The Rhodiola Revolution: Transform Your Health with the Herbal Breakthrough of the 21st Century - Softcover

Brown, Richard P.; Gerbarg, Patricia L.; Graham, Barbara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159486294X ISBN 13: 9781594862946

Publisher: Harmony/Rodale/Convergent, 2005

Synopsis

Previously classified studies from the former Soviet Union reveal the emergence of an herbal superstar, Rhodiola rosea.

From two respected physicians comes an authoritative new book that explores the amazing healing powers of Rhodiola rosea. Compelling scientific evidence about this commonly available herbal supplement confirms its ability to help:

- Melt away extra pounds
- Combat fatigue
- Sharpen memory and concentration
- Enhance physical performance
- Strengthen immune function
- Protect against heart disease and cancer

As more people turn to Rhodiola rosea to improve their health and vitality, they will look for a trustworthy, authoritative resource to answer all their questions. The Rhodiola Revolution is that resource, providing the latest news from the front lines of research as well as clear instructions on using the herb for maximum medicinal effect.

About this title

About the Author

RICHARD P. BROWN, MD, is associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and has a private practice in integrative psychopharmacology. His wife and coauthor, PATRICIA L. GERBARG, MD, is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at New York Medical College. They reside in upstate New York.

BARBARA GRAHAM has written for numerous publications, including O: The Oprah Magazine, Self, and Vogue. She divides her time between New York and Washington, D.C.

From the Back Cover

This book offers healing modalities for the body, mind and spirit in an age in which our personal resources are so over-spent that we need reliable ways to replenish them. The authors show that "Rosavin," or Rhodiola Rosea, is almost a candidate for the "Panacea" (heal-all) of the ancient Greeks, or the Golden Pill of Immortality of the Chinese sages. How can a heretofore little-known plant-substance do all these things? You will have to read the book to find out how adaptogens really fills in the gaps in our physical and energetic functioning. In our challenging world and time, we need all the help we can get to cope with the stresses that come our way every day. This book shows us that if you neglect to try Rosavin, you may be missing a really important ally!
Employing sources as far-ranging as Greek mythology, ethnobotany, and the hidden monographs of Russian cold-war scientists, as well as responsible modern medical research, Dr.s Brown and Gerbarg have written a tour-de-force of a book on the healing plant Rhodiola Rosea. The reader is not only carried along effortlessly and elegantly through Brown and Gerbarg's accessible prose, but led to the inescapable conviction that this adaptogenic herb definitely enhances quality of life! In fact, after reading it, you probably won't want to wait to try Rhodiola-for everything from chronic fatigue to depression, to enhanced immune response, to generic revitalization in a sometimes tiresome world, to optimal performance (as demonstrated by the studies on astronauts and elite athletes.)
--Stephen Larsen, Ph.D. is Psychology Professor Emeritus (SUNY), and director of Stone Mountain Center for Psychotherapy, Biofeedback and Neurofeedbackin the Hudson Valley of New York. He is the author of seven books currently in print, including, with his wife Robin, A Fire in the Mind," the Life of Joseph Campbell, and The Fashioning of Angels: Partnership as Spiritual Practice.

From the Inside Flap

Employing sources as far-ranging as Greek mythology, ethnobotany, and the hidden monographs of Russian cold-war scientists, as well as responsible modern medical research, Dr.s Brown and Gerbarg have written a tour-de-force of a book on the healing plant Rhodiola Rosea. The reader is not only carried along effortlessly and elegantly through Brown and Gerbarg's accessible prose, but led to the inescapable conviction that this adaptogenic herb definitely enhances quality of life! In fact, after reading it, you probably won't want to wait to try Rhodiola-for everything from chronic fatigue to depression, to enhanced immune response, to generic revitalization in a sometimes tiresome world, to optimal performance (as demonstrated by the studies on astronauts and elite athletes.)
This book offers healing modalities for the body, mind and spirit in an age in which our personal resources are so over-spent that we need reliable ways to replenish them. The authors show that "Rosavin," or Rhodiola Rosea, is almost a candidate for the "Panacea" (heal-all) of the ancient Greeks, or the Golden Pill of Immortality of the Chinese sages. How can a heretofore little-known plant-substance do all these things? You will have to read the book to find out how adaptogens really fills in the gaps in our physical and energetic functioning. In our challenging world and time, we need all the help we can get to cope with the stresses that come our way every day. This book shows us that if you neglect to try Rosavin, you may be missing a really important ally!

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER 1

ENERGY, STRESS, AND YOUR HEALTH

People are experiencing burnout like never before. It's easy to see why. Between cell phones, pagers, and instant messaging—not to mention job demands, family responsibilities, and a nonstop flow of obligations and commitments—we're on call 24/7. No matter how many tasks we cross off our to-do lists, they just keep getting longer. Then we must deal with the threats of terrorism; snipers; and SARS, West Nile virus, and other newly minted infectious diseases, which only fuel our anxiety levels. Just thinking about it all makes us toss and turn well into the night, compromising the sleep we so desperately need to replenish our dwindling energy reserves. We yawn and stumble through our days, feeling simultaneously tired and wired.

