Rhodiola plants: Chemistry and biological activity

Hsiu-Mei Chiang; Hsin-Chun Chen; Chin-Sheng Wu; Po-Yuan Wu; Kuo-Ching Wen

doi:10.1016/j.jfda.2015.04.007

Rhodiola plants: Chemistry and biological activity

J Food Drug Anal. 2015 Sep;23(3):359-369. doi: 10.1016/j.jfda.2015.04.007. Epub 2015 May 29.

Authors

Hsiu-Mei Chiang¹, Hsin-Chun Chen¹, Chin-Sheng Wu¹, Po-Yuan Wu², Kuo-Ching Wen³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cosmeceutics, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan.
² Department of Dermatology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan; School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan.
³ Department of Cosmeceutics, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan. Electronic address: kcwen0412@gmail.com.

Abstract

Rhodiola is a genus of medicinal plants that originated in Asia and Europe and are used traditionally as adaptogens, antidepressants, and anti-inflammatory remedies. Rhodiola plants are rich in polyphenols, and salidroside and tyrosol are the primary bioactive marker compounds in the standardized extracts of Rhodiola rosea. This review article summarizes the bioactivities, including adaptogenic, antifatigue, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antinoception, and anticancer activities, and the modulation of immune function of Rhodiola plants and its two constituents, as well as their potential to prevent cardiovascular, neuronal, liver, and skin disorders.

Keywords: Rhodiola; bioactivity; salidroside; tyrosol.

Publication types

Review