Rhodiola has been used by Tibetans as a traditional remedy for more than 1000 years. Today, it is popular around the world, used as an adaptogen. Adaptogens are defined as substances that have no toxicity or side effects at normal dosages and that non-specifically increases the body's resistance to disease and to physical and chemical stresses.
Rhodiola has been used by Tibetan doctors in formulas to treat dysentery, back pain, lung inflammation, painful and irregular menstruation, leukorrhea, epidemic diseases, limb edema, traumatic injury, and to heal burns. According to Chinese interpretation, rhodiola can support vital energy (qi), help the body resist pathogens, enrich the blood, nourish the brain, improve intelligence, and preserve health.
Recently, various preparations of rhodiola, alone or compounded into prescriptions, have been produced and used in clinical practice to prevent and treat various diseases. The rhodiola preparations have been shown the following effects: to reinforce physical strength, enhance body endurance, compensate for low oxygen, relieve tiredness and weakness, improve efficiency of physical and mental work, treat cardiac and pulmonary diseases, and counteract side-effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancers. In the clinical studies, rhodiola was evidently effective for treating weakness, poor appetite, heart palpitations, dizziness, chest distress and insomnia. The herb could also increase blood levels of hemoglobin and platelets and reduce the heart rate. After rhodiola was used to treat patients with coronary heart disease, attacks of angina pectoris were relieved along with the partial blood oxygen pressure of the arteries and arterial blood oxygen saturation was elevated.
One of the adaptogenic applications of rhodiola that has received considerable research attention is for aiding adaptation to high altitudes, thus, as a preventive and treatment for mountain sickness. Perhaps by related mechanisms, rhodiola has been shown to significantly aid athletic performance and to delay fatigue by improving oxygen utilization during exercise. Researchers speculate that rhodiola also helps reduce the stress that occurs secondary to exercise by regulating the parasympathetic nervous system, normalizing the body functions more rapidly after vigorous exercise.
In pharmacology experiments, rhodiola, has been found to inhibit the production of lipid peroxide in liver cells, an antiaging function. It can also enhance the activity of serum SOD (a natural anti-oxidant), clear free radicals, and improve activity of cells, which also have antiaging potential. These properties have also been demonstrated for green tea. The combination of green tea and rhodiola is of potential value in normalizing the blood content of lipids, glucose, and hemoglobin, and calming nervousness, while helping to overcome fatigue.
I .抗疲勞作用 口服狹葉紅景天使小鼠爬欄時間、游泳時間和負荷游泳時間延長。能縮短疲勞之後恢復所需時間,提高酶、 RNA和蛋白質水平,使疲勞後肌肉儘快恢復(3,23)。
II .對中樞神經介質的影響 紅景天能使小鼠在游泳條件下5-羥色胺含量正常化,即已離正常沙丘中樞神經介質含量得到糾正或達到正常水平。小鼠注射紅景天苷(30-300mg/kg)能降低5-羥色胺的水平(15,23)。
III .抗缺氧作用 口服紅景天、狹葉紅景天、深紅紅景天的提取物均可使試驗動物對各種缺氧模式表現出明顯對抗作用,其作用強於人蔘和刺五加,且增加心臟冠狀動脈的血流量,並降低心臟病的發生率(5,21,23,34,37,38)。
IV . 抗衰老作用 大紅紅景天醇提取物能提高大白鼠紅細胞、肝臟SOD的活性,並有增加心肌SOD活性的趨勢。紅野亞麻蠅飲用紅景天提取液,可明顯延長壽命,延壽率優於人蔘。紅景天素有促進2BS細胞增殖和降低死亡率的作用,能抑制大鼠細胞過氧化脂質和增強血清超氧化物歧化酶的活性(5,22,23,24,34)。
V .抗腫瘤 紅景天素對S180細胞確有一定的抑制作用,在無毒副劑量範圍內,這種作用隨濃度增大而增強。連續口服紅景天提取物可降低變紅菌素對小鼠小腸璧的致癌損傷程度,並提高機體抗癌能力(23,26,33,36,41,42,43,45)。
VI .解毒作用 紅景天具有拮抗士的寧中毒作用,能提高士的寧中毒後小鼠的生存率達50%;還具有拮抗棒狀桿菌毒素的作用,並能對抗破傷風等各種細菌毒素,增加服用烈性毒藥、氰化納、亞硝酸鈉小鼠存活時間或生存率(11,12,13,23)。
VII .其他作用 紅景天有適應原樣作用和雙向調節作用。經微波幅射的小鼠腦內單胺递質、脾臟及胸腺內環磷酸腺苷、淋巴細胞轉化率、血清溶血素等出現抑制性變化,紅景天可使之恢復正常。注射紅景天苷後,能增強家兔的甲狀腺功能及腎上腺功能,並能興奮小鼠卵內分泌功能。提高注意力和記憶力。提高血槳中β-吲哚酚的水平,阻止壓力激素的變化(7,10,27,28,29,31,32,35,39,44)。
VIII .對肝臟具有保護的作用(8,19,40)。
<T>參考文獻
1.Akgul Y, Ferreira D, Abourashed EA, Khan IA.(2004) Lotaustralin from Rhodiola rosea roots. Fitoterapia. 2004 Sep;75(6):612-4.
