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Adaptogenic root native to arctic Scandinavia and Siberia; its rosavins and salidroside are thought to modulate cortisol and monoamine activity, with trials showing reduced fatigue and improved stress resilience.
Major depressive disorder, persistent low mood, and related mood conditions.
Also known as: Golden Root, Arctic Root
Every published result for this pair, extracted and audited.
These charts group published studies by what they reported and how they were run — green marks studies that reported a benefit for this pairing. Tiers run from pooled analyses of many trials (strongest) to one-off observational reports.
Direction of reported outcomes for Rhodiola Rosea in depression.
Study designs behind these findings.
Every measured outcome, one row per finding - numbers exactly as reported.
| Study | Design | n | Duration | Outcome measured | Reported result | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMID 21601431 2011 | Systematic review | - | - | Antidepressant effect | reported qualitatively | Benefit |
| PMID 25837277 2015 | Randomised trial | 57 | 12 weeks | Adverse events | 30.0% (p = 0.012) | Harm / risk |
| PMID 25837277 2015 | Randomised trial | 57 | 12 weeks | BDI depression score | reported qualitatively (p = 0.28) | No benefit |
| PMID 25837277 2015 | Randomised trial | 57 | 12 weeks | Clinical Global Impression Change (CGI/C) | reported qualitatively (p = 0.17) | No benefit |
| PMID 25837277 2015 | Randomised trial | 57 | 12 weeks | HAM-D depression score | -5.1 (95% CI -8.8 to -1.3; p = 0.79) | No benefit |
| PMID 25837277 2015 | Randomised trial | 57 | 12 weeks | Odds of improving | 1.39 (95% CI 0.38-5.04) | Unclear |
Hand-selected PubMed studies, linked to the originals.
Ordered by strength of evidence, then result direction.
01Effect of Saffron Versus Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) in Treatment of Depression and Anxiety: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled TrialsShafiee A, et al. · Nutrition reviews · 2025PMID 38913392 ↗02Efficacy of Pharmacological Interventions in Milder Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisUrata M, et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2025PMID 40014460 ↗03Comparative efficacy and tolerability of nutraceuticals for depressive disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysisCheng YC, et al. · Psychological medicine · 2025PMID 40314175 ↗04Transcriptome-based meta-analysis of drought stress regulatory genes in tomatoMurtaza M, et al. · BMC plant biology · 2025PMID 41068586 ↗Be the first to share what you noticed with Rhodiola Rosea for depression. How we calculate this.