title: Rhodiola: a promising anti-aging Chinese herb.
abstract: Using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, we investigated the effects of Rhodiola on life-span. Rhodiola is a plant root used in traditional Chinese medicine that may increase an organism's resistance to stress. It has been proposed that Rhodiola can extend longevity and improve health span by alleviating oxidative stress. Rhodiola supplied every other day at 30 mg/mL significantly increased the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. When comparing the distribution of deaths between Rhodiola-supplemented and control flies, Rhodiola-fed flies exhibited decelerated aging. Although the observed extension in lifespan was associated with statistically insignificant reductions in fecundity, correcting for a possible dietary restriction effect still did not eliminate the difference between supplemented and control flies, nor does the effect of Rhodiola depend on dietary manipulation, strongly suggesting that Rhodiola is not a mere dietary restriction mimetic. Although this study does not reveal the causal mechanism behind the effect of Rhodiola, it does suggest that the supplement is worthy of continued investigation, unlike the other Chinese herbals, Lu Duo Wei (LDW), Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (BZYQT), San Zhi Pian (SZP, Three Imperial Mushrooms), Hong Jing Tian (Rhodiola) that were evaluated in this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. mjafari@uci.edu
authors.forename: Mahtab
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jafari
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Felgner
authors.forename: Irvin I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Bussel
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hutchili
authors.forename: Behnood
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Khodayari
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vince-Cruz
authors.forename: Laurence D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Mueller
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008136:Longevity; D029771:Rhodiola
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal