Customer Reviews

Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The great American herbalist David Winston and researcher Steven Maimes have written an excellent analysis on what is arguably the most important class of herbs for those of us living in a stressed world. The book is clearly written and free of jargon, but will meet the needs both of professional herbalists and those who want to understand this group of herbs more deeply. Adaptogens are herbs that help us work better, which balance our neuroendocrine system as well as our immune system, which make our organs function normally and which increase stamina. Herbs like ginseng, schisandra, eleuthero, ashwaganda, holy basil and lycium (goji) berries are described in useful monographs. Interestingly, the book differentiates adaptogens from similar or overlapping classes of herbs like Chinese qi tonics, Ayurvedic rasayanas, amphoterics which normalize the functions of specific organs, and alteratives which enhance generalized elimination. I highly recommend this book to people at all levels of interest in herbal medicine.

As a student of traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, I find this book very useful as it highlights many traditional herbs as adaptogens. These herbs are important for health and well-being and the authors have presented a valuable reference book for both practitioner and general reader. The section on herbal adaptogens and monographs on adaptogens are particularly useful.

I am delighted to hear David Winston's voice reflecting his skill and wisdom as a herbalist in the book Adaptogens Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress. This book brings to the reader the opportunity to learn from both the traditional herbal knowledge on this important subject along with the information coming to the subject from science and modern technology. The book has the flavor of a more traditional herbal bringing in the subtle skill of energies unique to each individual plant which belong to this group and introducing the reader to the concept of formulation of adaptogen plants. The reader can truly begins to experience the Art of Herbal Medicine reflected in David's writing voice.

I have a wide selection of books related to herbs, but this is the only one that I know of that deals specifically with adaptogens, and since everyone could benefit from boosting his immune system and helping the body to effectively deal with stress, this is one of those books that may help anyone to enjoy better health.

The main adaptogens covered in this book are American ginseng, amla, ashwagandha, asian ginseng, astragalus, cordyceps, dang shen, eleuthero, guduchi, he shou wu, holy basil, jiaogulan, licorice, lycium, prince seng, reishi, rhaponticum, rhodiola, shisandra, shatavari, shilajit - interestingly enough most of them seem to be either part of Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine, and there is not much mention of herbs that may be traditionally used in western herbalism.

With the herbs covered in this book, he author has listed the history of the herb, where the herb grows, modern uses of the herb, dosage and safety, and there is a mention of few related studies. Herbs are also grouped in relation to different health issues, so you'll find herbs that may help with stress, those that may be helpful for breathing problems, herbs that may be helpful with athletic performance, those that may be helpful when dealing with cardio-vascular problems, those that may be helpful with musculo-skeletal problems, and so on - though if you do have any such problems, you may benefit from also looking into other herbs that are not mentioned in this book.

The author has added a small section on additional herbs that are helpful as nerve tonics - like chamomile, passionflower, skullcap, lemon balm and few others; and a section on herbal nootropics like bacopa, gotu kola, bhringaraj (which is otherwise popular for boosting hair growth), and few others.

Included are some popular herbal formulations from Traditional Chinese Medicine (bu zong yi qi tang, sheng mai san, etc.), and from Ayurveda (chyavanprash, and triphala), as well as some recipes for incorporating adapogenic herbs into food or making teas with combination of different herbs.

On a side note, there is a minimal mention on any herbs which have been traditionally used by western herbalists that will help you to boost your immune system, many of which you may find in your local grocery store, and add to food like turmeric, oregano, thyme and other spices, or make tea out of cinnamon, ginger and cloves - as will garlic and lemon, but they are beyond the scope of this book. Perhaps the greatest benefit of this book is that it covers herbs that many people in the west may be less familiar with.

I have studied folkloric herbalism for many years, and in the last three years it has become a passion. This book is wonderful, and is by far one of the best books available as an in-depth reference and treatise regarding these valuable green allies and their medicinal properties. Enlightening to the new herbalists, and invaluable to the more experienced.

