Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief

David Winston · Steven Maimes

Mar 2007 · Inner Traditions / Bear & Co

About this ebook

The definitive guide to adaptogenic herbs, formerly known as “tonics,” that counter the effects of age and stress on the body

• Reveals how adaptogens increase the body’s resistance to adverse influences

• Provides a history of the use of these herbal remedies and the actions, properties, preparation, and dosage for each herb

We all deal with stress every day, and every day our bodies strive to adapt and stay balanced and healthy. In Adaptogens, authors David Winston and Steven Maimes provide a comprehensive look into adaptogens, non-toxic herbs such as ginseng, eleuthero, and licorice, that produce a defensive response to stress in our bodies. Formerly known as rejuvenating herbs or tonics, adaptogens help the body to “adapt” to the many influences it encounters. They increase stamina and counter the normal effects of aging and thus are becoming important tools in sports medicine and in the prevention and treatment of chronic fatigue and other stress-related disorders.

Winston and Maimes present the historical uses of these herbal remedies in India, Russia, China, and the Americas and explain how they work and why they are so effective at combating stress-induced illness. Monographs for each adaptogen also present the latest scientific research and include the origin, traditional use, actions, properties, preparation, and dosage for each herb.

About the author

David Winston, RH(AHG),is an herbalist and ethnobotanist who has practiced Cherokee, Chinese, and Western herbal medicine since 1969. He is a founding member of the American Herbalists Guild, an internationally known lecturer on the topic of herbal medicine, and the president of Herbalist and Alchemist, Inc., a company that manufactures over 300 herbal products. He is the author of Herbal Therapeutics and Saw Palmetto for Men & Women and coauthor of Herbal Therapy and Supplements, and he lives in Washington, New Jersey. Steven Maimes, the former owner of an herbal products business in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a researcher, freelance writer, and principal of SALAM Research in Rochester, New Hampshire.