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The modern man undoubtedly sees a real boom in biotechnology development. Thousands of new drugs appear every year. Some of them will be unknown or used in rare cases because of uncompetitiveness with similar medications, and others — long life and gratitude of humanity. At the same time, the achievements of modern science in the field of synthesis of biologically active compounds and gene technologies are not able to finally displace medicinal plants from medical practice. Humans, learning about healing properties of natural antioxidants, having knowledge about the side effects of synthetic drugs, increasingly turn to the experience of herbal medicine gained over hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Plants can rightly be called “factories” of biologically active compounds. Specialists in the field of phytotherapy extract some useful biochemical components contained in plants. Thus, the organic acids present in many plants play a significant role in metabolism; being a link between the exchange of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. For example, on the territory of the CIS countries alone, about 150 medicinal plants have been introduced into pharmacopoeia and are medicinal products whose use must be approved by a physician. Add to this a sufficient number (about 70 varieties) of poisonous plants surrounding us. It is enough not to treat the plant world without particular caution and not to be an “amateur” in phytotherapy.

Different drugs of natural (plant or animal) origin can have tonic and stimulating effects on the nervous system and the body as a whole. In this case, the mechanism of action of these drugs is often “insufficiently studied,” but long experience in their use in medicine leaves no doubt about their effectiveness. The spectrum of their effects lies in the interval between psychomotor stimulators and nootropics, and respectively, they are usually referred to as “generalising remedies” (if the results are closer to “fast” stimulators) or “adaptogens,” implying their ability to help the body adapt to adverse conditions (if the effects are closer to nootropics). Typically, these drugs are low-toxic, but, like other stimulants, should be used with appropriate care.

This article describes medicinal plants that have adaptive and tonic effects. This group of drugs includes, for example, Schizandra, Holy Basil, Reishi mushroom, Bacopa, Ginseng, Tree of life, Maca, Shatavari, Ashwagandha, Astragalus, Gotu Kola, Liquorice, Rosemary, Milk Thistle, Codonopsis, Rhodiola, Eleuthero, and Aloe vera.

Adaptogens, their effects, and indications for use

What are adaptogens?

Nowadays, the highest value for a person is health. It is health that has a more significant influence on the world view and the fullness of life. Mental and physical stress, fear, insomnia, depression, infectious and somatic diseases accompany modern humans, so it is very important to know how to reduce the effects of these and improve the quality of life. To improve health, increase the body’s defences are capable of so-called adaptogens.

Adaptogens are medicines that make it easier for the body to adapt to various adverse effects.

This group includes medicines of natural (plant and animal) origin used in folk medicine. Although the mechanism of action of these drugs, their impact on physiological and neurochemical processes are not sufficiently studied, there is no doubt that they have pharmacological properties that provide their stimulating effect on the CNS and the body as a whole. It is evidenced by the long experience of their use in medicine.

But it is supposed that the adaptive synthesis of RNA and proteins, activity of enzymes of energy exchange, and regeneration processes play a role in the realisation of adaptogenic action. Activation of metabolism, endocrine, and vegetative regulation is the basis of general tuning action.

Requirements for adaptogenic drugs:

So why is the adaptogenic effect being discovered? This task has not yet been solved, although many attempts have been made.

There is a need to clarify even the requirements that medicines of this kind must meet. These requirements were formulated about 30 years ago and are not always consistent with the data accumulated over time.

The spectrum of action of plants with adaptogenic effect:

As a rule, drugs of this group do not have a pronounced effect; they are most effective in borderline disorders, as a means of maintenance therapy.

Indications for the use of adaptogens:

It is necessary to keep in mind that adaptogens are prophylactic means, i.e., their effect is manifested by a long-term systematic application.

As a rule, these drugs are low-toxic, and if the necessary conditions are met, they are well-tolerated by patients, including older people.

Since they are mainly used in the form of alcoholic extracts and infusions, they should be dispensed from pharmacies according to a doctor’s prescription.

Research

The term “Adaptogen” was first proposed in 1947 by scientists from the USSR, namely N. V. Lazarev, when he described various herbs with the following definition: adaptogens of plant origin, which can non-specifically improve the human body.

