Adaptogenic plants, stress and anti-aging

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What is an adaptogenic herb?

Who has not heard of the famous ginseng, highly prized in Asia and supposed to lengthen life and enhance performance? He is part of it.

“Adaptogenic” plants can help to better resist a state of stress, to adapt, and to recover from the resulting fatigue. Perhaps that is why they are known to improve longevity.

Nicolaï LAZAREV, a Russian pharmacologist, defined in 1947 the concept of “adaptogen”, or ” a pharmacological substance capable of inducing in an organism a state of non-specific increased resistance, making it possible to counterbalance stress signals and to adapt to exceptional effort “.

In 1968, his successor Dr. BREKHMAN, head of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of Adaptation in Vladivostok, gave 3 criteria to define an adaptogenic plant:

  1. ” Increase the resistance of the body against aggressors of different nature (physical, chemical or biological) non-specifically ;

  2. Presents a normalizing influenceregardless of changes in physiological norms;

  3. Show a lack of toxicity and influence on the normal functions of the body. »

To better adapt to stress

To put it simply, let’s say that an adaptogenic plant makes us more resistant and more resilient to the stress reaction (see below). The latter, when it lasts over time, is an important factor of aging and disrupts our health on almost all levels, in particular: nervous, digestive and hormonal. It may be, for example, an increase in work, unusual physical effort, variations in the environment (climate, surroundings, etc.) to which one must adapt, relational problems (work, family, marital …), etc…

To find the balance

These plants do not have a habituation effect like so-called “tonic” or “stimulating” plants such as coffee, ephedra, guarana, tea… but they are balancing. They restore a better homeostasis, or: they help the body to naturally regain its balance of health. They are neither stimulants nor tranquilizers.

Thus, in addition to increasing a person’s resistance, an adaptogenic plant can balancing physiological standards : temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, activity of the autonomic nervous system, immune system… and this without harming or disturbing the body (7).

Be careful, these plants have no specific action on any particular disease. They will not heal a targeted body part or organ. On the other hand, they strengthen the whole and thus increase a person’s healing potential.

Known for a long time in the traditions

In traditional Chinese medicine, as in Ayurvedic medicine, adaptogenic plants have been known for thousands of years as superior general tonics, strengthening the various functions of the organism, increasing its energy and generally promoting the state of good health. .

Mode of action of adaptogenic herbs

Curiously, adaptogens are said to decrease the effects of stress and help the body recover from it, not by opposing it directly, but rather by acting as mild stress repeated with each take. The body, eventually getting used to and overcoming this mild stress, strengthens itself to better withstand the more intense and chronic stress.

This phenomenon is found in the techniques known ashormesis where a “bearable trauma” of short duration is applied to the body (exposure to cold or heat, deprivation of food, short and intense exercise…) and ends up reinforcing its system of defense and adaptation.

In studies, the effect of adaptogens is mainly on the endocrine axis hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenals and on mediators associated with stress: so-called heat shock proteins (HSPs) in particular, protein kinase enzyme, cortisol, nitric oxide, FOXO, etc. HSPs precisely play a role in cell survival mechanisms and in apoptosis: natural elimination of diseased or abnormal cells.(1)(2)

Without going further into the details, these mechanisms make it possible to produce more energy in our cells, better physical and cognitive performance, and give us a glimpse of why traditional medicines associate the use of these plants with better longevity. (1)

Stress, stress adaptation and aging

As a reminder, the stress reaction is a unconscious physiological process which is triggered in the presence of imminent danger or aggression in our environment, and which puts us in danger. This reaction contributes to the survival of a species.

It essentially involves our autonomic nervous system and our adrenal glands which will produce, among other things, more cortisol and adrenaline. Originally, when hunter-gatherer man lived in the savannah and encountered danger, this survival reaction prepared him either for combat or for flight. For this purpose, the blood circulation is activated in the muscles while it decreases in the digestive tract, the heart accelerates to send more blood in the vessels, the pupils dilate, the hairs stand on end, etc… Everything it returns to normal when the danger has passed (6).