2.Tolonen A, Gyorgy Z, Jalonen J, Neubauer P, Hohtola A. (2004) LC/MS/MS identi fi cation of glycosides produced by biotransformation of cinnamyl alcohol in Rhodiola rosea compact callus aggregates. Biomed Chromatogr. 2004 Oct;18(8):550.
3.De Bock K, Eijnde BO, Ramaekers M, Hespel P.(2004) Acute Rhodiola rosea intake can improve endurance exercise performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2004 Jun;14(3):298-307.
4.Kucinskaite A, Briedis V, Savickas A.(2004) [Experimental analysis of therapeutic properties of Rhodiola rosea L. and its possible application in medicine] Medicina (Kaunas). 2004;40(7):614-9.
5.Wing SL, Askew EW, Luetkemeier MJ, Ryujin DT, Kamimori GH, Grissom CK.(2004) Lack of effect of Rhodiola or oxygenated water supplementation on hypoxemia and oxidative stress. Wilderness Environ Med. 2003 Spring;14(1):9-16.
6.Cui S, Hu X, Chen X, Hu Z(2003) Determination of p-tyrosol and salidroside in three samples of Rhodiola crenulata and one of Rhodiola kirilowii by capillary zone electrophoresis. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2003 Sep;377(2):370-4. Epub 2003 Jul 19.
7.Zhu BW, Sun YM, Yun X, Han S, Piao ML, Murata Y, Tada M.(2003) Reduction of noise-stress-induced physiological damage by radices of Astragali and Rhodiolae: glycogen, lactic acid and cholesterol contents in liver of the rat. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2003 Sep;67(9):1930-6.
8.Song EK, Kim JH, Kim JS, Cho H, Nan JX, Sohn DH, Ko GI, Oh H, Kim YC.(2003) Hepatoprotective phenolic constituents of Rhodiola sachalinensis on tacrine-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells. Phytother Res. 2003 May;17(5):563-5.
9.Lei Y, Nan P, Tsering T, Bai Z, Tian C, Zhong Y.(2003) Chemical composition of the essential oils of two Rhodiola species from Tibet. Z Naturforsch . 2003 Mar-Apr;58(3-4):161-4.
10.Shevtsov VA, Zholus BI, Shervarly VI, Vol'skij VB, Korovin YP, Khristich MP, Roslyakova NA, Wikman G.(2003) A randomized trial of two different doses of a SHR-5 Rhodiola rosea extract versus placebo and control of capacity for mental work. Phytomedicine. 2003 Mar;10(2-3):95-105.
11.Pashkevich IA, Uspenskaia IuA, Nefedova VV, Egorova AB.(2003) Comparative evaluation of effects of p-tyrosol and Rhodiola rosea extract on bone marrow cells in vivo Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2003 Jul-Aug;66(4):50-2.
12.Wu XL, Zeng WZ, Wang PL, Lei CT, Jiang MD, Chen XB, Zhang Y, Xu H, Wang Z.(2003) Effect of compound rhodiola sachalinensis A Bor on CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in rats and its probable molecular mechanisms. World J Gastroenterol. 2003 Jul;9(7):1559-62.