According to the initial definition of adaptogens, these substances must meet three criteria: first, adaptogens must be non-specific and must help the human body withstand a wide range of adverse conditions, such as physical, chemical or biological stress. These may include environmental pollution, climate change, radiation, infectious diseases, and interpersonal disharmony. Secondly, adaptogens should support homeostasis in humans; that is, these substances can compensate or resist physical disorders caused by external stress. Thirdly, adaptogens should not harm the normal functions of the human body.

The next breakthrough in research was by the Soviet scientist I.I. Brekhman, who studied ginseng in 1950. He expanded the concept of adaptogens as follows: drugs that perform functions similar to adaptogens can help the body maintain ideal homeostasis in adverse or stressful conditions.

Again, Brekhman and Dardymov in 1969 additionally determined plant adaptogens. According to this definition, plant adaptogens meet four criteria: first, plant adaptogens must reduce the harm caused by stressful conditions such as fatigue, infection, and depression; secondly, plant adaptogens should have a positive, stimulating effect on the human body; thirdly, unlike traditional stimulants, the excitatory effects caused by plant adaptogens should not cause side effects, such as insomnia, low protein synthesis or excessive energy consumption; fourthly, plant adaptogens should not harm the human body.

Thanks to continuous research conducted for more than half a century, the concept of adaptogens has continuously been modified and improved. In 1998, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defined the adaptogen as a new type of metabolic regulator that has been proven to help adapt to the environment and prevent external harm. An adaptogen is commonly used as a functional term.

American herbalist Jans thought that adaptogens could improve our ability to recognise, respond, and recover. He divided adaptogens into three categories, including primary and secondary adaptogens and adaptogen companions, based on his clinical experience. Primary adaptogens meet the traditional definition of adaptogens and satisfy specific criteria. The criteria include: numerous scientific studies that have confirmed their adaptogenic properties, a guarantee of general resistance and non-specific action in the human body, the preservation or restoration of homeostasis, as well as adverse or toxic effects after prolonged use.

Additionally, some accurate scientific experiments have shown that adaptogens can enhance the resistance of the human body to various external stimuli as non-specific regulators. Adaptogen function mainly due to exposure to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system (HPA axis) in response to stimulation by external stress. Primary adaptogens can not only maintain or restore homeostasis and allostasis but can also contribute to the anabolic recovery. Primary adaptogens can cause a positive reaction to stress and associated hormonal expression. Primary adaptogens enhance the functioning of each system, promote an optimal response, help restore function and help regulate energy use, improving the purpose of the neuroendocrine system and improving cellular energy transfer, which can make the body use oxygen, glucose, lipids and proteins very efficiently, thus providing us constant supply of energy.

Another category of adaptogens is secondary adaptogens, which meet most of the traditional definitions of adaptogens, but not all the criteria for primary adaptogens. Secondary adaptogens cannot directly affect the HPA axis. However, these adaptogens can modify the immune, nervous and endocrine systems. Secondary adaptogens have several standard features. Firstly, these adaptogens usually affect the immune, nervous and endocrine systems; secondly, these adaptogens do not directly change the HPA axis; thirdly, these plant adaptogens include fatty acids, sterols, and phenols; fourthly, these substances can enhance anabolism. While secondary adaptogens may fit most of the qualifications of primary adaptogens, they have yet to be widely studied.

Another category is adaptogen companions, which may not meet all traditional standards, but may have a beneficial effect on the HPA axis and anabolism to support adaptogen functions. Although these types of medicinal plants have similar functions with the two other types of adaptogens mentioned above, these plants cannot formally be called an adaptogen. Thus, these plants are classified as adaptogen companions because they can act synergistically with the other two types of adaptogens mentioned above, thereby improving the action of adaptogens.

Studies have shown that adaptogens help to avoid the critical point when the body is unable to cope with “piled up” problems. The essence of their action is to help the body cope with stress, fatigue and the adverse effects of the environment.

Pharmaceutical plants with adaptogenic properties

Schizandra

The Schizandra chinensis is a type of flowering plant of the Schisandra family.

It originates in China, Japan and Korea. On the territory of Russia, it is found in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, Amur Region, Sakhalin, Kuril Islands (Shikotan, Kunashir, Iturup).

It grows in cedar-broadleaved and other coniferous-leaved forests, sometimes in deciduous ones, usually in glades, edges, clearings, and old mounds, more often in narrow valleys of mountain rivers and streams. It grows in groups and forms thickets. Not found in floodplains with prolonged flooding or prolonged soil overwetting. It rises to 600 m above sea level in the mountains.

