Natural Herb, Golden Root (Rhodiola Rosea) Increases Life Span of Fruit Flies by 24%
UC Irvine researchers have found that the common herb known as Golden Root, King’s Crown, Arctic Root, or simply Rhodiola rosea, significantly increased the lifespan of laboratory animals, namely fruit flies, and in a way that is different than other common means of prolonging life. Normally dietary restriction is what makes lab animals (and people) live longer.
It is well known that limiting foods like red meats in our diets will help us to live longer and more vital lifetimes, but the yellow mountain flower Golden Root was able to prolong the lives of fruit flies without restricting their diets in any way, and specifically by affecting an entire set of molecular pathways.
Flies usually live longer when the amount of yeast they consume is reduced, but researchers even tried using golden root in fruit flies that didn’t have restricted diets, and it still worked. Even more importantly, along with prolonging life no matter the sex or age of the flies, it also “delayed the reduction of physical performance in older flies.”
The researchers, Mahtab Jafari and Sam Shriner, also found that Rhodiola can reduce oxidative stress in both fly cells and human cells alike, so it is possible that Golden Root will have an equally beneficial effect on our life spans as well.
Rhodiola has already been documented as healthful for humans by decreasing fatigue, boosting our moods, and reducing anxiety and depression. It has been used by Scandinavians and Russians for centuries to reduce anxiety and stress-related disorders since it grows in high altitudes and cold climates. But Jafari and his researchers are now turning their attention to Golden Root as a possible cancer treatment, to help with Alzheimer’s diseases, and even to promote stem cell growth. Golden root seems to be an adaptogen with many uses for our good health.
Furthermore, as long as you don’t dose more than 1.5 grams, there should be no side effects associated with taking the herb. Recommended dosages usually vary from between 180 and 600 milligrams a day. It can be taken during times of high stress, or a few days prior to an upcoming busy schedule or event or in low doses every day for the best benefits. You can also use it brewed in teas, or mixed in with Bentonite clays to make a facial mask that will rejuvenate your skin.
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It works.