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Alberta Agriculture has been growing hundreds of thousands of rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) seedlings in greenhouses and is now distributing them to 33 farms in order to create 160 cultivated hectares (ca. 400 acres) in Alberta by the year 2009. According to a recent article in the Edmonton Journal 1 special crops research scientists from the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture believe that the demand for rhodiola root for use in teas, dietary supplements, and other “natural health products”, as they are known in Canada, is increasing. Being a root crop that has traditionally been foraged from wild sources, usually in Russia, the growing demand for rhodiola is projected to become greater than its supply, which the Ministry believes presents an opportunity for Alberta farmers. (A comprehensive review of the history, pharmacology and science of R. rosea was published in HerbalGram in 2002.2)
References
1. Brooymans H. Alberta Agriculture prescribes Rhodiola rosea as a herbal alternative crop ideal for Edmonton area. The Edmonton Journal. 3 August 2005; cited in Medicinal Plants & Extracts, No. 16, Sep. 2005. Geneva: International Trade Centre, Market News Service.
2. Brown RP, Gerbarg PL, and Ramazanov. Rhodiola rosea: A Phytomedicinal Overview. HerbalGram. 2002;56:40-52.
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