Benefits

Holy Basil

Tulsi, or Ocimum tenuiflorum, or Ocimum sanctum, is a shrub of the Lamiaceae family. It is widely used for cooking and healing purposes, especially in Ayurvedic medicine. In Sanskrit, the word “Tulsi” means “incomparable.”

Tulsi is a perennial herbaceous plant or shrub originating in India; it is also grown as an annual plant.

Ocimum basilicum, which is related to Tulsi, is sometimes incorrectly referred to as sacred basil, but its aroma and taste can distinguish it. Tulsi leaves are covered with hairs while sweet basil leaves are entirely smooth; Tulsi does not have a strong liquorice or anise aroma typical of fresh basil and has a clove-like taste.

Benefits

Reishi mushroom

Ganoderma lucidum, or Ganoderma lacquered (also known as Lynchji or Reishi), is a mushroom of the genus Ganoderma, currently included in the Polyporaceae family.

In China and Korea, the mushroom is known as “ling ji” (Mushroom/Grass of Immortality), in Japan it is best known as “raishi” (mushroom of spiritual power) and “manentake” (ten thousand year old mushroom). In Russia, preparations made of this mushroom (infusions, extracts, dry extracts in capsules) are found and sold under the names of “lynching,” and raishi.”

Reishi mushroom is a saprophyte, a wood destroyer (causes white rot). It is found almost all over the world at the base of weakened and dying trees, as well as on dead hardwood, very rarely on conifers. Occasionally, a varnished trumpet is found on living trees, but more often, fruit bodies are found on stumps near the soil surface. Sometimes fruit bodies that have grown on the roots of trees submerged in the ground can be found directly on the soil. During growth, the fungus can pick up branches, leaves, and other weeds. It is less common in temperate latitudes than in subtropics.

Benefits

Bacopa

Bacopa is a genus of plants of the Plantaginaceae family, includes about 68 species of succulent, water (hydrophytes) or water-loving (hydrophytes) rhizomes of perennial plants. Some species have found application in ornamental floriculture.

It grows in small reservoirs, marshes, on marshy shores in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and America.

Benefits

Ginseng

Ginseng is a perennial herbaceous plant, a genus of the Aralievy family. It includes 12 species growing in Asia and North America.

It is a well-known medicinal plant. It is mainly used as an adaptogen and as a general toning agent. In Korea and China, the root of ginseng is also used in cooking. Traditional Chinese medicine claims that ginseng products prolong life and youth.

The genus has a ruptured area, most of which are in eastern Asia (Far East, China, Tibet, Altai), and one species (five-leaf ginseng) grows in the east of North America. The ginseng scene in Vietnam covers the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.

Benefits

Tree of life

The tree of life is a family of succulent plants. It includes from 300 to 350 species, of which more than two hundred grow in South Africa; a significant number of species are typical in Tropical Africa and Madagascar, several species occur in southern Arabia. The species is very widely distributed, but mainly in the southern hemisphere.

Many species are used in indoor floriculture; indoor plants of this genus, with round leaves similar to coins, are sometimes called the “money tree.” Some succulents may in vivo accumulate a noticeable amount of arsenic in their leaves so that they may be poisonous (this does not apply to houseplants growing on low arsenic soil).

Benefits

With the help of Tree of life can be treated:

Maca

Lepidium meyenii is a type of plant from the Cabbage Bunting family. It grows on the high plateaus of Bolivia, Peru, and North-Western Argentina.

The main active components:

The species received its scientific name after the German botanist Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen (1804–1840), who explored the flora of Peru in 1831 during a round-the-world voyage led by Alexander von Humboldt.

Benefits

Shatavari

Asparagus racemosus (satavar, shatavari, or shatamull, shatawari) is a species of asparagus common throughout India and the Himalayas. It prefers to take root in gravelly, rocky ground high up in piedmont plains. Because of its multiple uses, the call for Asparagus racemosus is always on the rise. Because of destructive harvesting, combined with habitat destruction, and deforestation, the plant is now considered “endangered” in its natural habitat.

Benefits

Ashwagandha

Withania somnifera, known commonly as ashwagandha, Indian ginseng, poison gooseberry, or winter cherry, is a plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family.

