Flies that ate a diet rich with Rhodiola rosea (hong jing tian in Chinese, ), an herbal supplement long used for its purported stress-relief effects, lived on an average of 10 percent longer than fly groups that didn¡¯t eat the herb. Study results appear in the online version of Rejuvenation Research.

In their study, the UC Irvine researchers fed adult fruit fly populations diets supplemented at different dose levels with four herbs known for their anti-aging properties. The herbs were mixed into a yeast paste, which adult flies ate for the duration of their lives. Three of the herbs ¨C known by their Chinese names as Lu Duo Wei, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang and San Zhi Pian ¨C had no effect on fruit fly longevity, while Rhodiola was found to significantly reduce mortality. On average, Rhodiola increased survival 3.5 days in males and 3.2 days in females

Jafari said she is evaluating the molecular mechanism of Rhodiola by measuring its impact on energy metabolism, oxidative stress and anti-oxidant defenses in fruit flies. She is also beginning studies in mice and in mouse and human cell cultures. These latter studies should help understand the benefits of Rhodiola seen in human trials.