The real problem comes from prolonged stress (or chronicle). Nowadays and in our modern societies with a frenetic pace of life, it is most often psychological or linked to pollution or poor diet. We know today that it accelerates the aging of the body (see our article on mental stress and accelerated aging). Among other things, it promotes:

  • intestinal permeability disorders that generate toxins,

  • the overall acidification of the body, with demineralization and deficiencies,

  • chronic inflammation,

  • the loss of elasticity of the tissues of the body…

Consequently, it causes premature aging of all tissues: skin, hair, nails, bones, membranes, tendons, organs, hormonal glands, etc.

Interest of adaptogenic plants in anti-aging medicine

Many studies exist that demonstrate various effects of adaptogens (see bibliography below). Many of these properties have made them part of the arsenal of anti-aging medicine:

– in the prevention of aging:

The goal is to strengthen our body and make it more resistant. Adaptogens then act as the methods applied to thehormesis exposure to cold, heat, nutrient deprivation, fasting, high-intensity exercise, apnea… The ideal is, of course, to combine these techniques and not to believe that a few plant capsules will replace them all. Laziness is not an anti-aging weapon!

– to help restore balance after significant stress:

Most often this stress will lead to common problems with advancing age, such as:

  • fatigue, even adrenal exhaustion,

  • loss of libido,

  • digestive disorders,

  • mood disorders and depression,

and in the longer term (3)(4):

  • atherosclerosis,

  • chronic inflammation,

  • insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome,

  • neurodegenerative diseases,

  • cancer…

The triggering element could have been a long illness, one or more physical or psychological traumas, nervous overwork, surgery, etc… especially since we tend to become less solid with age.

Other uses

Adaptogenic herbs stimulate the immune system which tends to become less efficient with age.

They also have abilities anabolic and promote tissue manufacturing in the body. They are therefore particularly indicated for people with a catabolic and metabolic constitution (Vata and Pitta in Ayurvedic medicine). Thus, they can improve the healing capacity. Some doctors use them after aesthetic anti-aging treatments to help the skin recover: peels, lasers, surgeries, etc.

They can also help build muscle, which is also interesting in anti-aging since we know that our muscle mass decreases as we age.

They improve the ability cardio-respiratory in athletes (5).

The best adaptogenic herbs

Some are well known, others less so. Most have been studied and have proven their effect on the strengthening of adaptive capacity and on nervous or/and physical fatigue. Here they are :

  • Ginseng (panax ginseng): with a particular effect on kidney function, nicknamed “plant of vitality”. It improves mood, libido, immunity, and helps fight depression.

  • Turmeric: best known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer effects.

  • Sea buckthorn: rich in vitamins C, A, E, trace elements, omega 7, and antioxidant flavonoids, good against skin aging

  • Rhodiola (rhodiola rosea): growing in Siberia, with a more marked action on nervous balance.

  • Eleutherococcus: mainly in Asia and Siberia, it is a mild, easily tolerated adaptogen with properties similar to those of ginseng

  • Ashwagandha (withania somnifera) is a standard of Ayurvedic medicine, improves sleep/wake rhythm, libido, fatigue, mood…

  • The schisandra : used in Ayurveda to tone the nervous system and by Chinese medicine to improve longevity. It would also be an aphrodisiac.

  • Astragalus still used in Ayurveda to help sleep, and which could promote the lengthening of our telomeres, itself correlated with our longevity.

  • gingko biloba, an antioxidant rich in flavonoids. In particular, it improves cerebral capillary circulation.

  • Reishi or ganoderma: also called the miraculous mushroom. It acts particularly on the liver.

These plants and their dosages are better described in our article: “The best adaptogenic plants in anti-aging“.

How to take adaptogenic herbs ?

To prevent the body from getting used to these treatments, they must be taken in cures, of 2 months for example. Beyond that, they will become less and less effective.

In general, it is conventional to say that it takes 3 weeks for a sufficient effect to appear. This seems normal given the mode of action of these plants which actually “train” the body to adapt. Nevertheless, some animal studies have shown effects after 7 days of treatment (2).

It is possible to use a single plant or a mixture of different plants.

It is often advisable to combine essential micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino and fatty acids). On the one hand, because deficiencies are frequent in these periods of stress and they must therefore be filled. On the other hand, because nutrient requirements can be increased to overcome the effects of stress, in particular: magnesium, zinc, group B and C vitamins.

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