Natural remedies for energy and fatigue
Direct answer
For everyday tiredness nothing in this hub is better than Limited: rhodiola is the best-supported for stress-related fatigue, but rests on small, short trials that reviewers disagree about. Tiredness that lasts more than a few weeks without an obvious reason needs a GP, because anaemia, thyroid problems, diabetes and sleep apnoea all cause it.
A 2023 meta-analysis found no significant overall reduction in fatigue from ginseng. Beetroot juice is rated Moderate (3), but for exercise performance (time to exhaustion and sprint work), which is not the same as feeling less tired. Coenzyme Q10's entry has no fatigue or exercise use (its best-supported use is as an add-on in heart failure).
Guarana and yerba mate feel stimulating mainly because they contain caffeine, so count them in your daily total (EFSA's no-concern level for healthy adults is 400 mg a day from all sources).
Compare the options
Of the 5 remedies for energy and fatigue we have rated, 1 has Moderate or Strong evidence for this use (none Strong). See our evidence report.
Click a column heading to sort.
| Rated for | Typical form & use | Main caution | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beetroot (juice and powder) Beta vulgaris (root) | Moderate | Exercise performance | Juice, 300–600 mg nitrate | High in oxalate if you form kidney stones | 2–3 days |
| Ginseng Panax ginseng (root) | Limited | General fatigue | Mixed ginseng products in trials | May lower blood sugar and disturb sleep | 4+ weeks |
| Guarana Paullinia cupana (seed) | Limited | Everyday tiredness and alertness | Capsule; check caffeine per serving | Contains caffeine; count it in your daily total | Same night |
| Rhodiola Rhodiola rosea (root and rhizome) | Limited | Stress-related fatigue and burnout | Ethanol extract, 144–400 mg daily | Not for pregnancy; check with antidepressant use | 4+ weeks |
| Yerba mate Ilex paraguariensis (leaf) | Traditional | Energy and alertness | Tea, about 78–196 mg caffeine/500 mL | Contains caffeine; drink below 65 °C | 4+ weeks |
- Rated for
- Exercise performance
- Form
- Juice, 300–600 mg nitrate
- Onset
- 2–3 days
- Rated for
- General fatigue
- Form
- Mixed ginseng products in trials
- Onset
- 4+ weeks
- Rated for
- Everyday tiredness and alertness
- Form
- Capsule; check caffeine per serving
- Onset
- Same night
- Rated for
- Stress-related fatigue and burnout
- Form
- Ethanol extract, 144–400 mg daily
- Onset
- 4+ weeks
- Rated for
- Energy and alertness
- Form
- Tea, about 78–196 mg caffeine/500 mL
- Onset
- 4+ weeks
Quick picks
For stress-related fatigue, the main trial (60 people, 28 days, 576 mg daily extract) found only a small edge over placebo on a burnout scale (p = 0.047), and two systematic reviews disagree on how much weight to give the trials. Rated Limited; avoid it in pregnancy and ask first if you take an antidepressant.
Traditional favouriteGinsengA meta-analysis of 19 trials found no significant overall reduction in fatigue (SMD −0.36, 95% CI −0.82 to 0.11), though non-disease fatigue improved in a subgroup with small effect sizes. The EU regulator lists it for tiredness and weakness on traditional use alone; it can disturb sleep and may lower blood sugar.
Key facts about energy and fatigue
- In a Swiss population study of 2,848 adults aged 45 to 86, about one in five (21.9%) had fatigue in the previous week, and it was more common in women.9
- In the same study, depression more than tripled the odds of fatigue, and insomnia, obesity and anaemia were also linked to it. Older age was not: tiredness in later life should not be put down to ageing.9
- Everyday tiredness most often comes from poor sleep, an unhealthy lifestyle, stress or depression, major life events, or hormonal changes such as pregnancy or the menopause.7
- Anaemia, which causes fatigue and shortness of breath, affects 30% of women aged 15 to 49 worldwide. Lack of iron, mainly from too little iron in the diet, is the most common nutritional cause.11
- In the US, 1.3% of adults had ME/CFS in 2021–2022, more often women (1.7%) than men (0.9%). Rates rose with age to 2.1% at 60 to 69.10
- In the UK, see a GP if you have felt tired for a few weeks without knowing why, it affects daily life, or comes with weight loss or mood changes. Blood tests can check for anaemia, diabetes or an overactive thyroid.7
Talk to a doctor first if…
Who should avoid
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding: rhodiola, ginseng and guarana are not advised.
- Under 18: rhodiola and ginseng are not recommended.
- Heart rhythm problems, anxiety or high blood pressure: guarana and yerba mate are sources of caffeine, so ask a clinician first.
- Autoimmune conditions: ginseng may worsen them.
- Very hot yerba mate (above 65 °C): it is linked to oesophageal cancer.
- A history of calcium oxalate kidney stones: beetroot juice or powder is best avoided.