13.Nan JX, Jiang YZ, Park EJ, Ko G, Kim YC, Sohn DH.(2003) Protective effect of Rhodiola sachalinensis extract on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2003 Feb;84(2-3):143-8.
14.Wu S, Zu Y, Wu M.(2003) High yield production of salidroside in the suspension culture of Rhodiola sachalinensis. J Biotechnol. 2003 Dec 5;106(1):33-43.
15.Provalova NV, Skurikhin EG, Pershina OV, Minakova MY, Suslov NI, Dygai AM.(2003) Possible mechanisms underlying the effect of natural preparations on erythropoiesis under conditions of conflict situation. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2003 Aug;136(2):165-9.
16.Tolonen A, Hohtola A, Jalonen J.(2003) Comparison of electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization techniques in the analysis of the main constituents from Rhodiola rosea extracts by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. J Mass Spectrom. 2003 Aug;38(8):845-53
17.Tolonen A, Pakonen M, Hohtola A, Jalonen J.(2003) Phenylpropanoid glycosides from Rhodiola rosea. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 2003 Apr;51(4):467-70.
18.Han X, Zhang T, Wei Y, Cao X, Ito Y.(2003) Separation of salidroside from Rhodiola crenulata by high-speed counter-current chromatography. J Chromatogr A. 2002 Sep 20;971(1-2):237-41.
19.Iaremii IN, Grigor'eva NF.(2002) Hepatoprotective properties of liquid extract of Rhodiola rosea Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2002 Nov-Dec;65(6):57-9.
20.Rohloff J.(2002) Volatiles from rhizomes of Rhodiola rosea L. Phytochemistry. 2002 Mar;59(6):655-61.
21.Pogorelyi VE, Makarova LM.(2002) Rhodiola rosea extract for prophylaxis of ischemic cerebral circulation disorder Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2002 Jul-Aug;65(4):19-22.
22.Mook-Jung I, Kim H, Fan W, Tezuka Y, Kadota S, Nishijo H, Jung MW.(2002) Neuroprotective effects of constituents of the oriental crude drugs, Rhodiola sacra, R. sachalinensis and Tokaku-joki-to, against beta-amyloid toxicity, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Biol Pharm Bull. 2002 Aug;25(8):1101-4.
23.Kelly GS.(2001) Rhodiola rosea: a possible plant adaptogen. Altern Med Rev. 2001 Jun;6(3):293-302.
24.Ip SP, Che CT, Leung PS.(2001) Association of free radicals and the tissue renin-angiotensin system: prospective effects of Rhodiola, a genus of Chinese herb, on hypoxia-induced pancreatic injury. JOP. 2001 Jan;2(1):16-25.
25.Ganzera M, Yayla Y, Khan IA.(2001) Analysis of the marker compounds of Rhodiola rosea L. (golden root) by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 2001 Apr;49(4):465-7.
26.Razina TG, Zueva EP, Amosova EN, Krylova SG.(2000) Medicinal plant preparations used as adjuvant therapeutics in experimental oncology Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2000 Sep-Oct;63(5):59-61.
27.Boon-Niermeijer EK, van den Berg A, Wikman G, Wiegant FA.(2000) Phyto-adaptogens protect against environmental stress-induced death of embryos from the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis. Phytomedicine. 2000 Oct;7(5):389-99.
28.Darbinyan V, Kteyan A, Panossian A, Gabrielian E, Wikman G, Wagner H.(2000) Rhodiola rosea in stress induced fatigue--a double blind cross-over study of a standardized extract SHR-5 with a repeated low-dose regimen on the mental performance of healthy physicians during night duty. Phytomedicine. 2000 Oct;7(5):365-71.
29.Spasov AA, Mandrikov VB, Mironova IA.(2000) The effect of the preparation rodakson on the psychophysiological and physical adaptation of students to an academic load Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2000 Jan-Feb;63(1):76-8.
30.Linh PT, Kim YH, Hong SP, Jian JJ, Kang JS.(2000) Quantitative determination of salidroside and tyrosol from the underground part of Rhodiola rosea by high performance liquid chromatography. Arch Pharm Res. 2000 Aug;23(4):349-52.
