Adaptogenic Herbs

Adaptogens help your body maintain optimal health

One of the questions I am most often asked is “what herb can I take to get rid of, ‘insert malady here’”. Having grown up with western medicine, we have become programmed to seek treatments for the symptoms of an illness rather than treating the underlying cause of the illness. This is evidenced by the fact that whenever someone had a fever, western medicine recommended aspirin, or acetaminophen, to artificially lower the fever. In his landmark book, The Nature Doctor, Dr. H. C. A Vogel wrote “If only everyone realized that fever is nature’s alarm bell, and actually a defense against harmful invaders, we would allow nature to take its course and give it our full support.”

Microbes typically evolve to live from a specific host species. They become dependent upon specific aspects of the host. In the case of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens that evolved to live in the human body, they enjoy our constant 98.6° F body temperature. The human body is brilliant in its evolution. To create a hostile environment for invading pathogens, it has developed the ability to raise its core temperature. When we artificially lower the body temperature back to 98.6°, it is like we are a hotel offering an inducement to a patron to extend their stay. We should ask ourselves if we know better than the natural processes that work within us.

Do not get me wrong, I am not against western medicine. Quite the contrary. Western medicine has made amazing breakthroughs in eradicating horrific diseases. I believe the United States should follow the rest of the developed world and use western medical techniques and natural medicine in concert to help people live long and healthy lives. According to the World Health Organization, the United States ranks 31st in average life expectancy. I believe we can, and should, do much better.

The main difference between western and herbal medicine is that western medicine uses drugs that act upon the body to elicit a response, while herbal medicine supports the body’s innate ability to heal itself. This acting upon the body is the reason so many drugs used in western medicine have side effects which are often more severe than the original illness. I believe herbalism should be our first line of defense against most common health problems. We should only turn to western medicine when natural medicine does not cure the illness. Another stark difference between herbalism and western medicine is that herbalism seeks to treat the underlying illness rather than the symptoms. I believe the best way to treat any illness is by not getting it in the first place. I know that is much easier said than done. One way in which we can stave off illness is by maintaining our bodies in the best shape possible. This does not only mean going to the gym, but also giving your body what it needs to run as efficiently as possible. Adaptogenic herbs are a great way to keep your body running at peak efficiency.

Adaptogens are herbs which fortify the body so that it can adapt to stress of any sort, including infection, mental stress, or fatigue. One of the most widely used and studied adaptogenic plants is Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha). It is a pillar of Ayurvedic medicine. I found an article on the website for the National Institute of Health, entitled “An Overview on Ashwagandha: A Rasayana (Rejuvenator) of Ayurveda”, written by Narendra Singh, Mohit Bhalla, Prashanti de Jager,* and Marilena Gilca. This paper was originally published in the African Journal of Traditional, Complimentary, and Alternative Medicines. This article cited numerous scientific studies which illustrated the Adaptogenic and anti-stress properties of ashwagandha. The article showed that taking ashwagandha daily reduced overall cortisol levels in the blood and adrenals. This reduces the body’s reaction to environmental stress. Adaptogens provide another arrow in your herbal quiver which can be used to protect your body from the ravages of our daily world.

Preparing Adaptogenic herbal medicines
Now that we have learned about the amazing health benefits of adaptogenic herbs, we should probably talk about how to prepare them for use. For centuries, people have made use of herbs by simply steeping them in water to make healthful teas. Ashwagandha works well as a tea, as does Reishi mushroom. The problem with teas is that they only deliver the phytochemicals which are soluble in water. This is fine, if you are only interested in making use of the adaptogenic aspects of the plants. The phytochemicals responsible for the adaptogenic actions are only half the story though. Along with its adaptogenic actions Reishi is also a wonderful immune modulator. This means it helps modulate your immune system. This is important for anyone who has a weakened immune system, or those of us who have immune related illness like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, Hashimoto’s disease, or any of the myriad other conditions associated with an overactive immune system. The problem arises from the fact that many of the immune modulating phytochemicals are not soluble in water. These terpenes and other chemicals are typically contained in the volatile essential oils of the mushroom. These compounds are often destroyed by heat. While they are not water soluble, they are soluble in alcohol. Tincturing the plant provides the best of both worlds.

