Rhodiola rosea, also called Golden Root or Roseroot, is an adaptogenic medicinal plant from alpine and arctic regions that is known to reduce stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue. The main active compounds are salidroside and rosavins (rosarin, rosavin, rovin). Five populations from the Swiss Alps were screened for their salidroside and rosavins contents. With an average content of 1.49% (±1.15) for salidroside and 1.57% (±0.74) for rosavins, the population in Mattmark (Saas Fee, Valais) near the famous Matterhorn turned out to be the most productive and vigorous. The best plants were selected and a polycross was performed to produce seeds of ‘Mattmark’, the first synthetic cultivar of Rhodiola rosea. With the pauperization of natural populations of Rhodiola rosea worldwide as a result of fulfilling the demand for raw material from pharma-ndustries, domestication and selection of this plant will soon become a crucial issue in order to conserve natural populations, particularly in Russia and Mongolia.
