Experts from the University of California at Irvine, United States, found that “it reduced fasting blood sugar levels, improved response to insulin injections, modulated the composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and decreased several biomarkers of inflammation”.

The team used a genetically engineered mouse model that develops obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia, similar to advanced human type 2 diabetes.

Such a laboratory procedure – specifies the journal Scientific Reports – had the objective of verifying if rhodiola could improve glucose homeostasis.

The extract from the roots of this plant acts through changes in the microbiome that lead to an increase in the integrity of the intestinal barrier and a lower translocation of inflammatory molecules to the blood circulation.

“The integrity of the intestinal barrier influences body weight and the response to insulin, and could improve the responses of liver and muscle tissues to insulin produced by the pancreas,” the specialists point out.

Known as rhodiola, this herb grows in the colder, more mountainous regions of Europe and Asia.

The golden root, as it is also called in the Scandinavian culture and Siberian peoples, is used to increase resistance at work and improve altitude sickness.

A clinical trial showed that taking 400 milligrams of Rodhiola rosea extract daily for 12 weeks improved symptoms of anxiety, exhaustion, and irritability.

Its properties are related to two of its active ingredients, rosavin and salidroside.

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