What Is Rhodiola Rosea?

Rhodiola rosea (also called king’s crown, lignum rhodium, rose root, and Arctic root) is a perennial flowering plant grown in colder parts of the world. It often grows on seaside cliffs and up in the mountains, so it’s often found in the Alps, the British Isles, and the Pyrenees. According to some users and several studies, rhodiola rosea is purported to help combat fatigue and depression. It has also been used to prevent altitude sickness in some folk medicine traditions. If there is a rhodiola rosea plant growing nearby, some people even like to mix the leaves in their salads.

Some users say that rhodiola rosea can help manage fatigue, but others report that it can be effective in combating anxiety. With different outcomes possible, experiment with taking your rhodiola rosea at a variety of times to get the results you want.

When Should I Take Rhodiola Rosea?

There is some evidence that rhodiola rosea’s efficacy can decrease if you take it each day. Your body may build up a tolerance over time, so you’ll need to take more and more to get the same effect. The good news is that even amounts as low as 50 milligrams have been shown to improve your subjective well-being and endurance, so you don’t need much to get started. Unfortunately, anything over 600 milligrams can increase your platelet count, causing bruising or worse, so don’t overdo it. Take rhodiola rosea just when you need its effects rather than as part of a daily stack.

Rhodiola rosea stacks well with Eleutherococcus senticosus and Schisandra chinensis, both of which are adaptogens traditionally used to increase performance and cognition. When stacked together, each can work in concert to improve your mental and physical stamina. Rhodiola rosea has also been shown to have a mildly stimulating effect, like caffeine, so if decreasing physical and mental fatigue is the goal you have in mind, take it in the morning so it doesn’t impact your sleep.

Other users find that rhodiola rosea helps them manage their anxiety and makes them feel a little more mellow. If your body responds in this way, some research suggests that you should take your rhodiola rosea about an hour before a stressful event.

Some users find it effective to stack their rhodiola rosea with caffeine to enhance the effects of both. If that’s you, take your rhodiola rosea alongside your morning coffee or with a supplement that includes caffeine in the blend.

As with any nootropic, outcomes vary significantly, and the science is still catching up with the anecdotal evidence. Manage your expectations, and talk to your doctor before you add rhodiola rosea or any other supplement to your diet.

Where Can I Get Rhodiola Rosea?

Rhodiola rosea extract is widely available; Solaray, for example, is a reputable company that makes a pill-form supplement many users like. You can also get rhodiola rosea in a variety of nootropic blends, like Neurofuse (a supplement our reviewers enjoyed) and the always popular Nootrobox RISE.

Have you tried rhodiola rosea? Did you feel less tired and sharper? What did you stack it with? Tell us in the comments.

Photos:

1. Rhodiola Rosea Flowers by WildBoar, via Wikimedia Commons.
2. Rhodiola rosea. by Botanischer Garten TU Darmstat via Flickr. 

The post What’s the Best Time to Take Rhodiola Rosea? appeared first on Brain Wiz.

Most of these companies go to a brain health supplement manufacturer for white labeled or “contract” manufacturing; some bring existing formulas they want produced, while other aspiring supplement sellers are starting from scratch.

Below is a regularly-updated list of American-based companies that (mostly) provide turnkey solutions for supplement development and production, listed in alphabetical order. We’ll add new ones and remove old ones as appropriate.

Have experience (good or bad!) working with any of these companies or other manufacturers? Drop us a line at team [at] brainwiz.org. We want to hear what you have to say!

Ambix Laboratories

Where: Totowa, New Jersey

Ambix Labs has been around for nearly 50 years, making it one of the most experienced manufacturers in the supplement industry. Their East Coast-based operations are GMP registered and Kosher certified. They offer turnkey solutions and have an online inquiry/quote form here.

Boli Naturals

Where: Orem, Utah

Boli produces a lot of solid marketing content for people interested in using their white label and contract manufacturing services, including a series of semi-inspirational YouTube videos (one is embedded below highlighting their turnaround times). They have a very basic contact form located here.

Gemini Pharmaceuticals

Where: Commack, New York

Gemini has been operating for over 30 years. They can package up to 150,000 bottles per day in their Commack, New York facility, and they produce over 13 billion tablets and capsules every year. They also have extensive experience producing supplements for international markets. They have a basic contact form here. To take a look inside their facility, check out the short video embedded below.

