Adaptogens are plants that can adapt to even the most difficult living conditions. They can effectively support our body in the fight against depression – the main civilization disease of our time.
- Adaptogens have been known since ancient times, however, special interest in these plants began in the era of superpowers – Soviet scientists were looking for substances that could strengthen weakened compatriots: soldiers, workers and athletes
- In the 60s, intensive research on adaptogens was carried out. Their operation was tested on … employees of a Siberian mine and long-distance truck drivers
- The action of adaptogens causes increased endurance, better body performance, increased productivity, and a reduction in the symptoms of the body’s burden. What plants are they talking about?
- ARTICLE FROM MAGAZINE: NEWSWEEK ZDROWIE 1/2021
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Adaptogenic plants have been with us for a long time. Already in ancient Eastern medicine, they were treated as a gift from the gods. They come mainly from Tibet and the Far East. They can adapt to any, even the most difficult living conditions. For example, shatavari, Indian asparagus, called the “king of herbs” in Ayurveda, grows on the gravely and rocky soil of the foothill plains. In turn, Chinese cordyceps grows only in the highest mountains of Nepal and Tibet, and drought-resistant ashwagandha is found mainly in the poor and arid lands of South Asia.
The term adaptogens itself comes from the Latin verb “adaptare”, meaning to adapt, and has a relatively short history.
Research by Soviet scientists
The 40s are a world divided into two superpowers, waging war on gestures, words and minds. Among Soviet scientists in search of substances that could strengthen their weakened compatriots: soldiers, workers and athletes, was Dr. Nicholas Lazarev, creator of the term adaptogen. His research focused on the chemical compound – dibazolu, but his associate pharmacologist Israel Brekhman was looking for “miracle drugs” closer to nature. The inspiration was traditional Eastern medicine, and the subjects of interest were Chinese ginseng, Chinese citrus and “golden root”, or mountain rosary.
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In the 60s, Brekhman, together with Igor Dardymov, led the work of a new unit of the Soviet Academy of Sciences: the Institute of Physiology and Pharmacology of Adaptation in Vladivostok. The fact that scientists did not stick around is evidenced by 1500 scientific studies on the properties and effects of various adaptogens! Interestingly, it was not research on cells, rats or mice, but on Siberian mine workers, long-distance truck drivers, car factory workers, Olympic teams and sports teams.
The results of the analyzes were promising: increased endurance and regeneration, better performance, increased productivity, enhanced immune response, as well as reduction of symptoms of stress on the body, such as fatigue, insomnia and anxiety. Researchers made the adaptogens so famous that in 1962 Siberian ginseng, safflower and mountain rosary were entered into the Soviet pharmacopoeia, i.e. the official list of drugs.
Six years later, a duo of creative scientists who believed in the power of mother nature created the classic definition of an adaptogen. According to her, an adaptogen must meet three conditions. First, it has to be non-toxic for the recipient, i.e. when used for a long time, it must not show any undesirable effects. Secondly, it cannot act specifically, that is, it must show wide spectrum of action and immunize the body through extensive physical and biochemical activities. Finally, third: it should show normalizing properties, which means that we are talking about plants that have a tonic effect – they bring the body to the so-called state of homeostasis, i.e. balance. In practice, this means that they help to maintain the balance of the internal environment of the organism subjected to unfavorable external conditions, such as environmental pollution, stress, and nuclear disasters.
It was decided to use the spectacular effect of “performance tonics” in the diets of astronauts, professional athletes and Olympians. Known cosmonaut Valery Vladimirovich Polakov, who set the record for the longest uninterrupted stay in space – 14 months in the Mir orbital station, admitted that he was constantly downloading adaptogens that not only reduce fatigue, but also optimize the ability to withstand changes in the gas atmosphere of a spacecraft.
Supplementation with adaptogens also allowed to increase the efficiency of Soviet Olympians. At the Olympics in Munich in 1972, Soviet athletes won as many as 99 medals, of which 50 zlotys. In the medal standings, they ranked unrivaled in the first place, beating the Americans with 33 gold medals.
Americans also began to use adaptogens at NASA, among athletes and Silicon Valley workers.
How it works?
How to explain the action of adaptogens? We do not know the answer to this question yet. It is known, however, that they lie at the basis of the effects on the human body morphological, biochemical and physiological changes. They take place at the cellular level through interacting enzyme systems, and at the organ level through hormones. The adrenal medulla, where epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine are produced and stored, plays an essential role in the stress response. The aforementioned neurohormones prepare the body to confront a broadly understood threat. Adaptogenic plants by stimulating the adrenal medulla, increase the body’s non-specific adaptability and resistance to overload.
“Plant enhancers” adapt our body to the conditions in the environment, defending it against negative stimuli, both physiological and psychological. However, with long-term use, they do not weaken the nervous system, on the contrary: they increase its reserves.
The last thirty years have been a civilization revolution for mankind, mainly due to the inventions of the Silicon Valley. Our development and lifestyle in recent decades has brought with it a lot of stress and an ever increasing number of psychiatric diseases. We have stopped following him. Working in large corporations, and currently social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, have a negative impact on our psyche. More and more people in the world are turning to antidepressants.
According to published data on the use of prescription drugs in the US in 2015-2016, antidepressants were in the first place among drugs consumed by adults (46,7%). According to the statistical company STATISTA working in 160 countries of the world, Icelanders take the most antidepressants in the world before Canadians and Australians. The next places are taken by the English, Portuguese, Swedes and Belgians.
Depression in the initial stage often manifests itself under the mask of psychosomatic or anxiety symptoms. It is accompanied by hormonal disorders associated with increased levels of the stress hormones cortisol and prolactin, low levels of sex hormones, and disturbances in the functioning of thyroid hormones.
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In the case of psychosomatic symptoms, an alternative to chemical drugs can be a herbal medicine borrowed from Ayurvedic medicine and the well-known adaptogen – Hindu ginseng with the mystical name ashwagandha (which in Sanskrit literally means “horse smell” and refers to the unpleasant smell of a plant root). The extract is obtained from the powdered root and leaves of the plant of the species Withania somnifera L., which in Polish translates as Witania sluggish or Medicinal Śpioszyn. This herb has been accepted by academic medicine primarily because it lowers stress hormone levels and improves sleep quality. It also improves the levels of TSH and T4 in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. In this context, it may prove to be a lifeline for people suffering from Hashimoto’s disease.
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How can adaptogens help psychosomatics? They will not tame stress, but by supporting the entire body: the liver, cardiovascular system and immune system, they will help us to cope with chronic stress much better. Sometimes it is even said about building “adaptogenic energy reserves” – a stronger organism can cope better.
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The list of known and valued plant substances with adaptogenic properties is very long. It includes: Chinese and Siberian ginseng, Chinese citrus, mountain rosary, safflower, ashwagandha, reishi, cordyceps sinensis called “Himalayan Viagra”, our native milk thistle and many, many others.
About the author:
Ewa Kempisty-Jeznach, MD, PhD – internist, specialist in general diseases, the only certified male medicine doctor in Poland. Author of the books: «Testosteron. The key to manhood »,« Book only for men ». Medical head of the Wellness Clinic at the Medicover hospital in Warsaw.
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