Book
ADAPTOGENS: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by Steven Maimes and David Winston, RH (AHG)
Healing Arts Press (Inner Traditions): Quality paperback, 324 pages, illustrated, ISBN: 1-59477-158-8. April 2007. 54,000+ copies sold (both editions). eBook is available. Purchase used on Amazon.
Foreign editions are available: Japan, Bulgaria, Czeck,
Romania, Germany,
Poland, and Hungary.
> See information about the Revised Edition of ADAPTOGENS below.
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The definitive guide to adaptogenic herbs, formerly known as “rejuvenating herbs,” that counters the effects of stress on the body, supports normal metabolic processes and restores balance.
We all deal with stress every day, and every day our bodies strive to adapt and stay balanced and healthy. In Adaptogens, researcher Steven Maimes and herbalist David Winston provide a comprehensive look into adaptogens, non-toxic herbs such as ginseng, eleuthero, and schisandra, 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.
• Reveals how adaptogens increase the body’s resistance to adverse influences and provide a defense against stress.
• Includes a detailed overview of adaptogens with history, actions and monographs. Scientific research includes efficacy, safety, phytochemistry and biomedical stress theory. The chapter on health benefits of adaptogens discusses leading applications for 23 different indications including aging, athletic performance, cancer, cardiovascular function, immune system support, sex hormone regulation, sleep problems and stress.
• The monographs on the individual adaptogens tell their interesting story in history, ethnobotany (relationship between plants and people across cultures) and modern use.
They also present the latest scientific research and include the origin, actions, properties, preparation, and dosage for each herb. Because 18 of the 21 adaptogens have been used as medicines in either ayurvedic practice or traditional Chinese medicine, these traditions are discussed in more detail. In addition, there are chapters on adaptogens as food and adaptogens for animals.
About the Authors of Adaptogens
Steven Maimes, the former owner of an herbal products business in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a researcher, freelance writer, philosopher, and principal of SALAM Research in New Hampshire.
David Winston, RH (AHG), is an herbalist and ethnobotanist who has practiced Cherokee, Chinese, and Western herbal medicine since 1969. He is the president of Herbalist and Alchemist, Inc., a company that manufactures over 300 herbal products, author of Herbal Therapeutics and Saw Palmetto for Men & Women, and coauthor of Herbal Therapy and Supplements. He lives in Washington, New Jersey.
Praise for Adaptogens
"Adaptogenic herbs can be most useful in the quest for health in our stressful society. David Winston and Steven Maimes explain and champion the use and benefits of these important herbs."
James A. Duke, author of The Green Pharmacy
“Essential reading for all involved with adaptogens, whether practitioners or consumers. This is the first comprehensive guide to adaptogens based on good herbalism, good science, and NO hype! A truly excellent book.”
David Hoffmann, author of Medical Herbalism and The Holistic Herbal
“With Adaptogens, David Winston and Steven Maimes have finally made this important healing concept accessible to a wider audience. We need adaptogens—gentle remedies that, over time, have the powerful effect of restoring and protecting our health on many levels. David Winston’s vast clinical and practical knowledge of herbs adds tremendously to the value of the book.”
Christopher Hobbs, author of Handmade Herbal Medicines and Medicinal Mushrooms
“Brilliant! Fully researched, full of information not readily available, as well as being practical and easy to digest. The authors have managed to blend the traditional and recent scientific information into a fully comprehensive and informative text. This will become a classic, a definitive work on this most important group of medicinal plants.”
Rosemary Gladstar, founder of United Plant Savers and author of Herbal Healing for Women
“Adaptogens are destined to play an increasingly important role in the future of health care. This book provides an excellent introduction to and comprehensive overview of their traditional uses and of the science supporting their safety and therapeutic benefits.”
Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council
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Most herbal adaptogens that have been identified are used in either Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), or western traditions, they include:
Ayurvedic Herbs: Amla, Ashwagandha, Guduchi, Holy Basil, Licorice, Shatavari, Shilajit
Chinese Herbs: Asian Ginseng, Astragalus, Codonopsis, Cordyceps, Eleuthero,
He Shou Wu, Jiaogulan, Licorice, Lycium, Prince Seng, Reishi, Schisandra
Western Herbs: American Ginseng, Rhaponticum, Rhodiola
TONICS include Rasajanas, superior herbs, ADAPTOGENS, and
other tonics. How do we define primary and secondary adaptogens? They are
either defined by herbalists through human observational studies or they are
defined by scientists through animal studies. There are different perspectives.
Personally, I prefer that herbalists decide. Herbalists can look at science,
but science is not the ultimate authority. ~Steven Maimes
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See ADAPTOGENS on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AdaptogensHerbs/
For additional information, contact Steven Maimes
smaimes@gmail.com
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* New updated and expanded edition of ADAPTOGENS is now available.
This revised book includes more "science" for the medical practitioner.
September 2019. Color illustrations.
