Adaptogen Herbs

Adaptogenic herbs is a term you might have heard. In herbal medicine adaptogenic is a category of plants that help the body “adapt” to stress to build up resilience. Helping to stabilize the physiological process of stress on the body. The herbs do this by acting on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis improving the stress response and corticoid balance.  

Adaptogenic herbs are useful to treat fatigue, low immune function, infertility, stress, anxiety, depression, thyroid disorders, reproductive problems, hormone imbalance, sleep disorders, blood sugar regulation, low sperm count, allergies, cognition, and autoimmune diseases. Protective to the nerves, gastrointestinal tract, liver, heart, and against oxidative stress.

Some of the most researched adaptogenic herbs include; Panax ginseng, Eleutherococcus, Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice), and Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Rhodiola rosea, and Schisandra chinensis. Each acting in a different way on the body.

The pharmacological effects of these plants can be divided into categories associated with stimulating and stress-protective effects on the CNS (central nervous system), endocrine system, and immune system. Defined as the neuroendocrine-immune complex - stress-system. Mechanism of action on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis impacting key modulators such as molecular chaperons (e.g., HSP70), stress-activated c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase 1 (JNK1), Forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factor DAF-16, cortisol and nitric oxide. 

Panossian A, Wikman G. Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress-Protective Activity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2010 Jan 19;3(1):188-224. doi: 10.3390/ph3010188. PMID: 27713248; PMCID: PMC3991026.