Rhodiola Placed on the CITES Endangered Species List, NNB Nutrition Responds with SalidroPURE

The adaptogenic herb Rhodiola rosea has long been revered in traditional medicine systems across Europe and Asia for its ability to combat fatigue and enhance resilience to stress. Its popularity in the supplement industry has surged over the past decade, driven by mounting research supporting its benefits. However, this growing demand has led to a critical sustainability challenge.

Wild Rhodiola now protected by CITES – NNB Nutrition launches SalidroPURE as sustainable alternative, delivering pure salidroside through precision fermentation. The future of adaptogenic supplementation has arrived.

In late 2022, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) made a landmark decision to add Rhodiola to its Appendix II list of protected species.^[1] This classification, which took effect in February 2023, signals serious concerns about the sustainability of wild Rhodiola harvesting and implements new controls on international trade.

CITES Adds Rhodiola to Its Protected List, NNB Nutrition Responds with SalidroPURE

This regulatory shift has created significant challenges for supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers. In response, NNB Nutrition was forced to discontinue their popular RhodioPrime 6X ingredient (which was extracted from Rhodiola crenulata) and developed an innovative solution: SalidroPURE, a nature-identical salidroside produced through precision fermentation. This sustainable alternative delivers the same key bioactive compound — salidroside — found in Rhodiola without impacting wild populations, which won’t face supply chain issues like an herb would.

Before diving in, stay ahead of these industry developments by signing up for our exclusive news alerts covering NNB Nutrition, salidroside research, and SalidroPURE updates. The supplement industry is rapidly evolving to meet both consumer demands and environmental responsibilities – and we’ll keep you informed every step of the way.

Why Rhodiola Was Added to CITES Appendix II

The decision to protect Rhodiola stems from several converging challenges that threaten its wild populations.

• Growth rates and time to maturity

  At its core, Rhodiola faces a fundamental biological constraint: these plants are remarkably slow-growing, taking up to 20 years to reach maturity in their natural habitat.^[1] This long maturation period makes sustainable wild harvesting incredibly difficult, as plants need decades to reproduce and establish new populations.

• Market size and growth projections

  The global market for Rhodiola rosea extract, valued at approximately USD 27.06 million in 2015, has seen an average growth rate of 7.8% from 2011 to 2015.^[2] Current projections suggest even more aggressive growth, with the market expected to reach $2.6 billion by 2028.^[3] This explosive demand has placed unprecedented pressure on wild populations.

• Current sourcing regions (Siberia/Xinjiang)

  Commercial harvesting is primarily concentrated in two regions: the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. The scale of collection is staggering – estimates suggest that just 4-5 collection sites in the Xinjiang region alone sell about 500,000 kg of dry Rhodiola rhizomes annually.^[4,5] Most of this material is sold to manufacturers in eastern China for extract production and subsequent international trade.

• Species naming conventions are still unresolved!

  Adding complexity to the conservation challenge, the taxonomy of Rhodiola remains partially unresolved, with estimates of species ranging from 58 to 90 depending on the classification system used.^[6] This taxonomic uncertainty, combined with the difficulty in distinguishing between species, makes monitoring and protecting specific Rhodiola populations even more challenging.

  The combination of slow growth rates, soaring market demand, intensive wild harvesting, and complex species identification led CITES to implement protective measures before wild populations face irreversible decline. Historical evidence supports this precautionary approach – in some regions of Russia, commercial harvesting has already led to documented population declines of up to 90% over just a decade.^[1,7]

The official U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service document explaining CITES Appendix II classification – the same designation recently applied to Rhodiola, which prompted NNB Nutrition’s development of SalidroPURE as a sustainable alternative.

Cultivation Challenges

Faced with Rhodiola’s endangered status, many suggest that commercial cultivation could solve the sustainability problem. However, several major hurdles make cultivation a complex and often insufficient solution.

