The concept of adaptogen is becoming more widely used for more than six decades. The term adaptogens are plant-based herbs filled with complex compounds, which have been used in traditional forms of medicine such as alternative and complementary medicine, as well as in pharmacognosy, phytomedicine, and phytotherapy research across the globe for centuries.
Adaptogen is related to a physiological process, this can result in the stabilization of physiological processes and promote homeostasis such as a decrease in cellular sensitivity to stress, that helps the human body mediate or adapt to (hence the name “adaptogen”) physical or psychological stress by interacting with body’s cellular systems. Current and potential uses of adaptogens are mainly related to stress‐induced fatigue, cognitive function, mental illness, and behavioral disorders. (1-4)
The key points of the adaptogenic concept in the modern sense were first established in World War II in USSR, namely, NV. Lazarev, (5) when he described Schisandra Chinensis (Turcz.) and other adaptogenic herbs with the following definition: plant-originated adaptogens that can non-specifically the enhance human body. This definition was further defined by USSR scientists, namely Brekhman and Dardymov in 1969 and suggested that certain compounds and herbal extracts, termed adaptogens, could prolong the duration of nonspecific resistance to stress and diminish the magnitude of the alarm phase.(4-6)
Based on this definition, plant-originated adaptogens should meet four criteria: firstly, plant-originated adaptogens must reduce the harm caused by stressed states, such as infection, fatigue, and depression; secondly, plant-originated adaptogens must have positive excitatory effects on the human body; thirdly, the excitatory effects produced by plant-originated adaptogens must not cause side effects such as insomnia, low protein synthesis, or excessive energy consumption; fourthly, plant-originated adaptogens must not harm the normal functions of the human body.(6)
Yet now, more and more researches focus on this field and a great number of peer-reviewed papers, preclinical and clinical studies, and comprehensive assessment reports on the adaptogenic plants have been published over the past 10 years, which mainly concentrated on the direction of pharmacology pharmacy, biochemistry, molecular biology, plant sciences, and agriculture. (1,4-8)
A study indicated that many of the plant-based compounders are adaptogenic herbs with unique properties or hormones. The key hormone is corticosteroid cortisol, which is released as a response to stress, and is also known to lead to high blood pressure, myocardial ischemia, depression, and even cancer.(9)
The key role adaptogens play is the minimizing of these effects and allow the body to respond to stress in a healthier way, without cortisol levels reaching a high level. The majority of natural adaptogens used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Kampo (the study of traditional Chinese medicine in Japan), and Ayurveda medicine (a natural system of medicine, originated in India more than thousands years ago) include Panax Ginseng, Chinensis Schizandra ( Schisandra Chinensis) , Ginseng, Chinese Heron (Lycium Chinensis) , Pink Stonecrop (Rhodiola Rosea), Ganoderma Lucidum, Cordyceps, Rhodiola, Holy Basil (Tulsi). Andrographis, Bryony, Ashwagandha, and Turmeric. (6,10,11)
An example, plant-originated adaptogens like ginseng is one of the most well-known adaptogenic herbs. It is believed to aid the human body in its reaction to physical and emotional stressors in a highly dynamic way. Research evidence from pre-clinical and clinical studies showed that ginseng and their combination products suggest that adaptogens can be useful in prophylaxis and treatment of many chronic disorders at all stages of progression of inflammation as well as in aiding recovery of the organism by...
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