Native to Eastern Europe, Asia and Scandinavia the plant thrives in cool temperatures and is grown in high-altitude Arctic regions. Rhodiola has become popular amongst traditional herbal medicine. It’s often recognised by a variety of different names including Arctic root, golden root, Hongjingtian, king’s crown, Lignum rhodium, rose root, rosenroot, orpin rose, Russian rhodiola and Siberian golden root however, Rhodiola is most common.

A member of the Crassulaceae family, Rhodiola is tall and fleshy, and has several stems growing from a short, scaly rootstock. It’s flowers are yellow to greenish yellow in appearance and bloom in the summer season.

Traditionally used in Western Herbal Medicine to:

• Relieve symptoms of stress such as fatigue and feelings of weakness.

Traditionally:

It was used by the Vikings to enhance physical strength and endurance and has been mentioned by Dioscorides as early as the 1st century AD.

Native to the West Indies and tropical America, it is now cultivated throughout the tropics and in subtropical areas around the world. Acerola strongly resembles the cherry, giving it the nick name Barbados cherry and West Indian cherry and is known to have one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C.

Although commonly called a cherry (due to the size), the odour and flavour of cooked acerola are similar to tart apples or crab tree apples.

The fruit is a natural source of vitamin C which is used as an antioxidant to contribute to:

• Cell protection from free radical damage
• Normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin