THIS HAS HELPED ME SO MUCH. it just makes things so much easier. it reduces the anxiety level down to where it is under your control. it no longer takes over me, i can take the reigns now and do things to lessen it when i need to.

also increased motivation. before........ i literally did not want to do homework at all. my grades have fallen to F's because i'm unable to do it, but i've taken this for like a week, and now i actually feel like i want to do homework. haven't ACTUALLY gotten to it yet, but this is a huge change for me

it's like.... it makes things so much easier. before getting through each day was a huge struggle. i would have frequent break downs and suicidal thoughts after a day of sweating, not being able to breathe, unable to function, think, speak. but now... it is not a daily struggle anymore. it is still hard..... but it is SO much easier.

damn.

and you're supposed to cycle it. take two a day for three days, and then take a break for the rest of the week, then repeat. this is how it works

Great that you found something that works for you. Which brand are you using? I want to give this a go.

I'm using Rhodiola Rosea with some success so far. I'm using Oregon Wild Harvest brand in capsule form 1x a day (this is the recommended dose). I tried a different formulation in tablet form and got NOTHING out of it. But with the Oregon Wild Harvest capsules I notice subtle effects almost immediately and the effects build after I've been on it a few days.

Side effects - similar to those I've gotten from SSRIs, but milder. Mild gas and seemingly easier to get heartburn, mild insomnia, mild urinary hesitancy, mild daytime fatigue (could be because of interrupted sleep), mild dry eyes/lips. These side effects I also get with an SSRI like Paxil, and are more severe with the SSRI. No noticeable sexual side effects from R.R. at this dose. A cup or two of green tea a day wipe out the fatigue issue, and over time the insomnia has eased. The other sides may subside over time - I've been taking R.R. inconsistently for the past few months, but now plan to stay on this small dosage consistently for the next few months.

R.R. is a mild MAO inhibitor, and I've noticed it improving my mood, affecting my energy, and thwarting panic responses. I'm taking it because I don't want to be reliant on perscription medication, but do want a little boost to deal with persistant mild SA (and the gloomy Seattle Winter). I'll report back eventually...

There are other adaptogens/natural MAOIs I'm also interested in but haven't tried. Among these are ashwandaga, curcumin, etc... I have also taken Valerian root PRN before social situations - it feels like taking a benzo.

I went to the shop and had to ask the lady where it was, I asked her if it was any good and she said it got stolen a lot lol

I was taking Rhodiola Rosea for 6 weeks like other herbs I described in other forums. I never go with capsules or pills, I always go with the raw material to have a full spectrum effect of real herb: it's cheaper, it lasts longer, you know what you are taking, you take a whole unmodified by chemicals or temperature herb. Long story short: 1/2 tsp every other day would my next plan for a 3-6 months chronic ingestion. Previosly I took it 1/2 tsp x3/day, then 1tsp x2/day. What I found: increased concentration, a flow of ideas (hyperexcitability), great mood (euphoria?), big difficulty falling asleep, shorter sleep duration and when waking up feeling like I had enough sleep, decreased in fatigue, increase in stamina (exercises), increased goal orientation. Conclusion: definitely NOT a calming herb!!! Takes 2-3 weeks to see effect building up. I encourage you try whatever you use caps/powder -up the dosage and have a diary. It's one of my favorites. Not taking it now - have plans to try other herbs.

To me it seems to work like ginseng or other adaptogens in that if you take it consistently you do seem to feel "healthier" or a bit "better" stronger etc. if that makes sense. But it doesn't work like an anxiety drug and the anti-anxiety effect is relatively mild for me. That said, I do like feeling better from it. You HAVE TO TAKE A STANDARDIZED EXTRACT so you know you're actually getting the active ingredients.

Same goes for EVERY herb. Just look for "Standardized Extract" on the Supplement Facts panel and compare brands by amount and %. For instance 50mg of an herb standardized at 4% is the same as 100mg standardized at 2%. You're getting the same amount of active ingredient either way so in this situation choose the one that's the best price.

While for me the anti-anxiety effect from rhodiola is mild, if you work out, rhodiola is awesome for endurance. (lots of studies on it) I take it everytime before I run or bike a many people in my training group do too. And exercising always makes me feel better. So if anything taking rhodiola to feel healtheir and stronger so you work out more may be reason enough to take it.

You don't have to take 'standardized' extract of 'every' herb. If you have plenty of money, throw it all away for being in the standardization industry, if you use brains like i do, you will use real herbs like me and like millions of people who used and continue using Traditional Chinese Medicine. By adapting your own dosage to your needs, you will reap greater benefits and it will be lighter on your pocket. If anyone has plenty of money and not enough gray matter send me cash and I will standardize for you 3% of rosavins per 100 grams: do the math. "Think for yourself!" is my motto!

