David Winston and Steven Maimes - Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief

I dedicate this book to my late nephew Nathaniel Hall, who brought humor, challenges, growth, and a warrior spirit into my life and this great life. He will be missed by all who knew him.

DAVID

I dedicate this book to my family and the next generation.

STEVEN

Adaptogens

Brilliant! Fully researched, full of information not readily available, as well as being practical and easy to digest. The authors have managed to blend the traditional and recent scientific information into a fully comprehensive and informative text. This will become a classic, a definitive work on this most important group of medicinal plants.

ROSEMARY GLADSTAR, FOUNDER OF UNITED PLANT SAVERS AND AUTHOR OF HERBAL HEALING FOR WOMEN

Essential reading for all involved with adaptogens, whether practitioners or consumers. This is the first comprehensive guide to adaptogens based on good herbalism, good science, and NO hype! A truly excellent book.

DAVID HOFFMANN, BSC, FNIMH, AUTHOR OFMEDICAL HERBALISM ANDHERBAL PRESCRIPTIONS AFTER 50

Adaptogenic herbs can be most useful in the quest for health in our stressful society. Finally, David Winston and Steven Maimes explain and champion the use and the benefits of these important herbs.

JAMES A. DUKE, AUTHOR OFTHE GREEN PHARMACY

With Adaptogens, David Winston and Steven Maimes have finally made this important healing concept accessible to a wider audience. We need adaptogensgentle remedies that, over time, have the powerful effect of restoring and protecting our health on many levels. David Winstons vast clinical and practical knowledge of herbs adds tremendously to the value of the book.

CHRISTOPHER HOBBS, AUTHOR OF HANDMADE HERBAL MEDICINES AND NATURAL THERAPY FOR YOUR LIVER

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my coauthor, Steven Maimes, for proposing this book; my secretary, Eileen Zollo, who continues to decipher my scribbles and make them legible; and my friends and colleagues in the herbal, naturopathic, and veterinary communities who contributed to this book, including: Kathy Abascal, Mary Bove, Chanchal Cabrera, Barbara Fougere, Thomas Avery Garran, Christopher Hedley, Christopher Hobbs, Nick Larkens, the late Bill Mitchell, Stacey Small, Kevin Spellman, Jill Stansbury, Alan Tillotson, and Roy Upton.

DAVID

The herb that opened my eyes to adaptogens was holy basil. I would have to say that the presence of this particular herb called me forth to write this book.

As a researcher of herbal adaptogens, I acknowledge the many herbalists who have written about herbs and adaptogens, including coauthor David Winston, who contributed from his vast knowledge of herbs. There are two herbalists that have directly influenced my work; they are Kerry Bone and Paul Schulick.

I would also like to acknowledge the Great Tradition, the wisdom of the ages, and the healing plants that God created. Also, the watchwords: Remember. Be Simple. Be Kind.

STEVEN

Contents

Introduction

All plants contain adaptogenic/tonic compounds, because plants have to contend with a good deal of stress themselves.

JAMES DUKE, PHD,
SCIENTIST AND ETHNOBOTANIST

We all deal with stress every day, and our bodies strive to adapt and keep balanced and healthy. There is a category of herbs called adaptogens that help the human body adapt to stress, support normal metabolic processes, and restore balance. They increase the bodys resistance to physical, biological, emotional, and environmental stressors and promote normal physiologic function.

This book is about these herbs. In the past they have been called rejuvenating herbs, qi tonics, rasayanas, or restoratives. Modern research has proven that many of these herbs are important medicines that can be used for the prevention and treatment of a variety of common ailments.

One might say these adaptogenic herbs sound too good to be true. The wide range of health benefits they offer covers almost every area of the body. Yet, if we study history, we understand that these herbs have been used for thousands of years for a reason. The healers of the past knew of these herbs and used them often. Now, it is up to us to renew and expand upon that knowledge and again use what we have learned.

This book focuses on the adaptogens, superior healing herbs that have a long tradition of use and benefits. It also includes information on two categories of herbs that work in a complementary manner with adaptogensnervines (nerve tonics) and nootropics (cerebral stimulants).

Certainly, there is much more to say about other types of medicinal herbs. We recommend that you consult some of the many excellent books that are available. A few of our favorites are Medical Herbalism by David Hoffmann, Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy by Simon Mills and Kerry Bone, and Herbal Therapy & Supplements: A Scientific and Traditional Approach by Merrily Kuhn and David Winston.

REFERENCES AND SOURCES

In compiling this book, many sources (including scientists, academics, authors, and health care practitioners) were consulted, and the research was assembled so that it could be presented in a readable format for comprehensive understanding. In most cases, references are not provided within the text. For most general readers, these references are not important, but the conclusions are. Sources are listed in the bibliography section of the book. When sources are referenced within the text, the author name and date are provided; the bibliography can then be consulted for a complete citation, including publication details. This book is not an academic text but is intended for a general audience. We have tried to define most of the unfamiliar terms where they occur within the book. There is also a glossary at the end for reference. Information in this book has been obtained from research and sources considered reputable in the specific area of discussion. In most cases, research was verified by several sources.

NAMING THE ADAPTOGENS

This book will increase your understanding of herbal adaptogens, also known as plant adaptogens. In most cases we will just call them adaptogens.

In the text, we mainly use the common names of the adaptogens we discuss. So rather than saying Panax ginseng root, we generally say Asian ginseng. In table I.1, we have listed the Latin botanical names and plant parts used for all adaptogens discussed. Table I.2 lists other names used for the adaptogens, and within the Materia Medica section of the book (part 2) additional names are also listed.