Name: Rhodiola rosea – Rhodiola rozheva (harvesting and storage)
Rhodiola rosea (golden root) – Rhodiola rosea L. The Ukrainian name is Rhodiola rozheva (golden root).
Crassulaceae family – Crassulaceae.
For medicinal purposes, rhizomes with roots are used.
It occurs in Ukraine only in the highlands of the Carpathians on stony placers, in rock crevices. Forms small thickets in places.
Stocks of raw materials as a result of unorganized procurement in the last time are almost destroyed. Industrial blanks hold incredible. The remaining thickets will need to be taken under protection as a seed base for introducing the plant into cultivation and studying it in nature. The plant is included in the “Red Book” of the Soviet Union and the “Red Book” of Ukraine.
Rhodiola rosea is a herbaceous rhizomatous perennial 10-35 cm high. The root is taproot, fusiform, turning into a branched rhizome, grayish outside and lemon-yellow inside, covered with membranous triangular leaves. Several stems emerge from the top of the root. They are erect, unbranched, with alternate sessile bare leaves, close at the top. Leaves narrowly lanceolate or obovate-oblong with a wedge-shaped base, sharply dentate from the middle or above, sometimes entire-marginal, 1-3.5 cm long. Inflorescence apical, corymbose, dense, many-flowered. The flowers are dioecious, 4-5-membered, with elongated or linear, yellow or greenish petals, in male flowers 3-4 mm long, and underdeveloped in female ones. The fruits are elongated, leaflets directed upwards with numerous small seeds.
Blooms in June – August. The fruits ripen in August – September.
Raw materials are harvested during the period of fruit ripening and continue until frost. Rhizomes with roots are dug up with shovels, the ground is shaken off, the aerial parts are cut with knives or pruners and quickly washed in cold water. Then they clean it from the old brown cork, cut off the rotten and damaged parts and lay it out in the open air or under sheds and in attics with good ventilation for drying. Dried rhizomes with roots are cut across into pieces at least 3 cm long.
Dry in dryers at a temperature of 50-60 °. The end of drying is determined by fragility.
According to MRTU 42 4062-72, the raw material consists of light pieces of rhizomes 2.4–9.2 cm long, 2–5.2 cm thick and roots 2.9–9.4 cm long, 0.6–1.2 cm thick . Their color is golden yellow on the outside, pinkish-brown on the break. The smell is characteristic, reminiscent of the smell of a rose. The taste is bitter-astringent. Humidity must be no higher than 13% – The presence of rhizomes with the remains of stems longer than 1 cm is allowed no more than 5%, organic impurities no more than 1, mineral impurities – no more than 3%. The total ash content should be no more than 9%, extractives extracted with 40% alcohol should not be less than 40%.
Packed in bags of 30 kg. Store in dry, well-ventilated areas. Storage period up to 3 years.
Rhizomes with roots contain glycoside rhodioloside, anthraglycosides, tannins (up to 18%), essential oil (up to 5%), organic acids, lactone substances, vitamins C and PP.
Extract of rhizomes with roots is used as a means of stimulating the central nervous system like products
ginseng and eleutherococcus, is an adaptogenic agent that increases the body’s resistance.