Standardization matters a lot to me. If I am going to be taking anything daily for a long period of time, even a multivitamin, I want quality control on it. With something like Rhodiola Rosea, if I do decide to take it indefinitely, I want to use a brand that puts a standard amount of active ingredients in each pill and in each bottle. I want a brand that will be around for awhile. And if the brand ceases, with a standardized extract you should be able to switch brands with minimal adjustment. So far I've tried some crap RR tablets, but have found Oregon's Wild Harvest RR to be of high quality.

the pinnacle rhodax worked wonders for me, unfortunately everywhere i look its out of stock. seems to be discontinued. sucks.

I take newchapter it has almost double the rosavins than other brands. For the first time I decided to take 2 today (so 600mg total and 10.8% rosavins). Supposedly it is stimulating at lower doses and sedating at higher doses (around 1500 mgs) so I think people with SA should work up to higher doses, I haven't done much research yet though.

I became interested in rhodiola after I saw it in a magazine. They called in an 'adaptogen', perhaps because it helps people cope with stress both physical and emotional. I've heard it recommended to people starting a new fitness training program, and the Russians have been studying and using it for years. (It apparently gained some notoriety when the KGB made frequent use of it.)

I've been taking it for almost a week, and i find myself not quite as bothered about what other people are thinking and doing. I feel more flexible in my thinking. I find that mixing it with coffee, though, is not a good idea. major jitters. and I haven't been sleeping as well, but I find I don't mind. I feel more productive.

Thanks for the range of oppinions posted here. I'll continue to think on this.

To me it acts like a stimulant.
You have to be active when you use it.
I got some of the worst panic attacks on them and they do nothing
for anxiety,if fact they made it worse

I take between 1050mg-1400mg a day of the Vitacost (NSI) brand rhodiola rosea extract (3% rosavins 1% salidroside) along with 20mg fluoxetine every other day (10mg daily)... closest thing to something like Nardil without the bad side effects or having to convince a pdoc to keep prescribing Nardil (not so easy, especially in the US).. no problems other than some insomnia. works for me! I take it every day, there might be some virtue in cycling the RR extract but I think it should be taken daily for a month or so to see full benefits

i know you guys have mentioned about taking it with anti-depresseants a bit in these posts. just wondering if any of you have an idea whether its dangerous to mix this with anti-d's? i'm on Citalopram, been on it for four years, but i really want to try this stuff as well as stay on the citalopram.

Hey guys, so I just bought this product, from an Australian pharmacy it's called Chill Pill by Cenovis. It contains 400mg of rhodiola rosea and 500mg of humulus lupulus or (hops).

I took 1 at about 3pm in the afternoon and another at 4 with food, I am soo tired. I was just wondering is this normal at all? It's suppost to give energy and mental health wellbeing etc. I think I actually felt worse, I felt quite sad? I was out when I took it and it still didn't do much for my anxiety or am I just impatient? lol.

Also how long does it normally take for the effects to kick in?

KimxAllen: I think 400 mg might be quite a large dose to start with. Rhodiola Rosea (in my case at least) takes some adjusting to, and the higher the initial dose, the longer I have to wait before I find it tolerable. In fact, starting up Rhodiola Rosea on high doses is almost unbearable for me nowadays (since I've seen some improvement regarding many of my symptoms).

If you're getting tired it's probably overstimulating. Try 200mg or 100mg, and work your way up when you got used to the dose. Expect it to take a few weeks.

Made me more nervous and jittery. I read it increases dopamine levels. My dopamine must be skyhigh then.

This is one of supplements i would like to give it a try one more time,but different brand.I tried Jarrow by the way.As far as i remember it was like mild coffee.It made me keep working without boring but this didn't last long.Only some slight motivation.Maybe for some days in the begining.That's all!

Hi,

Does anybody know if this will interfere with Xanax xr? I am looking at an alternative to the Xanax as it doesn't work in our case. In fact, we haven't yet found an allopathic medication that works at all. Until we can wean off of the xanax, I might give this a try. In reading these forums, it seems the consensus is to try the Gaia herb brand which I guess is a liquid in a pill. I would imagine that you could open up the capsule and mix it in a drink. Any thoughts anyone.

Thanks

The one I take comes in a herbal pill and it has some other herbs and fruit extract ****. I doubt it does anything except maybe aid digestion. BUT it also has 60mg caffeine in the pill so Im pretty sure that has an impact on its absorption and onset etc. I like rhodiola its great. It doesnt "cure" anything but it gives you just enough mental and physical stregth to tackle your problems head on.

haha thats a good sign, were they expensive?

I agree, Its ALWAYS better to get it fresh. Not all extracts are crap but most of them are. That goes for all the other herbs too. Like stuff at cvs is always ****ty LOL

Yea, thats the thing with "standardized extracts". You got to find the good brands because alot of herbs that come in "standardized extract" capsules are crap. Valerian root is a good example of it and so is kava that they sell in crappy capsules in the stores like CVS.
Most of the ones claiming its standardized, are just bull****