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Abstract
Adaptogens are among the most common class of herbal medicines prescribed by herbalists today, and the term is rapidly disseminating into the wider community. Yet, despite the ubiquitous use of adaptogens in clinical practice, there is very little research available which clearly defines the mechanism of action. Although definitions have been proposed, no single definition has been agreed upon by researchers. It appears that the polyvalent action of adaptogens cannot be measured from a conventional pharmacological paradigm of single receptor-based perception of drug action, when adaptogens likely have a multi-targeted action on multiple receptor sites. The multi-target action has been a limiting factor in the progression of clinical trials as the most appropriate method to measure adaptogens remains unknown. Adaptogen is a key concept in Western herbal medicine, with roots spanning more than a century. Bridging the gap between clinical use of this concept and clinical data is long overdue. For this to happen, steps need to be taken to initiate the process of standardisation of the term, as is being seen with other traditional medicine concepts being formalised by the World Health Organization (WHO). This begins with consensus on the definition and a thorough examination of the mechanism of action from a broader pharmacological perspective.
Keywords Adaptogens, phytotherapy, pharmacology, herbal medicine.
Introduction
One of the greatest conundrums of the herbalist is the lack of understanding of botanical terminology by persons outside the herbal medicine community. Many of the terms that embody holistic traditional medicine concepts - everyday language to the herbalist - are either poorly understood (at best) or considered meaningless by the wider medical community. One of the best-known terms and concepts to Western herbalists is the 'adaptogen' class of herbal medicines. Herbalists use these herbs daily in clinical practice, with great confidence, prescribed by contemporary herbalists to reduce the negative impact of chronic and modern life stress, be it on a mental, physical or emotional level. Despite the ubiquitous use in clinical practice and the scientific community analysing adaptogens for decades in an attempt to understand their action in a quantifiable way, the clinical data is yet to reach a consensus on the mechanism of action and therefore it also remains unknown how to accurately measure it.
Herbal medicine knowledge...