Eleuthero
by David Bunting

Stress has become an issue of concern for most of us, yet stress itself is neither good nor bad. The stress that concerns us is excessive, and often chronic, stress. Normal and expected stress is the source of the adaptive process. It is the force that leads us to change, grow and remain healthy. The stress many of us experience today is a chronic situation rather than isolated instances of fight or flight. It is a state that goes beyond adaptation and wears on the body and mind. Chronic and excessive stress is particularly detrimental to the nervous and endocrine systems, especially the adrenal glands. It can be responsible for conditions such as exhaustion and malaise, reduced immunity, various skin conditions and is at the very heart of most disease. Other than attempting to escape our stressful world on some South Pacific island, what options do we have for dealing with day-to-day stress?

Lifestyle choices are critical in dealing with stress and should include some form of exercise, relaxation and something that we enjoy and that nurtures us. Herbally, there is a class of plants that is particularly suited to helping us deal with chronic and excessive stress; namely adaptogens. Adaptogens increase our resistance to non-specific stress, helping us to adapt to the stressful circumstances of our lives. More specifically, they are agents that increase biological resistance to diverse physical, chemical, biological and psychic factors. The ideal adaptogen is non-toxic, non-specific in the sense that it increases resistance to a wide range of stressors, and has a normalizing action whether dealing with excessive conditions or insufficiencies.

Most of the scientific work on Eleuthero has been carried out in Russia. Russian studies have found that Eleuthero reduces cold-induced diseases, essential hypertension and negative effects from toxic chemical compounds and radiation therapy. It also enhances vision and hearing acuity, color perception and physical endurance.

Studies on large populations of workers showed a 30 to 35% decrease in disease incidence. In one test, conducted on miners over a two-month period, disease incidence dropped 33.3% and days missed from work dropped 45.6%. In another test at a mining plant, incidence of influenza and acute respiratory disease among workers taking Eleuthero decreased 2.4 times compared to a control group. Eleuthero enhances resistance to overwork, environmental factors such as heat and cold, and to radiation and chemical exposure, making it a useful adjunct in radiation therapy or chemotherapy. It is a superior herb for supporting the adrenals in long-term exhaustion, drug use (including caffeine-containing beverages) and excessive chronic stress. It enhances both mental and physical stamina, endurance and performance, improving ability for exercise, cognitive function and capacity to work. Eleuthero is also beneficial in recuperation from illness and to generally enhance energy.

Unlike many other so-called ginsengs, Eleuthero is related to true Ginseng or Panax. Eleuthero is a member of the Araliaceae or Ginseng family. It is a spiny, deciduous shrub from northeast Asia, with large populations occurring in Siberia. The name is derived from the Greek eleutheros meaning free and kokkos meaning seed, in reference to the seed within its hard covering. The specific name is the Latin senticosus, meaning full of thorns, in reference to the plant’s bristly stem.

Eleuthero was used in training Soviet athletes for the Olympics in the 1970’s and 1980’s. In 1991 it was the subject of a positive German Commission E monograph for invigoration during fatigue and declining work capacity. Despite its established use in these areas, in 1996 a patent was awarded to a U.S. company for a product consisting solely of Eleuthero (under the name ciwujia) used for “enhancing stamina and physical performance during exercise and for enhancing recovery following cessation of exercise.”

Herb Pharm’s Eleuthero is a concentrated 2:1 extract (2 grams of herb per milliliter, about one dropperful). Eleuthero is truly a tonic herb and can be taken on a daily basis for months. Although it generally has a positive effect on immunity, Eleuthero may be inappropriate in acute infection and fever. Although Eleuthero is not a stimulant, it may trigger a stimulated or “wired” feeling in some individuals and is best avoided before bed.