• Time Requirements

  Growing Rhodiola presents significant temporal challenges that impact commercial viability. In cultivation settings, plants require a minimum of 4-5 years before their first harvest.^[8] This timeline extends even further in higher-altitude environments where growth rates slow – areas that ironically produce the highest quality material with optimal bioactive compounds.^[5]

• Economic Viability Issues

  The extended growth period creates serious economic barriers for would-be cultivators. Farmers must invest significant resources – including land, labor, and infrastructure – while waiting half a decade or more^[4] for their first return on investment. This lengthy period without income makes securing funding difficult and increases financial risk, deterring many potential growers from entering the market.

• Why Cultivation Can’t Solve Everything

  While cultivation represents an important piece of the sustainability puzzle, several factors prevent it from being a complete solution:

  First, wild-harvested Rhodiola often contains higher levels of active compounds compared to cultivated varieties, driving continued demand for wild material.^[9] This quality difference stems from the intense environmental stressors present in the plant’s natural high-altitude habitat – conditions difficult to replicate in cultivation.

  Second, the slow growth rate means cultivation can’t quickly respond to market demands. Even if many farmers started growing Rhodiola today, we’d face a half-decade gap before seeing meaningful production increases.

  Finally, cultivation efforts face ongoing challenges with disease resistance and maintaining genetic diversity. Root rot and other cultivation-specific diseases can devastate monoculture crops, while limited genetic pools in cultivated stock may reduce adaptability and resilience.^[9,10]

These challenges help explain why sustainable alternatives like NNB Nutrition’s SalidroPure, which bypasses both wild collection and cultivation bottlenecks through fermentation technology, have emerged as crucial innovations in the supplement industry.

Before getting into it, let’s explain this CITES listing.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service documentation outlining the CITES permit requirements that prompted NNB Nutrition’s pivot from RhodioPrime 6X to SalidroPURE. Under these new Appendix II regulations, raw Rhodiola materials now require extensive documentation proving sustainable harvesting practices for international trade.^[11]

What the CITES Listing Means

The addition of Rhodiola to CITES Appendix II marks a major shift in how the genus can be traded internationally. While this listing doesn’t completely ban trade, it implements strict regulations to ensure that wild Rhodiola populations remain sustainable.

• The Appendix II Requirements

  Under Appendix II, any international trade of Rhodiola requires proper documentation proving that the collection and export won’t harm wild populations, which has been seen in the past.^[4] This means both exporting and importing countries must now coordinate through a permit system to track and regulate trade.

• Impact on Raw Materials vs Finished Products

  The specific “Annotation #2” attached to Rhodiola’s listing covers “all parts and derivatives” except for seeds, pollen, and finished products packaged for retail sale. This annotation targets the raw materials and semi-processed ingredients that drive most of the commercial pressure on wild populations.

  For raw materials and bulk extracts, companies must now:

  1. Obtain export permits from the source country’s CITES Management Authority
  2. Demonstrate that harvesting won’t threaten species survival
  3. Prove the material was legally obtained
  4. Submit proper import documentation in receiving countries

  However, finished supplements and products that are already packaged and ready for retail sale are exempt from these requirements. This means that while raw root material and bulk extracts face new restrictions, brands selling completed Rhodiola products directly to consumers won’t need special CITES documentation for international shipments.

• Permit Requirements for International Trade

  For companies dealing in raw Rhodiola materials, the permit process requires scientific authorities to verify that exports won’t harm wild populations. Management authorities must also confirm legal sourcing and proper documentation.^[11] This creates a paper trail showing that traded Rhodiola comes from sustainable and legal sources.

These new regulations have pushed supplement companies to seek alternatives, leading to innovations like NNB Nutrition’s development of SalidroPure – a nature-identical salidroside produced through precision fermentation rather than wild collection. This shift toward sustainable ingredient sourcing may become more common as companies adapt to the CITES listing.

NNB Nutrition’s Solution: SalidroPURE

In response to Rhodiola’s addition to the CITES Appendix II list, NNB Nutrition had to discontinue their popular RhodioPrime 6X ingredient and developed an innovative, sustainable alternative – SalidroPURE, a nature-identical salidroside produced through precision fermentation technology. While NNB is the developer and manufacturer, SalidroPURE will be distributed by NutriScience.

• Introduction to the Fermentation Approach

  

  SalidroPURE is produced through a sophisticated precision fermentation process using genetically modified bacteria as the production “factory”. While this may sound concerning at first, it’s important to understand that the final SalidroPURE product is pure, unmodified salidroside. This technology allows NNB to create the exact same bioactive compound found in wild Rhodiola without impacting natural populations.