The species name somnifera means “sleep-inducing” in Latin. The name, Ashwagandha, is a combination of the Sanskrit words ashva, meaning horse, and gandha, meaning smell, reflecting that the root has a robust horse-like odour.

The plant, particularly its root powder, has been used for centuries in traditional Indian medicine.

Benefits

Astragalus

Astragalus is a large family of plants in the Fabaceae family. There are more than 2455 species of Fabaceae.

Astragalus is one of the most polymorphic (diverse) genera. The primary life forms are bushes, semi-shrubs, and herbs.

Benefits

Therapeutic properties of astragalus:

Gotu kola

Centella asiatica is a herbaceous flowering plant of the Centella family of Umbrella (Apiaceae); earlier, it was usually included in the Araliaceae family, sometimes in the Hydrocotylaceae family.

The plant is widely distributed in Asia and Australia and is used as a food and medicinal plant.

Centella asiatica is distributed in Sri Lanka, India, Northern Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Melanesia, and Papua New Guinea. It grows mainly in humid lowlands and along ditches.

Benefits

The medicinal plant allows you to cure:

Liquorice

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is a perennial herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Solodka (Glycyrrhiza) of the Fabaceae family. Liquorice is widely used as a medicinal, food, and industrial plant, as a foaming agent.

In wild form, it grows in France, Italy, South-Eastern Europe (including Ukraine and Moldova), North Africa (mainly Libya), Western and Central Asia. On the territory of Russia, it is found in the southern areas of the European part, Western Siberia, and the North Caucasus.

It is cultivated in many areas with temperate climates. Liquorice extracts have been used in equation and folk medicine. Excessive consumption of liquorice can lead to adverse effects such as hypokalemia, high blood pressure, and muscle weakness. liquorice should not be used during pregnancy.

Liquorice grows in valleys and floodplains of steppe and semi-desert rivers, on sand and shell banks in the coastal zone, in steppes and semi-deserts, in meadows, in thickets of bushes, along roads and irrigation canals, forming thick thickets. It prefers sandy and saline soils, also found on hard chernozem clayey soils.

Benefits

Rosemary

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a species of semi-shrubby and shrubby evergreen plants of the Rosmarinus family of Lamiaceae.

In the wild, it grows in North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia), Turkey, Cyprus; in Europe, it grows in the southern part — the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, southern France. It likes dry slopes, and grows mainly in the mountains. On the territory of Russia does not grow in the wild form. In 1813 it was planted in the area of Nikitsky Botanical Garden, and since then, it has been cultivated in Crimea as a cultivated plant.

Benefits

Milk thistle

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a species of herbaceous plants from the Milk thistle genus of the Asteraceae family.

The home of the thistle is the Mediterranean (Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Italy, Greece, France), the Balkans (Bulgaria, Albania, the former Yugoslav countries), and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).

Widely spread throughout the world (Western and Eastern Europe, British Isles, South, and Central Africa, North and South America, Azores), Central Asia.

In Russia, it is met as a weed in the southern parts of Europe, the Caucasus, and southern Western Siberia.

It grows on weeds; sometimes grows in gardens, vegetable gardens, and wild. It is a very aggressive weed.

They are cultivated to obtain medicinal raw materials.

The main active ingredients are flavonoids and flavonolignans (silibinin, silicristin, silidianine). Besides, they contain alkaloids, saponins, fatty oil (up to 25%), proteins, vitamin K, resins, mucus, thyramine, histamine, as well as macro- and trace elements.

Benefits

Seven useful properties of Milk thistle, scientifically proven:

Codonopsis

Codonopsis is a family of herbaceous perennial plants of the Campanulaceae family. There are about 59 species of Codonopsis.

Many species are used as garden plants. Some species are used in traditional medicine, in cooking.

The scientific name of the genus comes from the Greek words codon (“bell”) and opsis (“similar”) — and is explained by the bell-shaped corolla and similarity to the genus Bell (Campanula).

Plants of this genus are common in East Asia, in the mountains of Southeast Asia, and Central Asia.

Benefits

Codonopsis applies:

Rhodiola

The Rhodiola rosea (also known as the Golden Root, Pink Root) is a perennial herbaceous plant; it is a species of the Rhodiola family of Crassulaceae. The plant is called the “golden root” by its rhizome, which has the colour of bronze or old gilt with a pearlescent sheen.

