Rhodiola Rosea Side Effects: Medicines and Who Should Avoid It (UK Guide)

Rhodiola rosea, also called roseroot, golden root or Arctic root, is a mountain plant whose root is sold in the UK as a food supplement and as a registered traditional herbal medicine. The European Medicines Agency lists headache, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhoea, skin rash and itching as possible side effects and does not recommend it in pregnancy, breastfeeding or under 18, and case reports describe problems in people taking it with antidepressants.

Key takeaways

• No authorised health claims. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepts rhodiola medicines on long-standing use alone. That covers registered herbal medicines, not food supplements.
• Side effects the EMA lists. Headache, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhoea, skin rash and itching, frequency not known. Allergic to rhodiola? Do not take it.
• Antidepressants: ask first. Case reports describe restlessness, trembling and other problems in people who added rhodiola to antidepressants such as paroxetine.
• Other medicines. In a small study, it slowed an enzyme that clears warfarin and the epilepsy medicine phenytoin. On these, or blood pressure or diabetes medicine, ask first.
• Our Saffron Gummies are not for use in pregnancy, while trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding, or by under-18s, anyone with phenylketonuria (PKU) or prone to allergies, or anyone allergic to any ingredient, and not with an autoimmune condition or immunosuppressants unless your doctor agrees. With bipolar disorder, a thyroid, liver, kidney or hormone-sensitive condition, high calcium, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including antidepressants, blood thinners, blood pressure medication and prescribed vitamin D, ask your GP or pharmacist first.

From us: Our Saffron Gummies contain 200mg of rhodiola rosea extract per two gummies, standardised to 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside. They also contain 300mg of saffron (from a 10:1 extract standardised to 3.5% crocin and safranal), 2,000mg of moringa leaf, 2,000mg of maca root, 100mg of L-theanine, 100mg of magnesium, 50mg of spirulina extract, 50 micrograms of vitamin D3 and 5mg of black pepper extract. Vegan, £18.99 for 60 gummies (30 days), third-party lab tested.

Rhodiola rosea at a glance

What is rhodiola rosea?

Rhodiola rosea is a mountain perennial in the stonecrop family. The name roseroot comes from the rose-like scent of the freshly cut root. It contains compounds called rosavins and salidroside, which extracts are often standardised to.

In 1969 the Ministry of Health of the former USSR recommended a liquid extract for medical use. Sweden sold rhodiola as a natural remedy from 1987 and has registered it as a traditional herbal medicine since 2008.

We pair it with saffron in our Saffron Gummies.

What has been studied?

In people, rhodiola has been tested in a dozen or so small trials of different extracts:

• 2000 to 2009. Five double-blind trials of one extract, in night-duty doctors, students at exam time, military cadets, and adults with stress-related fatigue or mild to moderate depression. The largest had 161 people and none lasted over six weeks. Most were co-authored by scientists linked to the extract's maker.
• 2012 to 2017. Three studies of another extract, in 100 to 118 adults each, had no comparison group. A UK trial in 80 mildly anxious adults compared it with no treatment, not a placebo, and was funded by the extract's maker.
• Canada, 2014. 48 nursing students working shifts took rhodiola or a placebo for six weeks, double-blind. Funded by the Government of Alberta.

A 2012 review of 11 studies with 446 people found that "All of the included studies exhibit either a high risk of bias or have reporting flaws". The EMA's 2024 assessment says "The published clinical trials exhibit considerable deficiencies in their quality", which is why it accepts rhodiola medicines on traditional use only. In 2012, the European Food Safety Authority found that a proposed health claim for a rhodiola extract had not been substantiated. None of these studies tested our gummies.

How much rhodiola per day?

Rhodiola is not a vitamin or mineral, so it has no Nutrient Reference Value (NRV), and no official upper level has been set for it. Amounts on record:

• In registered herbal medicines: the EMA monograph gives adults 144 to 200mg of one type of dry extract once or twice a day, up to 400mg a day. These amounts apply to those medicines, not to food supplements, and it does not recommend use under 18.
• In trials: 340 to 680mg a day of one extract, and 400mg a day of another.

No trial has used our gummies, and extracts are made in different ways, so their weights cannot be compared like for like.

