ABSTRACT
The genus Rhodiola is a fascinating one in terms of its wide and diversied uses and also for its widespread distribution. Interest in medicinal plants worldwide and, more recently, in adaptogens has targeted and publicized such plants as ginseng, astragalus, and roseroot. A large number of natural health products can be found on the shelves of natural food stores or within different websites. Besides the extensive work done by Alm (2004) in Norway, no synthesis has been published about the uses of Rhodiola spp. on a larger scale. Similarly, the conservation issues related to Rhodiola wildcrafting are still largely unknown and no real project looking at its impact has been done. Nevertheless, we do have some information, in some cases more detailed than others, stemming from different countries where Rhodiola spp. are facing overharvesting. Conservation can only be accomplished with the help of local people, hence
2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 35 2.2 Ethnobotany of Rhodiola Species ..................................................................36