It grows in regions with cold and temperate climates, including North America, Great Britain, and Ireland, in alpine mountain meadows (in the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians) and the Pamirs.

In Russia, this includes the Altai and Urals, the polar regions of Yakutia, the mountainous areas of Eastern Siberia, Western Siberia and the Far East, and the White and Barents Seas.

Benefits

Eleuthero

Eleutherococcus is a genus of plants of the Araliaceae family, which includes about 30 species of prickly bushes and trees. It is found in eastern Asia, from southeast Siberia and Japan to the south to the Philippines, with the most excellent variety in central and western China.

Benefits

Eleutherococcus is used:

Aloe vera

Aloe, or Aloe vera, is a succulent herbaceous plant of the Asphodeloideae family. It is widely used in medicine and cosmetics.

The natural range of Aloe is not clear, as the species are widely cultivated all over the world.

These species have settled in the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula, in North Africa (Morocco, Mauritania, Egypt), as well as in Sudan, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, the island of Madeira.

The plant in wild form is found in the Canary Islands.

Aloe may exist in conditions where other plants are withering and dying. In extreme situations, it closes the pores by keeping moisture inside the leaf.

Benefits

The products with aloe juice are used for:

Advantages of adaptogens

Both time and science have proved the effectiveness of adaptogens — a positive effect on the body through the impact on the endocrine, nervous, and immune systems.

Among the effects that can be achieved with the use of adaptogens, such stand out:

Disadvantages

Many plant adaptogens have a pronounced excitatory effect, and their use is contraindicated in various cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric diseases, which requires mandatory medical supervision.

Adaptogens may not be taken:

Side effects

When using adaptogens, rare cases can lead to reversible side effects, which pass after the drug withdrawal:

Conclusions

Studies have now confirmed that the following plants are true adaptogens: Schizandra, Holy basil, Reishi mushroom, Bacopa, Ginseng, Tree of life, Maca, Shatavari, Ashwagandha, Gotu kola, Liquorice, Astragalus, Eleuthero, Rosemary, Milk thistle, Codonopsis, Rhodiola and Aloe vera.

Plants containing triterpene saponins and phenylpropanoids have the most adaptogenic properties. The leading positions among plants used for the production of adaptogenic and general-tonic medicines are real ginseng (30%), Eleutherococcus prickly (21%), and Rhodiola pink (17%). In the group of medications, almost half (47%) are liquid forms of medicines — infusions, extracts, and among solid types of drugs, tablets prevail (48%).

Taking adaptogens when exhausted and under high mental and physical stress, it may increase one’s performance by one and a half times, or even double the output. This effect occurs within a minimum time, literally within one hour after taking the drugs, and the action can last up to several hours. The persistent positive impact of taking adaptogens comes gradually, within 15 to 30 days with daily intake. All adaptogens have tonic properties, so their reception should be in the morning. As a rule, take such drugs once or twice a day. Drink them consistently as a course for a set amount of time. Depending on the situation and the recommendation of your doctor, you can have a recurring course of taking adaptogen drugs. Usually, they are drunk before the season of colds, flu, ODS. It is useful for students to drink before the exams period so that the body better cope with heavy mental and psychological stress. How much to take depends on the specific drug, so it is better to consult with a doctor.

Adaptogens are not just a popular supplement for your tea, coffee, or smoothie. Many of them have legal, scientifically supported healing effects. Proper use of adaptogens can help you cope with many diseases, strengthen your body, improve the nervous system, and fight stress. It is also essential that the body perceives natural remedies much better than their chemical counterparts.

Anastasiia Myronenko

Anastasiia Myronenko is a Medical Physicist actively practicing in one of the leading cancer centers in Kyiv, Ukraine. She received her master’s degree in Medical Physics at Karazin Kharkiv National University and completed Biological Physics internship at GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Germany. Anastasiia Myronenko specializes in radiation therapy and is a fellow of Ukrainian Association of Medical Physicists.

This article includes the promotion of products and services sold on Alphagreen and affiliate links to other businesses.

Alphagreen and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. The information and products presented on this site are not intended for medical use nor do they make any medical claims. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a pre-existing medical condition, are pregnant and/or are breastfeeding, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or another health-related program.

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