An Energizing Tea

Last days of summer/back to school

This one is simple. I want to share it because I want other people to know about it! Rhodiola rosea is a herb with many health benefits, which I discuss below. As a tea, I find drinking a single cup of it to be gently stimulating and greatly helps me focus on my work. Of course, people react to different plants in a variety of ways... for example, I do not find coffee (a plant medicine in it's own right) helps me study, because my brain gets hyperactive in a non-focussed kind of way. Yet many people use coffee as an essential study tool. I prefer green tea, if I need to wake up (a constituent in green tea called theanine helps balance out the caffeine). OR... Rhodiola! Experiment for yourself and see. This is what I reach for when I need to study but my brain just isn't there...

Recipe:

1 tsp. Rhodiola rosea

Steep 1 tsp in a mug of hot water with a lid (I frequently just use a flat mason jar lid without the ring). 

Health benefits:

Rhodiola is an adaptogenic herb, a general herbal term which means it helps the body adapt to stress. It reduces fatigue and when taken long term aids recovery from burnout. It can improve attention and productivity. Rhodiola has been shown to modulate cortisol (your stress hormone), which may be part of the mechanism for improved cognitive function. Its affect on cortisol is also being explored as a possible mechanism for being helpful in treating depression (though this is in early stages of studies). It is good both for athletes because  it improves physical endurance and stamina, as well as for students for its cognitive benefits. Of course, this could also be useful for nurses or any other shift workers, moms, lawyers, or anyone in with a stressful or demanding lifestyle. Which is a lot of us. Also, it tastes good and is nice to drink, and this is important too!

References:

I like examine.com for it's good quality and publicly available reviews of the research, providing links to specific studies. 

Here is an example of a randomized controlled trial looking at the effect of Rhodiola on fatigue and cognitive performance. 

See this systematic review that summarizes much of the research on Rhodiola (bottom line: it's not a magic bullet and response varies from person to person... more study is needed). 

Read more here about the extensive history and traditional use of Rhodiola, as well as a summary of the research and it's common modern use in Russia, Sweden, Denmark, and other Slavic and Scandinavian countries. There is also this National Geographic article about why Rhodiola  was studied so extensively in the former USSR (hint: it benefits soldiers and Olympic athletes), and how scientists were banned from speaking about or publishing their results outside the country!

The beautiful Rhodiola plant (photo taken by photographer Olaf Leillinger)