Rhodiola Rosea and Yerba Mate
So, it's been about a month since I started taking the herbs Rhodiola Rosea and Yerba Mate in capsule form, every morning when I wake up. I wanted to report my experience here, because I am very very pleased.
The capsules I take come from Swanson Vitamins online, Swanson brand. I take one Rhodiola capsule and two Yerba Mate capsules, then I head off to work. A five minute walk to the bus stop, ten minute ride to the metro station, forty minute train ride to my work, ten minute walk from the moment I step off the train to the moment I arrive in my office on the eighth floor. It took about a week for the full effects to kick it, but they really kicked in. Normally when I get on the train, I take a nap. After almost six years of riding the same train to get to the same place, I have trained my brain to wake me up a few minutes before my stop. But when the herbs hit, I feel rather awake and it's difficult to keep my eyes closed. I've stayed awake for the entire train ride. I can also walk faster through the station, up and down the escalators without stopping, and my walk to my building is faster. I can then get through the morning until my lunch hour with a fair amount of energy and very little pain. (I work in the library of a corporate law firm, and my days waver between too much to do and not enough to do.)
After lunch, I slump a little, but I have supplements at my desk that I take.
Naturally, there are days when the pain and fatigue is all just too intense, but at least I am able to get through it. Ashwagandha and Gotu Kola (both from Swanson's) help in the afternoon.
I have also started drinking Yerba Mate tea. There are two brands, Herbal Mist and Honest Tea, that make tea blends with yerba mate that I love. I'm hooked on Honest Tea's Citrus Energy with Green Tea and Yerba Mate.
Here are links to the supplements:
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/ProductDisplay/catalogId/10051/productId/16084/R/446&saleCatalogId=10051
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&productId=17609&R=20131&keyOrder=null&keyword=yerba+mate&Ntt=yerba+mate&Ntk=Level1&productDropBox=null&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&N=4294967186&brandDropBox=null&healthConcernDropBox=null
Here are a couple of good links to the herbs themselves:
http://www.herbalgram.org/wholefoodsmarket/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=2333
http://www.rain-tree.com/yerbamate.htm
The capsules I take come from Swanson Vitamins online, Swanson brand. I take one Rhodiola capsule and two Yerba Mate capsules, then I head off to work. A five minute walk to the bus stop, ten minute ride to the metro station, forty minute train ride to my work, ten minute walk from the moment I step off the train to the moment I arrive in my office on the eighth floor. It took about a week for the full effects to kick it, but they really kicked in. Normally when I get on the train, I take a nap. After almost six years of riding the same train to get to the same place, I have trained my brain to wake me up a few minutes before my stop. But when the herbs hit, I feel rather awake and it's difficult to keep my eyes closed. I've stayed awake for the entire train ride. I can also walk faster through the station, up and down the escalators without stopping, and my walk to my building is faster. I can then get through the morning until my lunch hour with a fair amount of energy and very little pain. (I work in the library of a corporate law firm, and my days waver between too much to do and not enough to do.)
After lunch, I slump a little, but I have supplements at my desk that I take.
Naturally, there are days when the pain and fatigue is all just too intense, but at least I am able to get through it. Ashwagandha and Gotu Kola (both from Swanson's) help in the afternoon.
I have also started drinking Yerba Mate tea. There are two brands, Herbal Mist and Honest Tea, that make tea blends with yerba mate that I love. I'm hooked on Honest Tea's Citrus Energy with Green Tea and Yerba Mate.
Here are links to the supplements:
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/ProductDisplay/catalogId/10051/productId/16084/R/446&saleCatalogId=10051
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&productId=17609&R=20131&keyOrder=null&keyword=yerba+mate&Ntt=yerba+mate&Ntk=Level1&productDropBox=null&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&N=4294967186&brandDropBox=null&healthConcernDropBox=null
Here are a couple of good links to the herbs themselves:
http://www.herbalgram.org/wholefoodsmarket/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=2333
http://www.rain-tree.com/yerbamate.htm