At the beginning of 2025, approximately 96 million U.S. adults prioritized improving their health and fitness for the year, according to a survey by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA). Concurrently, today’s health-minded, proactive consumers demand efficacy, purity, and environmental responsibility, and LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside fulfills each requirement. Additionally, as consumers gain sophistication in their knowledge of functional dietary supplements, the standards of quality they deem acceptable have also risen.

LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside exemplifies ethical, science-based innovation in active nutrition. It is a next-generation wellness ingredient positioned as a trusted choice for enhancing energy, performance, and cognitive resilience while preserving ecological integrity.

Solving the Rhodiola Conundrum

Rhodiola rosea is one of the most requested botanical ingredients in the nutritional supplement market, recognized for its adaptogenic properties and the capacity to support resilience to stress, mental clarity, and physical energy. Cognitive Market Research values the global Rhodiola market at USD 202.6 million, with North America accounting for over 40% of the market share. In the U.S., the Rhodiola market was expected to reach USD 81.04 million in 2024 with a projected CAGR of 6.2% through 2031.

However, this growth raises concerns about the overexploitation of wild Rhodiola. Cultivating Rhodiola rosea presents challenges due to its lengthy five-year maturation period and labor-intensive harvesting requirements. Further, extracting salidroside from Rhodiola roots is costly and inefficient.

These factors have swiftly converged to endanger the plant. At the end of 2022, Rhodiola rosea was added to the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) list to help protect its ability to flourish.

Sustaining Salidroside

Salidroside has been identified as the key bioactive molecule responsible for Rhodiola’s adaptogenic effects. However, the salidroside content in Rhodiola extracts varies significantly depending on the species, geographical origin, growing conditions, part of the plant used, extraction method, and storage conditions. In Rhodiola rosea, the natural salidroside content in rhizomes generally ranges from 0.3% to 1.0%, while in other species like R. algida or R. crenulata, it may reach 1.1-3.1%.

Commercial extracts are typically standardized to 1% salidroside, often combined with 3% rosavins in Rhodiola rosea products for consistent efficacy. Extraction methods—including solvent extraction, ultrasonic-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and enzymatic extraction—strongly influence the final Salidroside content, with yields ranging from 0.086 mg/g to over 5% depending on the protocol used.

LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside harnesses this potent compound through a proprietary sustainable fermentation process, delivering purity, efficacy, and ethical sourcing, bypassing the need to harvest Rhodiola rosea. Gnosis by Lesaffre’s technology provides a sustainable source of Rhodiola in the form of Pure Salidroside, which is sustainable and CITES-compliant by design. While traditional Rhodiola extracts vary in their salidroside content and bioavailability, LANDKIND^® ensures consistent 98% purity, free from contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, or residual solvents often found in wild-harvested plants, thanks to Gnosis’s innovative fermentation process.

LANDKIND^® Study: Improved Exercise Performance

The active nutrition market grows robustly each year with new consumers. According to SPINS, sports-active nutrition has been one of the fastest-growing supplement categories year over year, driven by demand for multi-functional ingredients that support endurance, recovery, focus, and resilience. This evolution reflects a more inclusive and lifestyle-oriented approach to performance nutrition, which, according to SPINS, grew to +15% year over year in 2024.

LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside is positioned to help active consumers achieve their goals more easily during workouts; it is the only pure salidroside with human research showing effects on sports performance and exercise.

A clinical study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition assessed the effects of LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside supplementation for 16 days. In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 50 healthy adults were supplemented with 30 mg LANDKIND^® twice daily and underwent graded exercise tests and high-intensity intermittent exercise protocols.¹

This is the first and only clinical study that has explored the effects of salidroside from fermentation in sports nutrition and demonstrated benefits in several dimensions of sports performance:

1. LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside enhances oxygen uptake during high-intensity intermittent exercise. The overall oxygen uptakes measured during the first and second multi-day testing sessions were significantly higher in the supplement group compared with the placebo, highlighting an acute effect of LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside.

2. Salidroside may stop performance decline in high-intensity exercise. The placebo group completed significantly fewer time-to-exhaustion exercise intervals at two time points, whereas the group supplemented with LANDKIND^® performed equally well at both time points.

3. Salidroside attenuates muscle damage following resistance exercise. Serum myoglobin levels were significantly elevated at 24 hours after the local muscular endurance test in the placebo group. In contrast, no increase was observed in the LANDKIND^® group.

4. Salidroside supplementation may attenuate mood disturbance. No significant changes in mood states were observed in the supplement group. However, the placebo group reported higher levels of fatigue-inertia and lower friendliness at the end of the study compared to the baseline.

LANDKIND^® Established Structure-Function Claims

Based on the strength of the peer-reviewed study results, LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside now has established structure-function claims that brand partners can use. The claims cover four benefits that athletes and active consumers consider critical:

• Oxygen Uptake
• Exercise Performance
• Muscle Support
• Mood and Stress Response

Further, as a recognized adaptogen, more general structure-function claims were established for salidroside, including helping modulate the body’s response to physical activity and various stressors and allowing for more efficient physiological adaptation to training demands. Salidroside’s antioxidant properties help reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress, a key factor in muscle fatigue and recovery time.

LANDKIND^®: Strong Application Versatility

Pure Salidroside has numerous applications beyond elevating exercise performance. As an adaptogen, salidroside is believed to help the body adapt to various forms of stress by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. This can help mitigate the negative effects of stress, such as increased inflammation and oxidative stress.²

Oxidative stress is linked to the body’s capacity to manage redox homeostasis and is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the body’s ability to neutralize them. It can lead to cellular damage and contribute to various age-related cognitive and physiological declines. Therefore, salidroside is applicable in formulas targeting healthy aging and longevity.

Salidroside has also demonstrated potential neuroprotective properties, suggesting it may help protect the brain from the damaging effects of oxidative stress and inflammation, which are linked to neurodegenerative conditions. Additionally, research indicates Salidroside may offer cardiovascular benefits by improving endothelial function, managing blood pressure, and reducing the risk of arterial stiffening.²

While the exact mechanisms are not yet fully understood, the available evidence suggests salidroside plays a significant role in supporting overall human health and well-being, particularly in stress management, cognitive function, and cardiovascular health.

LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside can be effectively combined with other wellness ingredients to cater to a wide range of consumer goals, from athletic performance to overall well-being.

LANDKIND^® Value-Added Features

Because LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside is a stable, highly concentrated isolate, it requires a lower effective dose—only 60 mg/day—compared to traditional Rhodiola extracts, where the concentration of salidroside can reach just 1%. This allows formulators greater flexibility to include additional bioactives.

LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside is Halal, vegan, gluten-free, and self-affirmed GRAS, making it suitable for various product formats and consumer needs. Recently, it received Informed Ingredient Certification by LGC, verifying that the ingredient has been tested for more than 285 substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Multi-functional ingredients are appealing to active consumers who don’t want to consume several supplements to achieve regular optimal workouts. LANDKIND^® Pure Salidroside offers them an appealing, low-dose ingredient that fulfills that demand while also helping to preserve the Rhodiola rosea species.

References

1. Schwarz, NA et al. Salidroside and exercise performance in healthy active young adults – an exploratory, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2024 Dec;21(1):2433744. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2024.2433744

2. Liang K, et al. Salidroside: An Overview of its Promising Potential and Diverse Applications. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2024 Dec 17;17(12):1703. doi: 10.3390/ph17121703