Plant extract may prolong life, UCI study claims

Scientists at UCI will examine the effects of Rhodiola rosea in humans after a study showed the mountain plant prolongs life in some organisms, school officials announced Wednesday.

Fruit flies that ate large amounts of the herbal extract of the yellow-flowered plant found in the Arctic regions of Europe and Asia lived 10%, or more than 3 days, longer than those that didn’t, according to the study.

Scandinavians and Russians have been consuming the herbal extract, also known as the golden root, for centuries as a stress-reliever, officials said. A study earlier this year in the “Nordic Journal of Psychiatry” showed that people with mild to moderate depression who took Rhodiola rosea showed fewer symptoms than those who didn’t.

UCI’s lead scientist in the study, Mahtab Jafari, said her team is measuring the effect on metabolism, stress and aging in fruit flies. They are also beginning studies in mice and human cell cultures, officials said.

— Joseph Serna