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September/October 2007 Alternative Health
Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief

by David Winston and Steven Maimes

Adaptogens are remarkable natural substances that help the body adapt to stress, support normal metabolic functions and help restore balance. They increase the body's resistance to physical, biological, emotional and environmental stressors, and provide a defense response to acute or chronic stress. They are unique from other substances in their ability to restore the balance of endocrine hormones, modulate the immune system and allow the body to maintain optimal homeostasis.

Knowledge about adaptogens dates back thousands of years to ancient India and China, but serious scientific study did not begin until the late 1940s, when Soviet scientists explored the benefits of these substances in fighting stress, preventing and reducing illness, maintaining homeostasis and strengthening the body.

Very simply, adaptogens are nontoxic, produce a nonspecific defensive response to stress and have a normalizing influence on the body. As defined, adaptogens constitute a new class of natural, homeostatic metabolic regulators.

Adaptogens and the Immune System

Adaptogens have a focused effect on immunity and the immune system. They help to counter chronic immune cell depletion, and they improve the body's defenses by increasing the production of specialized cells, including helper T cells, B cells and natural killer cells. They also help produce an increased secretion of cortisol in response to injury or infection, and they have a direct effect on the nervous system, allowing for an improved mind-body connection.

Immune function is influenced by many factors, including stress, age, sex, lifestyle and nutritional status. Because adaptogens provide a non-specific defense response to stress, they also offer an increased resistance to pathogens and infection by providing increased immunity.

Most adaptogens have immunomodulating or immunostimulating properties. An immunomodulator, or immune amphoteric, affects the immune system due to its ability to modify or regulate immune function. Immunomodulators include ashwagandha, American ginseng, Asian ginseng, cordyceps, eleuthero, guduchi, holy basil, licorice, reishi and shilajit.

Immunostimulants boost activity of the immune system but are not known to have the ability to normalize excessive immune response. Immune stimulants include astragalus, jiaogulan, lycium, rhaponticum and schisandra.

Uses of Adaptogens

Adaptogen

 Leading Applications

American ginseng

Mild central nervous system stimulant and nourishing to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

Amla

Antioxidant, antihistamine and anti-inflamatory

Ashwagandha

Calming adaptogen, relieves muscle pain

Asian ginseng

Stimulating adaptogen for adrenal exhaustion

Astragalus

Immune tonic, heart tonic

Cordyceps

Lung and kidney tonic, immune amphoteric

Dang shen

Immune tonic, gastroprotective

Eleuthero

Immune tonic, adrenal tonic, antifatigue, performance enhancer

Guduchi

Hepatoprotective, immune amphoteric

He shou wu

Supports the liver, kidney, blood and male reproductive function

Holy basil

Supports normal cortisol and blood sugar levels

Jiaogulan

Immune stimulant, calming

Licorice

Immune amphoteric, heals stomach and bowel

Lycium

Antioxidant, immune tonic, supports the liver, kidney and eyes

Prince seng

Immune and lung tonic

Reishi

Immune amphoteric calms the shen (mind, consciousness)

Rhaponticum

Immune stimulant, heart tonic

Rhodiola

Immune amphoteric, cardioprotective

Schisandra

Balances the nervous system, antioxidant, hepatoprotective

Shatavari

Female reproductive tonic, immune and lung tonic

Shilajit

Lowers blood sugar levels

Amphoteric: normalizes function in a tissue or organ.
Hepatoprotective: Protects the liver.

David Winston, RH (AHG) is the president of Herbalist and Alchemist, Inc., a company that manufactures over 300 herbal products, author of Herbal Therapeutics and Saw Palmetto for Men & Women, and coauthor of Herbal Therapy and Supplements. Visit www.herbaltherapeutics.net. Steven Maimes, the former owner of an herbal products business in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a researcher, freelance writer and principal of SALAM Research. Visit www.salamresearch.com.

Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by David Winston and Steven Maimes, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT 05767. Copyright © 2007 by Herbal Therapeutics Inc. and Steven L. Maimes, www.HealingArtsPress.com.