GMP Laboratories of America

Where: Anaheim, California

GMP Labs has a 90,000 square foot facility in Anaheim, located within the Anaheim Center for Advanced Technology. They’ve been doing custom manufacturing since 1994 and have a large and regular presence and supplement industry events. They have a “New Customer Application” located here.

Health Advances USA

Where: Chula Vista, California

Founded in 2002, Health Advances USA has a very basic site without an official quote request form. These can be submitted to an email listed under Contact on their website.

Healthy Solutions

Where: Scottsdale, Arizona

Healthy Solutions is another supplement white label and contract manufacturer that markets by equipping people with knowledge on the industry. Their active blog has a lot of solid information regarding the industry and how to build a supplement company from the ground up using their services. The also have an online form for inquiries and quotes here.

Ion Labs

Where: Clearwater, Florida

Ion Labs is a Florida manufacturer of dietary supplements, over-the-counter liquids, pet products, and skincare products. They also specialize in brain support supplements and manufacturing (some highlights from their site: Brain Support, Memory-Focus, ADHD Support, Anti Stress, Brain Boost, and Mood Support, among other ingredients and formulations).  They allow quote requests and inquiries here.

Take a look inside their packaging process in the video below.

Makers Nutrition

Where: Hauppauge, New York

They say it right on their homepage: “Makers Nutrition wants to be your supplement manufacturer.” Makers offers everything from manufacturing and development to package design with 4-week turnaround. Makers accepts quote requests on their site here, where you can also upload a label or formula for a more accurate assessment.

Matsun Nutrition

Where: Murrieta, California

Matsun Nutrition specializing in liquid vitamins and supplements, so they may not be the best option for solid tablet manufacturing and development. They feature neurological support supplement capabilities prominently on their site, along with guides and ebooks about starting supplement companies from the ground up (with their help, obviously). They take care of label development and design as well, and they allow quote requests and inquiries here.

Nutrafill

Where: Crawford, Nebraska

Nutrafill is 25 years old, making it pretty well established in an industry where many manufacturers have only come onto the scene in the last decade. They have a 30,000 square foot facility in Nebraska, and control of the company transitioned to entrepreneur and former Marine Dallas Boley in 2014. They have a fairly robust online quote form located here.

NutraScience Labs

Where: Farmingdale, New York

One of the coolest things about New York manufacturer NutraScience? They have a very active blog with useful information regarding the nutraceutical industry and manufacturing. They’re actually owned by TCH, the company better known as Twinlab. NutraScience allows quote requests online here.

NHS Labs

Where: Star, Idaho

NHS stands for Nutritional Health Sciences. This Idaho manufacturer does private label vitamins along with custom supplement development and manufacturing. They offer partners a rotating list of monthly specials on supplement wholesale and manufacturing. We’ve embedded a video below showing some work inside their facilities. For pricing and more info, they can be reached here.

NutriForce Nutrition

Where: Miami Lakes, Florida

One of the country’s largest and most respected private labelers, NutriForce Nutrition does it all: formulations, manufacturing, branding, GMP compliance, and more. Currently owned by Vitamin Shoppe, they manufacture around the clock and have a large team of researchers and manufacturing experts. They’re especially well known for their state-of-the-art SoftGel/omega oil manufacturing capabilities. NutriForce allows quote requests and inquiries here.

Take a peek inside the manufacturing for one of their in-house brands below.

Pure NSM

Where: Chula Vista, California

Pure NSM was founded by Oskar Thorvaldsson, and the California-based company specializes in supplements and beauty products. They claim to have specific experience manufacturing supplements promoting cognitive health, which they highlight on their site. Their quote request system is simply a sidebar on their site under the founder’s image.

Vitakem Nutraceutical

Where: Smithtown, New York

Vitakem does it all, from contract manufacturing and development to custom label design and more. Their motto is “It may be our laboratory, but it’s your company.” Check out a tour of their facility in the video below. They also have a quote request form here.

Vox Nutrition

Where: West Jordan, Utah

Vox claims to do everything as a one stop shop, including manufacturing, design, and even drop shipping and fulfillment. They are FDA Registered and GMP certified. They accept inquiries here, and you can tour their facilities virtually in the video below.

The post What’s the Best Brain Health Supplement Manufacturer? appeared first on Brain Wiz.