Does this sound familiar? If so, you may be one of the millions of Americans who chronically expend more energy than they have, someone whose energy reserves are almost always tapped out. This imbalance puts an enormous amount of stress on body and mind. It also is a leading cause of illness in the United States, where an estimated 80 percent of health problems stem from stress.

To get a clearer picture of how stress—or overspending your energy reserves—affects your health, imagine your body as a car battery that constantly uses energy without ever fully recharging. In other words, more energy is expended than replaced, so less and less juice is available over time. Eventually, the battery wears down, and the engine won't turn over.

We humans are similar. Everything we do, mentally as well as physically—from eating breakfast to planning the day's agenda to falling in love—burns energy. For this reason, we require a steady supply of energy in order to function well. These days, with so many pressures bearing down on us, our energy demands are greater than ever. And we need to store extra energy for use during unexpected crises.

We must replenish our energy reserves daily—ideally with more than we expend so that we always have an ample supply available for those times when we really need it. This may be what Rhodiola rosea does best.

RHODIOLA ROSEA: NATURE'S PERFECT ENERGIZER

Rhodiola rosea is one of those rare substances that increase energy at the very source: our cells. For several decades, researchers have been examining the root of this remarkable herb, which grows wild at high altitudes in Siberia and other northern regions. Their conclusion? Rhodiola rosea actually boosts energy production in the cells of the major organ systems.

This power surge at the cellular level not only helps us manage stress with greater ease but also protects against disease and neutralizes environmental toxins. A growing body of evidence shows that Rhodiola rosea significantly improves physical and mental function, as well as the workings of the cardiovascular, immune, and neuroendocrine systems. (The term neuroendocrine collectively refers to the neurological and endocrine systems. It's a product of current research that shows just how intimately connected these systems are.)

Our own positive clinical experience with the herb—as well as our colleagues'—is consistent with the research. We have found Rhodiola rosea to be extremely beneficial in treating depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, neurological disorders, sexual dysfunction, and hormonal imbalances. It also has helped many of our patients successfully manage debilitating conditions such as cancer and Parkinson's disease—with few or, in most cases, no bothersome side effects.

We cannot emphasize the last point enough. By the time they seek our counsel, many of our patients are at their wits' end. Some already have consulted numerous specialists and tried multiple prescription medications—either to no avail or with intolerable side effects. Others have gone the natural route, experimenting with ginseng and other herbs to improve their mood or enhance their energy.

In fact, the number one reason most of our patients say they buy supplements is to boost flagging energy. Yet the majority of herbs and nutrients touted for their energy-enhancing properties actually offer little benefit or cause unpleasant side effects.

But Rhodiola rosea is different.

By now you may be wondering, How can one herb do so much? And if it really is so special, why haven't you gotten wind of it before now? The answer—which we'll discuss in much greater detail in chapter 4—is part folktale, part Cold War thriller. For centuries, Rhodiola rosea has been prized by those who live in the regions where it grows. It wasn't systematically studied by scientists until the latter half of the 20th century. And many of the results of those investigations were kept top secret until recently.

In part 2, we will present convincing scientific proof of how Rhodiola rosea—which thrives in unforgiving subarctic terrain—can dramatically improve nearly every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. But because this resilient herb directly increases energy in cells, we first must explore the key role of energy in our overall health.

WE ARE ENERGY

We tend to think of our bodies as solid structures—consisting of bone, muscle, organs, and a network of arteries and veins through which our blood circulates. In reality, we could condense the solid matter in the human body to the size of a thimble. The rest is space—space within cells, space between cells, space between organs. Connecting and enlivening all these parts is the energy that our cells produce. It's what keeps us going. Without an adequate energy supply, our health suffers.

The ancient Chinese healers who devised acupuncture, a healing discipline that acts directly on the body's energy centers, recognized this thousands of years ago. So did the ancient Indian scientists and spiritual teachers who created yoga techniques to elevate prana, the Vedic word for life force. They understood that energy is our most precious human resource. But just like the energy that heats our homes and fuels our automobiles, the energy in our bodies is finite. Our challenge is to learn to use it wisely while doing everything we can to make sure we don't run low.

Continually tapping our energy supply without replenishing it can lead to an imbalance that has a negative effect on our health and wellbeing. Until we learn to maintain balance between how much energy we burn and how much we store, we may be doing the best we can, but we won't be doing—or feeling—our best.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harmony/Rodale/Convergent
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 159486294X
• ISBN 13: 9781594862946
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288