• Sustainability Advantages

  The development of SalidroPURE comes at a crucial time, as wild Rhodiola populations face mounting pressure from commercial harvesting. Traditional Rhodiola harvesting is problematic due to all of the problems discussed above.

  By utilizing fermentation technology, SalidroPURE bypasses these sustainability challenges entirely, providing a reliable, scalable source of salidroside that doesn’t depend on wild plant populations or extensive cultivation operations.

• Quality Control Benefits

  

  Salidroside concentration comparison showing SalidroPURE’s superior potency (20-25mg per serving) versus traditional Rhodiola rosea extract (1%) and RhodioPrime 6X, demonstrating how NNB Nutrition’s fermentation technology delivers higher concentrations of the active compound.

  One of the major advantages of SalidroPURE over traditional Rhodiola extracts is consistency and purity. While standardized Rhodiola extracts typically contain only 1% salidroside (providing just ~3mg per standard 300mg serving), and RhodioPrime 6X boosted it to 6%, SalidroPURE delivers 20-25mg of pure salidroside per serving. This precise standardization ensures:

  • Consistent potency between batches
  • Higher concentrations of the active compound
  • Greater freedom from potential contaminants
  • Improved dosing accuracy

• Regulatory Compliance

  SalidroPURE’s development aligns perfectly with the new CITES regulations while providing manufacturers a compliant path forward. Since the product is produced through fermentation rather than plant extraction, it’s not subject to the CITES Appendix II restrictions that now govern Rhodiola trade. This means:

  • No CITES permits required for international trade
  • Simplified supply chain logistics
  • Reduced regulatory burden for manufacturers
  • Continued availability of salidroside for supplement formulations

  The introduction of SalidroPURE represents a forward-thinking solution that addresses both conservation concerns and industry needs, providing a sustainable path forward for salidroside supplementation in the post-CITES regulatory landscape.

The Science of Salidroside

Wild Rhodiola rosea in its natural habitat (A) and its harvested root slices (B). Due to the plant’s extremely slow growth rate – taking up to 20 years to reach maturity – and increasing commercial demand, CITES has implemented new trade restrictions on wild harvesting, leading NNB Nutrition to develop SalidroPURE as a sustainable alternative^[12]

There’s a tremendous amount of research behind salidroside, with numerous studies demonstrating its broad range of benefits spanning from cognitive enhancement to cardiovascular support and exercise performance, all supported by recent reviews.^[12-16] Today, we’ll focus on three primary areas of interest, with more detailed analyses to come in future articles.

• Neuroprotection and Cognitive Enhancement

  In today’s high-stress world, cognitive protection and enhancement are more important than ever. Salidroside has emerged as a powerful neuroprotective compound that works through multiple mechanisms to support brain health and cognitive function.^[12,13]

  Increases BDNF and combats oxidative stress

  

  Chemical structure of salidroside, the key bioactive compound in Rhodiola that NNB Nutrition now produces through precision fermentation in SalidroPURE, delivering 20-25mg of pure salidroside per serving compared to traditional extracts containing only 1%.

  Research shows that salidroside can enhance memory and cognitive performance by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor TrkB.^[17] This BDNF pathway is crucial for maintaining healthy brain function and protecting neural cells against damage.

  One of salidroside’s most impressive mechanisms is its ability to combat oxidative stress in the brain. It accomplishes this by activating the Nrf2 pathway, which triggers the production of numerous antioxidant enzymes that protect brain cells.^[18] This antioxidant effect is vital for long-term brain health and cognitive function.

  Beyond direct neuroprotective effects against oxidative stress, salidroside displays powerful calcium regulation properties that help protect neurons. Research shows that salidroside can effectively reduce excessive calcium influx into neurons during stress conditions, helping maintain proper cellular function and prevent excitotoxicity.^[13] This calcium-regulating effect appears particularly important for preserving mitochondrial membrane potential and overall cellular energy status.^[19]

  

  Neuroprotective pathways of salidroside in the central nervous system, showing the mechanisms behind SalidroPURE’s cognitive enhancement benefits, including regulation of inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell survival.^[12]

  Salidroside also has powerful anti-stress properties. Studies show it can help regulate the body’s stress response by modulating important neurotransmitters and reducing inflammatory markers in the brain.^[20] This is especially relevant given the increasing levels of chronic stress in modern society.