Our Saffron Gummies contain 200mg of rhodiola rosea extract per two gummies, standardised to 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside. Do not take more than two gummies a day.

Side effects and who should avoid it

Listed side effects. The EMA monograph lists headache, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, skin rash and itching, all at an unknown frequency. Reports in the EU's side-effect database mostly involved headache, nervousness, sleeplessness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.

Gaps in the data. The EMA says safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and use under 18, have not been established, and tests on reproductive toxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity are not available.

Liver. In a 2020 case series of five people with liver injury linked to ashwagandha supplements, the authors named rhodiola as a possible cause, alongside ashwagandha, in one case. Our Daily Three bundle includes our Saffron Gummies and our Ashwagandha Gummies, so if you take both and have a liver condition, ask your GP first. Whoever you are, if you notice yellow skin or eyes, dark urine or persistent itching, stop and see your GP.

If any other new symptom appears, stop and speak to your GP or a pharmacist.

Do not take our Saffron Gummies if you:

• are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18
• are allergic to any ingredient, including moringa, rhodiola and spirulina
• have phenylketonuria (PKU) or are prone to allergies (for the spirulina)
• have an autoimmune condition or take immunosuppressants, unless your doctor agrees (for the spirulina)

Ask your GP or pharmacist first if you:

• have bipolar disorder, or take antidepressants or other mood medication (for the saffron and rhodiola)
• take blood thinners such as warfarin, aspirin or clopidogrel, blood pressure medication or diabetes medicine
• take digoxin, water tablets or epilepsy medicine such as phenytoin (for the vitamin D3 and rhodiola)
• have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medicine (for the moringa)
• have a liver condition (for the rhodiola)
• have, or have had, a hormone-sensitive condition, such as breast or womb cancer (for the maca)
• are having hormone blood tests: tell your doctor you take maca
• have high calcium in your blood or urine, high vitamin D levels, kidney problems or kidney stones, or sarcoidosis (for the vitamin D3)
• are prescribed vitamin D: the NHS says not to add other vitamin D or calcium supplements without your doctor's advice
• have an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or take any other regular medicine

Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Rhodiola and medicines

Few studies have tested rhodiola with medicines. Ask your GP or pharmacist first if you take any regular medicine, and never stop or change a prescribed medicine without speaking to your doctor.

• Antidepressants, including SSRIs. A 2015 case report from Italy described a 68-year-old woman on paroxetine who developed restlessness and trembling after starting rhodiola, which the authors interpreted as serotonin syndrome. The EMA's assessment also records side-effect reports with sertraline, escitalopram, duloxetine and other antidepressants, and a German consumer advice centre warns of heart rhythm problems with the combination.
• Warfarin, phenytoin and other medicines cleared by CYP2C9. In a 2016 Norwegian study of 13 healthy volunteers, 14 days of a rhodiola product reduced the activity of CYP2C9, an enzyme that clears some medicines, by about a fifth. The authors said this modest effect might matter for medicines with a narrow safety margin, such as warfarin and phenytoin. The EMA calls its clinical relevance unclear.
• Blood pressure and diabetes medicines. The German consumer advice centre also lists these, warning of dizziness from low blood pressure and of low blood sugar.
• Black pepper extract. Our Saffron Gummies also contain 5mg of black pepper extract. Its main compound, piperine, has changed blood levels of some medicines in small studies, and it has not been tested with rhodiola.

List prices, before any discount code, correct on 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is rhodiola safe?

Some people should not take it. The European Medicines Agency does not recommend it in pregnancy, while breastfeeding or under 18, and lists headache, stomach upset, skin rash and itching as possible side effects. Anyone allergic to rhodiola should avoid it. Case reports describe problems with antidepressants, and a small study found it slowed an enzyme that clears warfarin and phenytoin, so on regular medicines, ask a GP or pharmacist first. If a new symptom appears, stop and speak to a GP or pharmacist.

What are the side effects of rhodiola?

The European Medicines Agency lists headache, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, skin rash and itching, at an unknown frequency. Case reports describe restlessness and trembling in a woman who added rhodiola to the antidepressant paroxetine, and one case of liver injury where rhodiola, with ashwagandha, was a possible cause. Yellow skin or eyes, dark urine or persistent itching: stop and see your GP. For any other new symptom, stop and speak to a GP or pharmacist.

Can you take rhodiola with antidepressants or SSRIs?

Ask your GP or pharmacist first. A 2015 case report described restlessness and trembling, interpreted as serotonin syndrome, in a woman who added rhodiola to paroxetine, an SSRI. The European Medicines Agency's assessment records further reports with sertraline, escitalopram, duloxetine and other antidepressants, and a German consumer advice centre warns of heart rhythm problems. The NHS says not to stop an antidepressant suddenly or without talking to your doctor first.

Can you take rhodiola when pregnant or breastfeeding?

No. The European Medicines Agency says safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established and, in the absence of sufficient data, does not recommend it. Our Saffron Gummies are not for use in pregnancy, while trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding, or by under-18s, anyone with phenylketonuria (PKU) or prone to allergies, or anyone allergic to any ingredient, and not with an autoimmune condition or immunosuppressants unless your doctor agrees. With bipolar disorder, a thyroid, liver, kidney or hormone-sensitive condition, high calcium, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including antidepressants, blood thinners, blood pressure medication and prescribed vitamin D, ask your GP or pharmacist first.

What are the benefits of rhodiola?

Rhodiola has no authorised health claims in the UK. It has been tested in a dozen or so small trials, many co-authored by scientists linked to an extract's maker, and a 2012 review judged every included study to have a high risk of bias or reporting flaws. The European Medicines Agency found "considerable deficiencies" in the trials' quality and accepts rhodiola medicines on traditional use only. None of these studies tested our gummies.

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References

1. European Medicines Agency, HMPC. "European Union herbal monograph on Rhodiola rosea L., rhizoma et radix." Final, Revision 1. EMA/HMPC/24177/2023, 20 March 2024.
2. European Medicines Agency, HMPC. "Assessment report on Rhodiola rosea L., rhizoma et radix." Final, Revision 1. EMA/HMPC/24186/2023, 20 March 2024.
3. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. "Currently approved Traditional Herbal Registrations (THRs)." List dated 27 October 2025. gov.uk.
4. Lekomtseva Y et al. "Rhodiola rosea in Subjects with Prolonged or Chronic Fatigue Symptoms: Results of an Open-Label Clinical Trial." Complement Med Res, 2017. doi:10.1159/000457918
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6. Cropley M et al. "The Effects of Rhodiola rosea L. Extract on Anxiety, Stress, Cognition and Other Mood Symptoms." Phytother Res, 2015. doi:10.1002/ptr.5486
7. Punja S et al. "Rhodiola rosea for mental and physical fatigue in nursing students: a randomized controlled trial." PLoS One, 2014. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0108416
8. Ishaque S et al. "Rhodiola rosea for physical and mental fatigue: a systematic review." BMC Complement Altern Med, 2012. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-70
9. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). "Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to Rhodiola rosea L. extract and reduction of mental fatigue pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006." EFSA J, 2012;10(7):2805. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2805
10. Björnsson HK et al. "Ashwagandha-induced liver injury: A case series from Iceland and the US Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network." Liver Int, 2020. doi:10.1111/liv.14393
11. Maniscalco I et al. "[The interaction of Rhodiola rosea and antidepressants. A case report]." Neuropsychiatr, 2015. doi:10.1007/s40211-014-0124-8
12. Woroń J, Siwek M. "Unwanted effects of psychotropic drug interactions with medicinal products and diet supplements containing plant extracts." Psychiatr Pol, 2018. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/80998
13. Thu OK et al. "Effect of commercial Rhodiola rosea on CYP enzyme activity in humans." Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 2016. doi:10.1007/s00228-015-1988-7
14. Verbraucherzentrale NRW. "Gestresst, müde, erschöpft - entspannter mit Rhodiola oder Rosenwurz?" Updated 26 March 2026. verbraucherzentrale.nrw.
15. NHS. "Side effects of antidepressants." Page last reviewed 12 June 2025. nhs.uk.
16. Bano G et al. "Effect of piperine on bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of propranolol and theophylline in healthy volunteers." Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 1991. doi:10.1007/BF00314996
17. Pattanaik S et al. "Effect of piperine on the steady-state pharmacokinetics of phenytoin in patients with epilepsy." Phytother Res, 2006. doi:10.1002/ptr.1937

Food supplements are not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult a healthcare professional before use.