The genus
Rhodiola
(Family Crassulaceae) is indigenous to Northern Canada, Europe and Asia where its rhizomes and roots have been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Recent interest in the species
Rhodiola rosea
(roseroot)
in the West arose from the use of the rhizome as an adaptogen for the treatment of stress, but in the last few years, chemical and pharmacological studies have confirmed other valuable medicinal properties.
Written by well-known researchers in this field of study,
rosea
examines important aspects of this increasingly important medicinal plant, including:
Cultivation
Taxonomy
Ethnobotany
Conservation
Phytopathology
Phytochemistry
Pharmacology
Biotechnology
The book discusses
in vitro
culture of
R. rosea
and examines pests and diseases affecting the plant in Europe, Canada, and Alaska. It also examines pharmacological bioassays and toxicology. The contributors provide a meta-analysis of clinical trials and describe experimentation with
in clinical practice. They explore its use in a range of areas, including for depression and anxiety disorders, to improve sexual and immune functions, to augment cancer treatment, and in aerospace medicine for afflictions such as mountain sickness and jet lag. The final chapter uses a model to illustrate the cultivation of
as an industrial crop from field to medicine to cabinet. Synthesizing the most important literature in recent years, the book supplies a comprehensive peer-reviewed survey of the wide spectrum of possibilities for its use as a modern phytomedicinal agent.