Rose root relieves depression
Luise Heine has been an editor at since 2012. The qualified biologist studied in Regensburg and Brisbane (Australia) and gained experience as a journalist in television, in the Ratgeber-Verlag and in a print magazine. In addition to her work at , she also writes for children, for example for the Stuttgarter Kinderzeitung, and has her own breakfast blog, “Kuchen zum Frühstück”.
More posts by Luise Heine All content is checked by medical journalists.Psychotropic drugs do not always have to be used for depression. Rose root also helps with mild to moderate emotional upsets. The medicinal herb even offers a decisive advantage.
Various therapy options are available for treating depression. In addition to talk therapy, medication is often used to support this. But the green pharmacy also has a lot in its repertoire to lighten the mood again. Jun Mao from the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues are testing the effects of rose root on depression.
A total of 57 test subjects who had experienced at least two or more depressive episodes and showed acute symptoms, such as particular fatigue or recurring thought spirals, took part in their study.
The participants were divided into three groups. One was given sertraline, a commonly prescribed antidepressant, the second was given rose root extract, and the third was given a placebo. Allocation to the groups was random, not even the researchers knew which patients were given which active ingredient. During the study period of twelve weeks, the scientists regularly recorded the mood of the patients and also possible side effects.
Better than placebo
Both rose root and sertraline were able to relieve the symptoms of depression. Even though overall more participants reported improvements with sertraline, the bottom line was that the difference to rose root was not significant. Compared to the placebo, rose root showed 1.4 times the symptom relief and the medicinal agent 1.9 times.
Previous studies suggest that the effect of the medicinal plant is based on a stimulation of the corresponding mood receptors in the brain, namely those for dopamine and serotonin.
Less nausea and trouble having sex
However, the phytotherapy had a decisive advantage: rose root caused far fewer side effects. Only 30 percent of the rose root subjects complained of undesirable effects, with sertraline it was almost twice as many, namely 63 percent. The participants mainly suffered from nausea or sexual dysfunction. For patients with mild depression in particular, rose root could therefore be the better alternative, the researchers conclude.
"It looks like herbal medicine could offer good therapy alternatives to patients with depression who do not want to take normal antidepressants because of the side effects," says Mao.
The study has one small weakness - its small number of participants. The scientists are therefore relying on future, larger-scale studies in order to better shed light on the effects and side effects of rose root.
Ancient folk medicine
Rose root (Rhodiola rosea) was already used by the Vikings to support mental and physical vitality. More recent clinical studies show that the medicinal plant does not only increase mental agility in older people. It also has a good effect against states of exhaustion, anxiety and burn-out. Rose root is available as a dietary supplement, for example in capsule form. Since the medicinal herb came into the scientific focus late, there are currently no finished preparations with medically proven effectiveness.
Five percent of the population
An estimated five percent of the German population between the ages of 18 and 65 currently suffer from depression that requires treatment. Women get sick twice as often as men. The main symptoms are depression, listlessness and loss of interest. In addition, there can be other physical and psychological disorders such as feelings of guilt, sleep disorders or pain without a physical cause.
Source: Jun J. Mao et al. Rhodiola rosea versus sertraline for major depressive disorder: A randomized placebo-controlled trial; Phytomedicine Volume 22, Issue 3, 15 March 2015, Pages 394-399
