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Updated: May 17, 2026
Field Collection and Laboratory Routine Identification of Rhodiola crenulata
Published on: October 27, 2023
Effect of provenance, plant part and processing on extract profiles from cultivated European Rhodiola rosea L. for
Wieland Peschel1, José M Prieto, Caroline Karkour
1Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, Department for Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom. wieland.peschel@ema.europa.eu
Abstract:
The demand for plant material of Rhodiola rosea L. (Crassulaceae) for medicinal use has increased recently, amid concerns about its quality and sustainability. We have analysed the content of phenylpropanoids (total rosavins) and salidroside in liquid extracts from 3-year old cultivated plants of European origin, and mapped the influence of plant part (rhizome versus root), genotype, drying, cutting, and extraction solvent to chemical composition. Rhizomes contained 1.5-4 times more salidroside (0.3-0.4% dry wt) and total rosavins (1.2-3.0%) than roots. The qualitative decisive phenylpropanoid content in the extracts was most influenced by plant part, solvent, and genotype, while drying temperature and cutting conditions were of less importance. We have shown that R. rosea from different boreal European provenances can be grown under temperate conditions and identified factors to obtain consistent high quality extracts provided that authentic germplasm is used and distinguished between rhizome, roots and their mixtures.