31.Spasov AA, Wikman GK, Mandrikov VB, Mironova IA, Neumoin VV.(2000) A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of the stimulating and adaptogenic effect of Rhodiola rosea SHR-5 extract on the fatigue of students caused by stress during an examination period with a repeated low-dose regimen. Phytomedicine. 2000 Apr;7(2):85-9.
32.Maimeskulova LA, Maslov LN.(1998) The anti-arrhythmia action of an extract of Rhodiola rosea and of n-tyrosol in models of experimental arrhythmias Eksp Klin Farmakol. 1998 Mar-Apr;61(2):37-40.
33.Salikhova RA, Aleksandrova IV, Mazurik VK, Mikhailov VF, Ushenkova LN, Poroshenko GG.(1997) Effect of Rhodiola rosea on the yield of mutation alterations and DNA repair in bone marrow cells Patol Fiziol Eksp Ter. 1997 Oct-Dec(4):22-4.
34.Lishmanov IuB, Naumova AV, Afanas'ev SA, Maslov LN.(1997) Contribution of the opioid system to realization of inotropic effects of Rhodiola rosea extracts in ischemic and reperfusion heart damage in vitro Eksp Klin Farmakol. 1997 May-Jun;60(3):34-6.
35.Maimeskulova LA, Maslov LN, Lishmanov IuB, Krasnov EA.(1997) The participation of the mu-, delta- and kappa-opioid receptors in the realization of the anti-arrhythmia effect of Rhodiola rosea Eksp Klin Farmakol. 1997 Jan-Feb;60(1):38-9.
36.Bocharova OA, Matveev BP, Baryshnikov AIu, Figurin KM, Serebriakova RV, Bodrova NB.(1995) The effect of a Rhodiola rosea extract on the incidence of recurrences of a superficial bladder cancer (experimental clinical research) Urol Nefrol (Mosk). 1995 Mar-Apr(2):46-7.
37.Maslova LV, Kondrat'ev BIu, Maslov LN, Lishmanov IuB.(1994) The cardioprotective and antiadrenergic activity of an extract of Rhodiola rosea in stress Eksp Klin Farmakol. 1994 Nov-Dec;57(6):61-3.
39.Lishmanov IuB, Maslova LV, Maslov LN, Dan'shina EN.(1993) The anti-arrhythmia effect of Rhodiola rosea and its possible mechanism Biull Eksp Biol Med. 1993 Aug;116(8):175-6.
40.Udintsev SN, Krylova SG, Fomina TI.(1992) The enhancement of the efficacy of adriamycin by using hepatoprotectors of plant origin in metastases of Ehrlich's adenocarcinoma to the liver in mice Vopr Onkol. 1992;38(10):1217-22.
41.Udintsev SN, Shakhov VP, Borovskoi IG.(1991) Mechanism of differential effect of low dose adaptogens on the functional activity of normal and transformed cellular elements in vitro Biofizika. 1991 Jul-Aug;36(4):624-7.
42.Udintsev SN, Shakhov VP.(1990) Changes in clonogenic properties of bone marrow and transplantable mice tumor cells during combined use of cyclophosphane and biological response modifiers of adaptogenic origin Eksp Onkol. 1990;12(6):55-6.
43.Udintsev SN, Shakhov VP.(1989) Decrease in the growth rate of Ehrlich's tumor and Pliss' lymphosarcoma with partial hepatectomy Vopr Onkol. 1989;35(9):1072-5.
44.Lishmanov IuB, Trifonova ZhV, Tsibin AN, Maslova LV, Dement'eva LA.(1987) Plasma beta-endorphin and stress hormones in stress and adaptation Biull Eksp Biol Med. 1987 Apr;103(4):422-4.
45.Dement'eva LA, Iaremenko KV.(1987) Effect of a Rhodiola extract on the tumor process in an experiment Vopr Onkol. 1987;33(7):57-60.
46.Petkov VD, Yonkov D, Mosharoff A, Kambourova T, Alova L, Petkov VV, Todorov I.(1986) Effects of alcohol aqueous extract from Rhodiola rosea L. roots on learning and memory. Acta Physiol Pharmacol Bulg. 1986;12(1):3-16.
47.徐良,中國 GAP 藥材與中藥現代化開發指南:中國名貴藥材規範化栽培與產業化開發新技術( 2001 ),中華人民共和國協和醫科大學出版社。 (Simple Chinese)