Adaptogens is a book that shows skillful research and imparts that knowledge beautifully. I was thrilled to find this book is one that I will refer to often and each time will enrich my life. Life without knowledge is like a peel without a bannana. this book is an extraordinary find. A book like this can make our world a better place.

This book is by a highly knowledgeable herbalist but can be easily understood and used even by laymen with no previous herbal background. Adaptogens are explained repeatedly in different ways, including as a general tonic, for balancing hormones and other body systems, to help build up reserves in the body, and increase our ability to adapt to, and avoid damage from, the environment. Who, in today's world, wouldn't want all this?

As an informative and helpful starting point to such herbs, I could want nothing better than this book. You could pick and choose from the 40 or so herbs that are so well-described here and, with a little luck, get some benefit. For all these reasons I have given this book 4 stars.

Unfortunately, for me, it has a fatal flaw: it doesn't really seem to have an integrating philosophy or central principle by which I could work out where to start and how to take further steps. It is a sort of dictionary. You pick any one symptom (perhaps night sweats) or medical term (like cholesterol) and there are a number of possibly useful herbs. You might shortlist several and end up trying one of them, or combining several because they are said to work better that way, but it's basically guesswork.

Too many books on nutrition and nutritional supplements (vitamins, minerals, fats, etc) are like this - homeopathy and herbs too. They lack any focus on causation, there is no consideration of a unifying thread or starting point which, when addressed, could clear a number of seemingly different symptoms. (Homeopathy claims to do this but why, for example, is ignatia overwhelmingly given for just one symptom - grief?)

Those who have studied Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM) understand my point. CTM looks for, and addresses, a root cause for all the symptoms presented by a specific person. Too many health books, just like the conventional medical system, see patients as a collection of parts, or of diagnoses, to be fixed by various specialists or a number of different herbs or nutritional supplements, for example.

I would like to see more health books "boiling down" to main, or "umbrella", causes and issues. The body is not a machine such as a car, in which replacing the battery (a kidney or a heart in a human) or adding something (oil into a car or putting a few selected adaptogens or vitamins into a body) will put it back on the road in good working order.

[Later notes: Although not on the subject of herbs, I feel I should mention the new mental/emotional healing process explained in "The Healing Code" by Loyd/Johnson/Eble. There are hundreds of personal successes listed in the reviews here on this book. Three books that should be on the "top 10" of any list of books on health are: "Trick and Treat", which turns upside down everything governments have told us to eat for health, "Outsmart Your Cancer", a well-researched book on alternative therapies - anything that can HEAL cancer is also a general healer and should be able to help much else in the body, and "Never Fear Cancer Again" by Raymond Francis, a brilliant distillation of what is truly needed for health - if you want to know what a central principle and related philosophy looks like, this is a great example. Also the supplement Papaya 35, a super concentrate with fermented pawpaw.]

David Winston and Steven Maimes' ADAPTOGENS: HERBS FOR STRENGTH, STAMINA AND STRESS RELIEF will appeal into the general interest public library realm with a fine general guide to health, nutrition, and the potentials of nontoxic herbs to help the body 'adapt' to influences which causes fatigue and stress-related disorders. From a historical survey of the uses of these herbs around the world to medical explanations of why and how they work, ADAPTOGENS is a guide many a general lending library needs.

Well written, even for lay-person, trying to sort through the complexities of adaptogens. Understanding herb is no simple task, let alone adaptogens & their properties as compared to all the herbs and "super foods" info saturating the market. As a peds Practitioner and novice to herbal medicine it is a great resource. I would highly recommend it.
Blessings, Kayleen Clute, MSN, CRNP-Peds

I've had a keen interest in the adaptogens for a few years now, so was looking forward to reading this book. David Winston wrote the book geared for the general public, unfortunatly that leaves out the pharmacognosy that I rely on, which in turn, makes some on their applications sound like hype. In spite of this, I highly recommend this book! Very little is known about this catagory of herbs, and its only since the Russians have been integrated into the international database (2005) that we have any hard scientific evidence of the properties of this most important group of herbs. An excellent book on a most complicated subject.