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WELLNESS AND NUTRITION
Boost Your Body’s Health And Performance
With Adaptogens
The term adaptogen was first used in Russia in the late 1940s to
describe a number of herbal compounds which research suggests can act as
powerful tonics and stimulants for the body’s systems; may help normalise
the body’s functions in response to stress; and provide a powerful boost
to the immune system. Adaptogens such as siberian
ginseng have also been shown to help regulate the levels of blood pressure,
blood sugar, cholesterol and important hormones.
Adaptogen compounds may be particularly
important in assisting the adrenal glands to maintain levels of the hormones it
produces, which are the body’s principal means of managing the various
stresses to which it is subjected on a daily basis. These stresses include heat, cold, excessive
noise and vibration, physical exhaustion, viruses, bacteria and pollution, as
well as more self-inflicted varieties such as poor diet, lack of sleep,
overwork and the excessive consumption of alcohol, tobacco and perhaps even
more potent drugs, which for this purpose may include perfectly legitimate over
the counter or prescription medications.
Obviously
you can’t hope to avoid all of these stresses all the time; at least not
unless you find a way to avoid twenty-first century life itself. And as attractive as that may sound,
it’s probably not a realistic option for most of us. So the urgent question is: just how are you
going to cope with these stresses?
Now to be
sure, a good diet, eight hours restful sleep a night, plenty of fresh air and
exercise will help considerably. But how
many of us can honestly claim this as an accurate description of our lifestyle?
This is
where adaptogens can be so useful. There’s evidence that they may increase
the production of energy within the body’s cells, thereby optimising the
body’s response to stress; maximising the benefits obtained from
the nutrients taken in, and helping maintain peak physical and mental
performance.
Numerous
herbal compounds have now been recognised as possessing significant adaptogenic qualities, but amongst the better known are
black cohosh, donq quai, ginseng, which may be Korean, American or Siberian (eleuthero), and yerba mate.
Currently,
ginseng is perhaps the best known of all of these, and siberian
ginseng, or eleuthero, in particular, which has long
been extensively used in
Ginseng has
been researched in depth by Soviet and Russian scientists since the early
1960s, and was approved for human use as far back as 1962. But the amazing powers of this extraordinary
herb have been well known in
But like
other adaptogens, ginseng is not just for those
suffering from disease or sub-optimal health.
In
Now of
course, no one is suggesting that siberian ginseng or
any other adaptogen can or should take the place of a
healthy diet, because obviously you can’t optimise the functioning of the
vitamins, minerals and enzymes within the body unless they’re present in
reasonable quantities in the first place.
But adaptogens may nevertheless be of real
value at times when the kinds of stresses listed above have increased the
body’s demand for these nutrients; or perhaps depressed its ability to
absorb those with which it is supplied.
But adaptogens should not just be seen as a corrective for use when the body is tending towards sub-optimal performance or even illness. They can also be used at times when peak mental or physical performance is required and supplements of siberian ginseng and the other adaptogens mentioned above are now readily available in most good health food stores.
Steve
Smith
