Rhodiola Rosea

A Super Herb Among Nootropics

Rhodiola Rosea is a plant that has remarkable stress-relieving and antidepressant properties and is considered equivalent to some of the most potent nootropics and brain-stimulating supplements.

Introduction

Rhodiola Rosea, with common names such as Golden Root and Roseroot, is an adaptogenic herb and a nootropic agent. It has been used in traditional medicines in Russian and Scandinavian countries for centuries. Rhodiola Rosea is widely used as a treatment for fatigue, poor concentration, and memory loss. It is also believed to increase the learning skills by stimulating the brain and the productivity of workers.

Studies reveal its benefits for relieving pain, headache, scurvy, hemorrhoids, and as an anti-inflammatory analgesic.

In this article, we are going to explore how Rhodiola Rosea works and benefits your brain.

Mechanism of action

There are two possible ways, according to scientists, in which Rhodiola Rosea works in our brain.

• According to a study, Rhodiola Rosea sustains some brain hormones or neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. All of these brain chemicals are essential for speed of cognitive processing, mental alertness, mood, and memory. This plant is considered to modulate the mono-amine oxidase enzymes that would otherwise destroy these brain hormones.

• The second one is that Rhodiola has also been suggested to help maintain the neurotransmitter acetylcholine by inhibiting ACHe. It is an enzyme that degrades acetylcholine.

How does it affect the brain?

• Improves Brain Function

This plant contains some active ingredients such as rosin, rosavin, and rosarian. These are the principal compounds available in the roots and rhizome of this plant. Studies show that extract from rhodiola rosea plant exhibits neuroprotective and nootropics effects on the brain. This is the reason behind its use to increase cognitive skills and as a brain stimulant.

• To Decrease the Mental Fatigue

According to studies, this plant also boosts mood by reducing stress, lethargy, and mental fatigue. Patients with chronic stress take rhodiola supplements to boost their mental performance. It is also proven to enhance the cognitive energy, stamina, and concentration level for a prolonged period. Therefore, people often take this when working on a detail-oriented project to multiply their output with the effort.

• To Improve Mood

Rhodiola Rosea boosts the mood by increasing norepinephrine and serotonin levels in your brain and the feel-good hormones like beta-endorphins.

• Neuronal Regeneration

Rhodiola Rosea is helpful in neurogenesis, which means that it helps the formation of new neurons. It also helps to repair the old neurons. Another function of this plant is that it activates ATP synthesis, which is the main energy source of your body and brain cells. Rhodiola Rosea reduces the C-reactive protein, which is inflammatory in nature. Furthermore, it protects neurons from free radicals and cell death due to oxidative stress.

• Improve Exercise Performance

Rhodiola also helps to improve exercise performance. In a study, athletes were given 200 mg of this supplement two hours before performing an exercise. The participants with rhodiola were able to perform for an average of 24-25 seconds more than the placebo group.

This study and others show that rhodiola can be used to improve exercise performance by increasing players’ endurance and decreasing the exertion. However, this supplement’s exact mechanism of action to have any effect on muscle strength or power is still unknown.

How to start taking these supplements

Rhodiola supplements are widely available in the form of tablets, capsules, and extract. It is also available in the form of powder or dried form to make tea, but some people prefer the supplement in pill form because it enables accurate dosing and time-saving method.

Precautionary Measures

Unfortunately, there is always a chance of adulteration in the contents of this supplement. To avoid this, always choose a brand that carries the USP or NSF seal on the pack. These organizations with zero profit interest make sure supplements contain what they claim, without impurities.

Another important thing is to look at the labels of these supplements and double-check that they contain standardized proportions of 3% rosavin and 1% salidroside. These are the naturally occurring quantities of these components in the rhodiola root.

How Much and When to Take It

The best way to take rhodiola supplements is with an empty stomach, but not before bedtime because it has a slightly stimulating effect. The recommended dose of rhodiola to improve mental fatigue symptoms, stress, and depression are from 400 to 600 mg in a single dose per day.
If you want to take rhodiola as a brain stimulant to enhance your performance, then take 200 to 300 mg an hour or two before the workout.

Safety of Rhodiola

Rhodiola is safe to use supplement and generally well tolerated. There are no potential side effects of this supplement, but you must consult your doctor if you experience any change after its use.

