The Role of Rhodiola rosea in Immunity through a Functional Nutrition Lens

Background: Rhodiola rosea is an adaptogenic plant that helps maintain bodily functions while handling stress. It contains numerous phytochemicals that deliver health benefits through its anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidant effects, and ability to regulate immune functions. R. rosea has emerged to be of importance due to its immune-modulating functional properties. Objectives: This review examines how R. rosea affects the immune system through a functional nutrition lens. The research focuses on stress response modulation, inflammatory signaling, oxidative stress, and immune-related regulatory pathways. Methods: The narrative review focused on human clinical data, and also used preclinical data to support the findings. The review covered evidence about stress modulation and immune-related signaling together with adaptogenic effects through a functional nutrition framework that specifically studied hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation and stress-immune interactions. Results: Clinical studies demonstrate that R. rosea reduces stress, fatigue, and burnout, indicating that the herb affects the immune system through HPA axis regulation. The preclinical results demonstrate R. rosea's ability to provide anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant benefits, and support mitochondrial function. The possibility exists that the indirect effects of the herb may have an effect on gut health through immune system function, but scientific human studies remain scarce. Conclusion: R. rosea provides immune system support through its ability to regulate stress and inflammation according to functional nutrition principles. The existing clinical research about direct immune effects shows that more studies must investigate immunological biomarkers through clinical trials. 7 Keywords: Rhodiola rosea, functional nutrition, adaptogen, stress resilience, immune modulation4