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Cited by 211Medicinal Plants and Bioactive CompoundsPhytochemicals and Medicinal PlantsStress Responses and Cortisol

Plant adaptogens III. Earlier and more recent aspects and concepts on their mode of action

Panossian, A., Wikman, G., Wagner, H.·1999·Phytomedicine
DOI 10.1016/s0944-7113(99)80023-3
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Abstract

Stimulus-response coupling systems responsible for defence and adaptation of organism to stressors are multi-target and very complicated pharmacological systems, including the neuroendocrine (stress) and immune system. The mode of action of adaptogens is basically associated with the stress-system (neuroendocrine-immune complex) and can be directed on the various targets of the system involved in regulation (activation and inhibition) of stimulus-response coupling. However, clinical studies performed according to the most modern standards are quite limited. On the other hand there is an extensive amount of clinical experience and also established use in self care etc. These aspects are planned to be dealt within a subsequent article which will be devoted to the application in three areas: self care, adjuvants in medicine and curative action in some diseases. At this stage, nevertheless, it seems possible to define some most important "stress-markers" for evaluation of efficiency of adaptogens in experimental and clinical pharmacological studies. They can be both activating (catecholamines, LT-s, cytokines, NO, etc.--"switch on" system--which activates energetic and other resources of the organism), and deactivating (corticosteroids and PGE2-endogenous mediators of cellular communications, which protect cells and whole organism from overreacting to the activating messengers--"switch off" system) stress-messengers. The balance between the activities of the "switch on" and "switch off" systems reflects the well being of the organism. It could be established on different levels of the homeostasis (heterostasis) with different levels of the sensitivity to stressors (Figure 8). The response of stress system--"reactivity" is different at the various levels of heterostasis and depends on adaptation--capacity of the organism (or a cell) to protect itself. In the process of adaptation to stressor's effects the basal levels mediators of switch on (e.g. NO) and switch of (e.g. cortisol) systems are increasing but their balance (the ratio) does not change. In other words, adaptogens increase the capacity of stress system to respond to external signals at the higher level of the equilibrium of activating and deactivating mediators of stress response. Consequently, plant adaptogens can be defined as "smooth" pro-stressors which reduce reactivity of host defense systems and decrease damaging effects of various stressors due to increased basal level of mediators involved in the stress-response. In further studies of adaptogens it seems important to find correlation between adaptogenic activity (a decrease in the "reactivity" of the organism--the basal level of activating and deactivating messengers: ILs, LTB4, NO, PGE2, cortisol, but not their ratio) and their therapeutic efficiency (symptomatic evaluation).

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  • The intake of adaptogens is associated with better ability to adapt to stress, maintain or normalize metabolic functions, and better mental and physical performance.

    “The intake of adaptogens is associated not only with the body’s better ability to adapt to stress and maintain/normalize metabolic functions, but also with better mental and physical performance [1,2,3].”

    From Plant Adaptogens—History and Future Perspectives (2021) · cites this paper as [2]

  • Adaptogens increase the body's resistance not only to physical but also to chemically and biologically harmful agents.

    “In 1980, the scientists Breckham and Dardimov found that adaptogens increase the body’s resistance not only to physical but also to chemically and biologically harmful agents [1,2,7]”

    From Plant Adaptogens—History and Future Perspectives (2021) · cites this paper as [2]

  • In the past, ginseng extracts were used to maintain homeostasis, treat fatigue and weakness, increase immune protection, and treat hypertension, diabetes type 2, and erectile dysfunction.

    “Extracts were prepared and used to maintain homeostasis in the human body, treat fatigue and weakness, increase immune protection, and treat hypertension, diabetes type 2, and erectile dysfunction [2,23,24,25,26].”

    From Plant Adaptogens—History and Future Perspectives (2021) · cites this paper as [2]

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Authors
Panossian, A., Wikman, G., & Wagner, H.
Affiliations
  • Svenska Örtmedicinska Institute (SE)
  • Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
Corresponding author
Panossian, A.
ORCID
Panossian, A.
Venue
Phytomedicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1999-10
Volume
6
Issue
4
Pages
287-300
ISSN
0944-7113 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0944-7113(99)80023-3
OpenAlex
W2060298073
Cited by
211
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 11
FWCI
0.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Phytomedicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Phytochemicals and Medicinal Plants
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Keywords
plant adaptogens, mechanism of action, stress response, neuroendocrine-immune network, stress symptoms, stress reactivity, cortisol, catecholamines, nitric oxide, cytokines, adaptogenic activity, homeostasis, self-care, stress adaptation
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Physiological, Humans, Plant Extracts

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