ADAPTOGENS: WHAT ARE THEY?

We’re all under stress, whether at home or at work or due to illness. So who wouldn’t like to find something that could boost resistance to the adverse effects of stress? 

A wide variety of herbal compounds are touted for their ability to help the body respond to or recover from physical or psychological stress, as well as for bolstering immunity and general well-being. One group of them is called adaptogens, a term coined in the early 1960s by Israel Brekhman, a Russian scientist.

The concept of adaptogens was based in part on a theory of stress called the “general adaptation syndrome,” proposed by an Austrian endocrinologist, Hans Selye. This basically holds that stress causes the body to go through three stages—preparing for fight or flight, adapting to the stress, and then exhaustion if the stress is long-lasting. Adaptogens are supposed to be a kind of general restorative tonic that counters the effects of stress, normalizes bodily functions, and helps the body heal itself.

Though not accepted by mainstream Western medicine, the concept that adaptogenic herbs can boost strength and vitality is integral to traditional Eastern medicine. As such, these herbs are often promoted as virtual cure-alls—“magic” or “miracle” remedies for everything from boosting mental attention and physical endurance to preventing a host of diseases. (Dr. Oz, in his typical pie-in-the-sky manner, titled one of them a “miracle pill for anti-aging.”) Even one supplement industry group, while praising adaptogens as “powerhouses,” warns that the marketing claims for adaptogens often are exaggerated, misrepresent the research, or are “pure fantasy.”

As with most herbs, there are few well-designed human studies on adaptogens. Moreover, the studies, many of them done in China or India, often use mixtures of herbs, so it’s impossible to know what is having an effect, if there is one.

One key problem is the variability of the herbs. Different species or varieties have different compounds and biological properties, and different parts of the plant (roots, leaves, stems) also contain varying chemicals. How the herbs are processed affects their biological activity as well. Moreover, it’s hard to study the many vague claims. How, for instance, do you measure increased “well-being” or “vitality”? Plus, it’s hard to know what you’re really getting in the bottles, since there is little meaningful regulation of dietary supplements.

That said, here are seven of the most popular adaptogens. Their potential adverse effects are grouped together at the end.

WHAT ARE ADAPTOGENS - 6 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFOREHAND.

Adaptogens are a whole new level of superfood. Members of this unique class of herbs and roots have been used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, lauded for their ability to reduce the effects that stress hormones can have on the body. But before you head for the supplements aisle, here are 6 things you should know about adaptogens, and what they do–and what they don’t do. 

Adaptogens don’t cure stress

Though some health gurus claim that adaptogens “cure” stress, let’s get one thing straight: adaptogens’ power doesn’t lie in reducing feelings of anxiety, but rather in decreasing the effects of hormones and other compounds that are released into the body in times of stress, such as kinase, nitric oxide, and cortisol. Adaptogens’ adeptness at reducing the presence and harmful effects of these compounds has been observed in clinical studies, such as a 2007 report from Drug Target Insights or another 2010 paper in Pharmaceuticals.