  The compound also shows promise in supporting overall cognitive function by promoting healthy inflammation responses in the brain. Research indicates that salidroside can help maintain proper microglial cell function – the brain’s primary immune defense – which is crucial for optimal cognitive performance.^[21]

  For cognitive enhancement purposes, salidroside’s ability to protect against neuronal damage while supporting healthy brain function makes it a compelling option for those looking to maintain or improve their mental performance. This is why we see it as a next-generation nootropic, pre-workout, and energy drink ingredient.

• Cardiovascular Protection

  Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, making cardiovascular protection a critical area of research.^[22] Salidroside has demonstrated multiple mechanisms for supporting heart health and protecting cardiac cells from damage.^[15,16]

  

  Detailed pathway illustration of salidroside’s cardiovascular protective effects through multiple mechanisms, highlighting why SalidroPURE’s pure salidroside content offers comprehensive heart health support beyond traditional Rhodiola extracts.^[12]

  Protection Against Cardiac Cell Death

  Research shows that salidroside can help protect heart cells through multiple pathways. It reduces cardiac cell death by suppressing both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic factors while increasing protective proteins that help cells survive.^[23]

  In animal research, salidroside increases the ratio of protective Bcl-2 proteins compared to harmful Bax proteins, helping to maintain proper cardiac cell function. It also reduces the activity of caspase-3 and caspase-9, two proteins involved in cellular death pathways.^[24]

  Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects

  One of salidroside’s key mechanisms for protecting cardiovascular health is through reducing inflammation. Studies demonstrate that it can decrease several inflammatory compounds that contribute to heart problems, including NF-κB, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α.^[25]

  

  Molecular diagram showing salidroside’s anti-inflammatory mechanisms, demonstrating why NNB Nutrition’s SalidroPURE’s higher salidroside concentration (20-25mg per serving) provides enhanced benefits for managing exercise-induced inflammation.^[12]

  The compound also provides antioxidant support by increasing levels of natural antioxidant enzymes like catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px). This helps protect cardiac tissue from oxidative damage that can lead to cardiovascular disease.^[25]

  Beyond direct cardiac protection, salidroside can help prevent atherosclerosis by reducing the formation of arterial plaques. Research shows it decreases the expression of inflammatory adhesion molecules like VCAM, ICAM, and MCP-1 that contribute to plaque buildup.^[26]

  The cardiovascular protective effects of salidroside make it a promising supplement ingredient for supporting heart health through multiple complementary mechanisms. Its ability to protect cardiac cells while reducing inflammation and oxidative stress addresses several major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

• Exercise and Recovery Enhancement

  

  Overview of salidroside’s multi-organ benefits, illustrating its potential therapeutic effects on the brain, heart, liver, kidney, and lower limbs – demonstrating why NNB Nutrition developed SalidroPURE as a sustainable source of this bioactive compound.^[16]

  Salidroside has emerged as a promising natural compound for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, demonstrating significant benefits for exercise performance, recovery, and adaptation to training stress.^[12,15]

  • Athletic Performance and Anti-Fatigue Effects

    Research shows that salidroside can help enhance exercise performance by reducing fatigue and improving energy metabolism.^[27] The compound works by optimizing the body’s energy systems and supporting mitochondrial function, helping athletes maintain higher performance levels during intense training sessions.^[28]

    Studies indicate that salidroside can increase time to exhaustion and improve endurance capacity by enhancing the body’s oxygen utilization and reducing oxidative stress during exercise.^[29] This makes it valuable for both endurance athletes and those engaging in high-intensity training.