- Infants under 3 months: beetroot juice or powder is not for them.
- Bedtime: avoid guarana and yerba mate close to bedtime.
Known interactions
- Warfarin: ginseng may weaken its effect (one small trial in healthy volunteers found American ginseng lowered it, another in stroke patients found no effect), so check with a clinician.
- Diabetes medicines: ginseng may lower blood sugar, so check with a clinician.
- SSRIs such as sertraline and paroxetine: rhodiola has isolated reports of agitation with them.
- Losartan: rhodiola reduced its conversion in one study, though the regulator says no clinically relevant rhodiola interactions have been observed.
- Coffee, tea and energy drinks: caffeine from guarana and yerba mate adds to them.
- Beetroot: its entry lists no interactions.
Before you reach for an ingredient
Before or alongside an ingredient, look at sleep, activity and medical causes of tiredness, which are more common than a shortage of any herb.
- The NHS lists poor sleep, an unhealthy diet, little exercise, stress and low mood among the common causes of tiredness, and advises regular sleep times aiming for 6 to 9 hours, a relaxing bedroom, no caffeine, food or exercise in the couple of hours before bed, and no screens in the hour before.7
- Exercise is often suggested for fatigue: a 2006 meta-analysis found regular exercise increased feelings of energy compared with control conditions (effect size 0.37), but the effect was absent in the studies that used a placebo control, so the benefit may partly reflect expectation.8
- See a GP if you have felt tired for a few weeks without knowing why, it affects daily life, or it comes with weight loss, mood changes or loud snoring and gasping at night. The NHS says blood tests can check for anaemia, diabetes and an overactive thyroid.7
Questions people ask
What is the best natural supplement for tiredness?
None has good evidence for tiredness itself. Rhodiola is the best-supported, for stress-related fatigue, but the trials are small and rated Limited. Ginseng's pooled result was not significant overall.
Beetroot juice has Moderate evidence for exercise performance (time to exhaustion, sprints), which is not the same as less fatigue, and coenzyme Q10 has no fatigue evidence in our entry. Sleep, activity and checking for a medical cause come first.
Is guarana or yerba mate better than coffee?
There is no evidence either beats caffeine on its own. A pharmacy review found no effect of guarana beyond its caffeine, and we found no trial of mate for alertness. Add their caffeine to your daily total, and drink mate below 65 °C.
Can ginseng help with fatigue?
Possibly a little. A 2023 meta-analysis of 19 trials found no significant overall reduction in fatigue, but small benefits in general fatigue not caused by disease. Insomnia is the most common side effect, and it may lower blood sugar.
When is tiredness a sign of something else?
If you have been tired for a few weeks without an obvious reason, or it comes with weight loss, mood changes, palpitations or loud snoring, see a GP. Anaemia, diabetes, an overactive thyroid, sleep apnoea and ME/CFS can all present as tiredness.
Sources (11)
- Systematic review Ishaque S, Shamseer L, Bukutu C, Vohra S. Rhodiola rosea for physical and mental fatigue: a systematic review. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012.
- Systematic review Hung SK, Perry R, Ernst E. The effectiveness and efficacy of Rhodiola rosea L.: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Phytomedicine. 2011.
- Randomised trial Olsson EM, von Schéele B, Panossian AG. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of the standardised extract SHR-5 of the roots of Rhodiola rosea in the treatment of subjects with stress-related fatigue. Planta Med. 2009.
- Meta-analysis Li X, Yang M, Zhang YL, Hou YN, Smith CM, Korenstein D, Mao JJ. Ginseng and Ginseng Herbal Formulas for Symptomatic Management of Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Integr Complement Med. 2023.
- Meta-analysis Cai C, Huang P, Cheng X, Zhou J. Effectiveness of beetroot juice on aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance: systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr. 2026.
- Regulator summary EFSA. EFSA explains risk assessment: Caffeine (summary of the 2015 EFSA NDA Panel scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine).
- Regulator/health agency NHS. Tiredness and fatigue. National Health Service (page last reviewed 2 June 2023).
- Meta-analysis Puetz TW, O'Connor PJ, Dishman RK. Effects of chronic exercise on feelings of energy and fatigue: a quantitative synthesis. Psychol Bull. 2006.
- Cross-sectional study Galland-Decker C, Marques-Vidal P, Vollenweider P. Prevalence and factors associated with fatigue in the Lausanne middle-aged population: a population-based, cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open. 2019.
- Government statistics Vahratian A, Lin JS, Bertolli J, Unger ER. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Adults: United States, 2021–2022. NCHS Data Brief No. 488. CDC. 2023.
- Fact sheet World Health Organization. Anaemia. Fact sheet. 2025.
Reviewed by Healthy and Herbal editors · 10 October 2026 · Next review April 2027
Reader notes
Experiences and questions from readers, read by an editor before they appear. They are personal accounts, not evidence, and are not medical advice.