’t affect either of our libido’s and it was just your weekend trip.
[quote]GetSwole wrote:
I have been using a generic version for about 2-3 weeks. Basically, it helps your hormonal profile (cortisol) which may lead to, for one reason or another, improved body comp. Generally this is lumped in the ‘superfood’ type category in that, its more directly for overall health.
My experiences on it are it helps me relax and stay relaxed when normally I wouldn’t. Its just allows more calm throughout the day.
As the article says, its like a medicine, use it when you need it. I.E. high stress periods.
I know Thomas Gabriel has used it for a long time, hopefully he’ll chime in or you might PM him.[/quote]
Sounds good
[quote]GetSwole wrote:
My experiences on it are it helps me relax and stay relaxed when normally I wouldn’t. Its just allows more calm throughout the day. [/quote]
Yes, this is something I notice as well. There is a common misconception in the media labeling cortisol as the “stress hormone”. Although it is true that cortisol is released from mental/physical stress, it actually has a calming effect. This is supported by studies.
Cortisol gets demonized a lot because of the effects high levels of it has, but the low levels are just as bad. I’d say just as many people have low levels as people with high levels. That is why rhodiola is so great. Whether you are low, or high, it will help correct it.
So has anyone here tried the Biotest version? And if so, any specific workout/body comp benefits observed?
New to these forums, but not to the fitness game.
Looking to try it, and just trying to gather some information beforehand. Possibly going to do a small group study on this particular supplement. I’m thinking a month of about 5 participants with a full log. Lemme know if anyone is interested and I’ll start my own thread on the matter.