  • Muscle Protection and Recovery

    Salidroside demonstrates significant muscle-protective properties, helping to prevent exercise-induced muscle damage and accelerate recovery. The compound achieves this through multiple mechanisms:

    • Reduces exercise-induced inflammation
    • Protects against oxidative stress in muscle tissue
    • Supports mitochondrial function
    • Enhances cellular energy production
    

    Cellular mechanisms showing how salidroside (Sal) regulates inflammation and tissue protection through multiple pathways, highlighting why SalidroPURE’s higher concentration of pure salidroside delivers enhanced benefits compared to traditional Rhodiola extracts.^[16]

    Research has shown that salidroside can help maintain muscle integrity during intense exercise by reducing markers of muscle damage and supporting proper cellular function.^[25]

  • Stress Adaptation and Training Response

    One of salidroside’s most valuable properties is its ability to help the body adapt to physical stress, earning it classification as an adaptogenic compound. This adaptogenic effect helps athletes:

    • Better handle increasing training loads
    • Improve recovery between workouts
    • Maintain performance during high-stress training periods
    • Reduce overtraining risk
    

    Detailed molecular pathways depicting salidroside’s role in cell survival and stress adaptation, supporting SalidroPURE’s applications in cognitive enhancement, cardiovascular protection, and exercise performance.^[16]

    The compound works by modulating stress response pathways and supporting the body’s natural adaptation mechanisms.^[30] This makes it valuable for athletes looking to optimize their training response and recovery.

  • A Tie-in to Dopamine?

    These adaptogenic properties may be tied to salidroside’s effects on dopamine metabolism. Research indicates that salidroside can modulate key enzymes involved in dopamine production and breakdown, including monoamine oxidase (MAO) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), which may contribute to its performance-enhancing and anti-fatigue effects.^[13] This dopaminergic modulation could help explain salidroside’s comprehensive benefits on both physical and mental performance

  • Blood-Brain Barrier Protection

    Beyond its direct cellular effects, salidroside demonstrates significant protective effects on the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which is crucial for maintaining proper brain function during stress and exercise. Research shows that salidroside can help preserve BBB integrity by protecting endothelial cells and regulating tight junction proteins.^[13] This BBB-protective effect may be particularly relevant for athletes engaging in intense training, as strenuous exercise can temporarily compromise BBB function.^[31]

    

    NNB Nutrition is a highly-trusted, innovative ingredient development company with an elite team of over 100 scientists from over 10 countries.

    Ultimately, for the supplement industry’s core audience of dedicated athletes and gym-goers, salidroside’s combination of performance enhancement, recovery support, and adaptation benefits makes it a compelling ingredient for sports nutrition formulas. Its research-backed effects on multiple aspects of exercise performance and recovery align well with the needs of this demographic.

Conclusion: Changes Lead to Opportunity with SalidroPURE

The addition of Rhodiola to CITES Appendix II marks a critical turning point for the supplement industry. With wild populations facing mounting pressure from over-harvesting and the challenges of extremely slow growth rates – taking up to 20 years for plants to reach maturity – the need for sustainable alternatives has never been more urgent.

NNB Nutrition revolutionizes nootropic beverages with their brain health platform! GeniusPure Alpha-GPC, MitoPrime, SalidroPure and more – finally solving stability issues that have plagued liquid nootropics. XPO NRG proves these ingredients can transform the RTD market.

Nature-identical compounds like SalidroPURE represent the future of responsible ingredient sourcing. Through precision fermentation technology, NNB Nutrition has developed a solution that delivers pure salidroside without impacting endangered wild Rhodiola populations. This innovative approach provides several key advantages: consistent potency between batches, higher concentrations of the active compound, improved dosing accuracy, and freedom from potential contaminants.

For supplement brands, the writing is on the wall – continuing to source wild-harvested Rhodiola is neither sustainable nor viable long-term under CITES regulations. The time to transition to bioidentical alternatives is now, before supply chain disruptions and regulatory restrictions create bigger challenges. Offered through NutriScience, NNB’s SalidroPURE offers brands a way to maintain product efficacy while demonstrating environmental responsibility to increasingly sustainability-conscious consumers.

Stay ahead of these important industry developments by signing up for our exclusive news alerts covering NNB Nutrition, salidroside research, and SalidroPURE updates. The supplement industry is rapidly evolving to meet both consumer demands and environmental responsibilities – and we’ll keep you informed every step of the way.