Importance and quality of roseroot (Rhodiola rosea L.) growing in the European North.

In this paper, the importance and traditional use of roseroot (Rhodiola rosea L.) among the peoples of Lapland and the northern and sub-arctic Urals have been reviewed. Additionally, some phytochemical characteristics of roseroot plants of Finnish and Komi origin have been studied. About 150 plant species are known to have been used from ancient times in the folk medicine of the Komi, Finnish and Norwegian nations. Rhodiola rosea L. (roseroot, golden root, arctic root) is a perennial species which grows in subarctic areas of the northern hemisphere. Its traditional role was quite important among people living in Greenland, Iceland, Northern Scandinavia and the sub-arctic Urals. In Norway, several historical documents have been found telling of its use for food, as a remedy for scurvy, for washing hair and even grown on house roofs as a protection against fire. Golden root was one of the most valuable medicinal plants among the Komi people living near the northern and sub-arctic Urals and in the upper stream of the Pechora and Vishera rivers. In these regions the tincture from dried roots was used as a general reinvigorating tonic in all illnesses as well as for fatigue and nervous diseases. Its application was most effective for hunters who lived for months far from home in the extreme conditions of the northern taiga. It was considered that golden root encourages an organism and gives new vigour. Modern clinical trials have demonstrated the favourable adaptogenic effects of roseroot and studies have been started on the introduction of this wild plant into cultivation. For phytochemical characterisation, roseroot roots were collected in two subarctic climatic zones in North Finland and the sub-arctic Urals close to the nordic latitude. The results obtained indicate that the phytochemical profile of roseroot grown in these areas is quite similar. The salidroside content of the roots ranged between 0.4 – 2.0 %, the rosavin content varied between 0.5 – 2.8 %, the rosin content between 0.10 – 0.54 % and the cinnamic alcohol between 0.028 – 0.16 %. The essential oil content was typically low for the species studied. The main compounds of the oil were geraniol (21.3 – 65.1 %), octanol-1 (18.4 – 29.2 %) and myrtenol (5.4 – 8.3 %). The cultivated roots contained nearly equal quantities of sterols (campesterol 5.5 – 11.4 %, sitosterol 21.6 – 34.2 % ). Due to its high phenylpropanoid content, the plant population grown in the Kozhym river basin in the sub-arctic Urals should be preferred for further introduction and selection studies.