Creatine

Muscle building and Brain Boosting?

Nootropics have become excessively popular among those who want to think and perform faster than the others. There is always someone around, maybe a colleague from work or a class topper, who is actively using nootropics. The main purpose of using these supplements is to stimulate your brain and increase your learning capacity.

Creatine is also one of these brain-stimulating supplements and is considered to be very effective in this regard. It is stored inside our body and works as an energy back up source whenever required.
The purpose of this article is to enlighten you about the important aspects of creatine so that you become familiar with this supplement in case you are thinking about its use as a brain stimulant.

What is Creatine, and how does it work?

Creatine is a natural chemical present in the human body formed from the combination of 2 amino acids named arginine and glycine. The main energy currency of our body is Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), which is adenosine with 3 attached phosphate groups.

When the body cells need energy, mitochondria (cell powerhouse) separate a phosphate group, and it provides energy by breaking the bond that the cell uses to get things done. The ATP is converted into ADP (adenosine Diphosphate), which cannot produce energy for cell functions.

Here’s where creatine comes to the rescue.

As we know that creatine is stored in the body as Creatine-Phosphate. When ATP converts to ADP, it comes in to tackle the situation by providing a phosphate back to ADP to become ATP again and restore its’ energy to use in the future.

• Creatine levels are linked with optimal memory ability

Creatine is a natural energy recycler that is why fitness conscious people use it. It is so effective because it provides your muscles with a large amount of energy so that you can work harder and longer. The reason behind this energy boost is that creatine is stored in our body muscles.

The topic is not closed yet…

The other biggest storehouse of creatine is actually in our brain cells. The brain uses 20 % of the body’s total energy every day, and the more we use our brain, the quicker the ATP reserves will be drained.

Creatine comes into the picture here again. It helps revive the brain cells in a similar way to muscles by helping “recharge” the ATP supplies so that the brain can continue to perform well.

• Creatine effects on the brain

One study at the University of New Mexico was conducted on children’s learning skills and memorizing ability. The study’s main objective was to analyze the brain’s ability to hold information for future or long-term memory. Scientists worked on children’s brains in an age bracket of 7 to12 years using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and measured different brain neurotransmitters.
The study concluded that children with high levels of creatine in their brains had a better long-term memory.

• Creatine Improves Cognition

This creatine is also known for its cognition improving effects in the human brain. People are normally aware of this supplement due to its muscle fatigue-reducing effects, and it is consumed by most of them just for workout purposes. Fewer people are aware of the nootropic and neuroprotective effects that creatine supplementation offers.

In sleep-deprived rugby players, creatine, given in a dose of 20 grams per day, improved their mood and cognitive skills after consuming it regularly for 7 days. According to another study, creatine, if taken one week before sleep deprivation combined with a moderate workout routine, improves people’s complex cognitive skills.

• Creatine reduces brain fog

A few studies indicate that creatine may reverse brain fog symptoms caused by stress hormones, insomnia, and circadian rhythm imbalance, which are common in athletes or people leading a modern lifestyle.

• May be Helpful in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is related to dopamine levels in the brain. It often leads to poor fitness, reduced muscle mass, decreased muscle strength, and fatigue. As we are aware, creatine improves upper body strength and enhances muscle strength, just like it does in athletes. Creatine is taken in higher doses for 5 days (20 g per day), and then the maintenance dose stays at 5 g per day for patients with Parkinson’s disease. It has proved to be somewhat effective in preventing a drop of dopamine level in the brain.

Larger clinical trials are required to properly assess if only creatine supplementation can improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms.

Dose Protocols

The dose is recommended according to a person’s body mass, age, and diet plan. Generally, a 2-phase (loading + maintenance) supplementation protocol is followed in clinical practices.
• In loading dose 20 g/day (0.3 grams/kg/day) for 5 – 7 days is taken
• In the maintenance phase, creatine dose is maintained at 3 – 5 g/day
The side effects of these supplements are rare but consult your doctor immediately if you experience anything unusual.

Bottom line

Creatine is stored in our muscles and comes out to provide energy to the body and brain when needed. Professional players and athletes use this supplement as an energy source to carry out hard workout schedules and for muscle building. It can help you handle stress and deal with the workload by boosting your brain and preventing mental fatigue. Therefore, it is also called a top nootropics agent.