Rhodiola is supposed to help stress, so why do some people feel more anxious taking it? And it all comes down to what I call the stress paradox of Rhodiola rosea. Now you first need to understand that when it comes to stress, most people think about cortisol. But in order for cortisol to be elevated, you need a spike of adrenaline, meaning adrenaline drives cortisol. So if you're someone with high cortisol, you're having a lot of adrenaline spikes. Now adrenaline is broken down by something called MAOA. But most people don't understand that Rhodiola blocks this MAOA. So this boosts the level of neurotransmitters, including adrenaline. This is how Rhodiola can help some people feel more focused and alert. Now a lot of people say how Rhodiola lowers cortisol, and that is true, which makes things interesting. Now this adrenaline spike from the brain signals something called CRH, and then this stimulates the release of ACTH. And this is what causes your body to release cortisol. Now what's interesting is that Rhodiola lowers CRH, so it can help prevent excessive cortisol spikes. But here's where the stress paradox comes into play. If you're very sensitive to adrenaline and your MAOA doesn't work very well, then this increase in adrenaline can make you feel more anxious and overstimulated on Rhodiola. Meanwhile, other people are more sensitive to the CRH lowering effects here. Because Rhodiola isn't a calming supplement, it's a performance-enhancing under stress supplement. There are no good or bad supplements for everyone, just good or bad supplements for your unique body. Check the caption if you want to learn more how to figure out which supplements are right and wrong for you.