Tincturing a plant is simply soaking it in a mixture of alcohol and water. Tinctures provide multiple benefits. They draw out more of the healthful benefits of the plant material. They extend the useful life of the plant far beyond the growing season. And the alcohol content greatly extends the shelf life of the medicine.

As a beginning herbalist, I recommend everyone start out making all tinctures using 100 proof alcohol which is 50% alcohol and 50% water. I like to use vodka, because it is free from additives and has a relatively neutral taste. This yields the best initial tincture. As you become proficient with herbs, you will learn to identify which constituents you want to obtain for specific health benefits. This will allow you to adjust your alcohol content accordingly. I purchase the highest percentage alcohol I can find and dilute it as necessary. In Michigan, Everclear is 151 proof, or 75.5% alcohol, and 24.5% water. To make it easier we can round down to 75%/25%.

We are going to talk about tincturing Ashwagandha root and Reishi mushroom. It is recommended that both are tinctured in 60% alcohol. Because we cannot find 120 proof alcohol we must dilute a higher proof. The formula to dilute 75% Everclear is as follows; V1 x P1 = V2 x P2. When we plug in the numbers, we find that we need to add 150ml of water to 600ml of 75% alcohol to form a solution of 60% alcohol and 40% water.

Now that we have the necessary information, let’s make our tincture. The most common tincture strength is 1:5. This means that we start with 1-part plant material by weight to 5-parts alcohol by volume. Starting with a fifth (750ml) of 60% alcohol by volume, we will need to use 150 grams of ashwagandha root powder. Place the root powder into a quart mason jar and add the 750ml of alcohol. Make sure to use a butter knife to stir the material to remove any air bubbles, and to ensure the plant is thoroughly wetted. Cap the jar, label it with the common and botanical names of the plant, the amount of alcohol used, the ratio of plant to alcohol, and the date. Now place the tincture in a dark cupboard. Take it out and thoroughly shake it once a day. After 4 weeks, pour the contents of the jar through a cheesecloth lined colander, in to a large bowl. Make sure to squeeze out the plant material to get as much tincture as possible. Pour the strained tincture back into the cleaned jar and return it to the cupboard. Dosage of this tincture is ½ - 1 tsp 2-3 times daily.

Simply tincturing a mushroom does not work, because the water-soluble phytochemicals are locked behind the chitin of the cell walls. This is only broken down by heat. This means that mushrooms require a double extraction.

Mushrooms like Reishi require a few more steps to extract its healthful benefits. Being as that the water-soluble phytochemicals are locked in cells surrounded by chitin, the mushroom must be boiled for an extended period to destroy the chitin and release the desirable chemicals. We must therefore use a double extraction method. This is not as difficult as it might sound. Start out with the same steps as when you made the ashwagandha tincture. When you strain off the tincture and place it in a cupboard, place the used mushroom into a large pot. Add 1500 ml of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer until the water volume is reduced by half. You are making what is called a decoction. This may take a while, but your patience will be rewarded. After it has reduced by half, turn off the heat, and allow the pan to cool completely. Now strain off the mushroom and retain the water. Mix this water with the tincture, and you have a double extract that is both adaptogenic, and immune modulating.

The formula for diluting alcohol The formula to determine alcohol dilution is as follows: V1 x P1 = V2 x P2. With V1 being the volume of the final volume of diluted alcohol needed and P1 being the percentage of high proof alcohol. V2 = the volume of water needed to achieve the final strength, and P2 being the final alcohol percent needed. In other words, if you start with 75% alcohol and you need 750 ml of a 60% alcohol, you would plug in the number as follows; V1 x 75% = 750ml x 60% V1 x 75 = 45000 V1 = 600ml We subtract the 600ml of 75% alcohol from the 750%ml of 60% alcohol needed, and we find we need to add 150ml of water to 600ml of 75% alcohol to achieve a solution of 750ml of 60% alcohol and 40% water.