The herbal extract of a yellow-flowered mountain plant indigenous to the Arctic regions of Europe and Asia increased the lifespan of fruit fly populations, according to a UC Irvine study. Flies that ate a diet rich with Rhodiola rosea, 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. Although this study does not present clinical evidence that Rhodiola can extend human life, the herb is a promising candidate for further anti-aging research, said Mahtab Jafari, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences and study leader. Study results appear in the online version of Rejuvenation Research.