Adaptogens are a group of herbs which have been discovered to have very specific supportive effects on the body , essentially they increase the body's resistance and vitality, enabling it to better respond to environmental stresses. This is why modern herbalists use adaptogens to manage some illnesses which have at their root nervous exhaustion due to long term stress states. These could include conditions such as chronic fatigue states, fibromyalgia, ME, insomnia and so on.
The word 'adaptogen' (obviously an English translation) was first coined by Soviet scientists in 1964 and was a by-product of their research into space travel. Realising that space flight would inevitably put the human body under some considerable physical and emotional stress they looked at ways to support their astronauts during space flight.
As part of these investigations they looked into the actions of various plants (one of which was Siberian Ginseng Eleutherococcus senticosus) and found that they had certain effects which now have become to be accepted as classic adatogenic characteristics. This discovery has passed into modern herbal medicine practice and anything classed as an adaptogen will display the following qualities: adaptogens will be herbs which have a non-specific activity, (i.e. they can increase the body's ability to withstand a range of physical, chemical or biological noxious agents); they have a normalising influence on the body, regardless of the cause of the stress and will be innocuous (not influence the body function anymore than required).
This may sound rather nebulous, but adagtogens are very useful herbs in the herbalist's dispensary and are used as part of the remedy for a wide range of illnesses. Certain ones are more pertinent to particular conditions than others, for example Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) is an excellent herb for many skin problems, particularly where these may be exacerbated by stress.
References
Hoffman, M. Medical Herbalism: the science and practice of herbal medicine, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, 2003.
This information is meant for educational purposes only and not as a guide to self-treatment. You should always seek advice from a healthcare professional. Remember that herbs can interact with other drugs and may be contra-indicated if you have certain medical conditions, are pregnant or lactating. Take care when using wild plants or any herbs, that you have the correct species from a reliable source.