Healing from Nature: An Overview of Adaptogens

Abstract

Plant-derived substances have been valued since ancient times due to their rich cultural heritage and diverse applications. These plant-derived substances are important sources of drugs in traditional medicine systems, modern drugs, nutraceuticals, food supplements, and pharmaceutical intermediates. Adaptogens, known as plant-derived agents, are natural bioregulators that protect against the harmful effects of stress, increase our ability to adapt to environmental factors, and reduce damage. Adaptogens are herbs, foods, and phytochemicals that activate cellular adaptive signaling pathways, increasing resilience and the chances of survival. Adaptogens are used to increase physical resistance and alleviate some disorders such as memory and attention loss, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, and emotional instability caused by aging. They help regulate and reduce the body's physiological and mental stress responses to challenging situations in the short and long term. Adaptogens serve more than just one function, as they regulate the stress response, which is a physiological and mental response, by controlling the release of hormones secreted from the adrenal glands. Besides, they regulate hormone secretion to relieve symptoms, depending on what the body is trying to cope with at that moment. Adaptogens are thought to act in response to mediators of stress, such as corticosteroids, catecholamines, and nitric oxide, and may also act nonspecifically as antioxidants, immunomodulators, hypoglycemics, and hypocholesterolemics, among other effects.

Keywords

• Plant
• Nutraceutical
• Phytochemical
• Stress

Doğadan Gelen Şifa: Adaptojenlere Genel Bir Bakış

Abstract

Zengin geleneksel mirası ve çok yönlü uygulamaları nedeniyle bitkiler ve bitki kaynaklı bileşenler antik çağlardan günümüze kadar büyük ilgi görmüştür. Bu bitki kaynaklı bileşenler; geleneksel tıp sistemlerindeki ilaçların, modern ilaçların, nutrasötiklerin, gıda takviyelerinin, farmasötik ara maddelerin önemli kaynaklarıdırlar. Bitki kaynaklı ajanlar olarak bilinen adaptojenler; stresin zararlı etkilerinden koruyan, çevresel faktörlere uyum sağlama yeteneğimizi artıran ve hasarı azaltan doğal biyo düzenleyicilerdir. Adaptojenler hücresel adaptif sinyal yollarını aktive eden ve böylece dayanıklılığı, zorlu koşullara adaptasyonu ve hayatta kalma şansını spesifik olmayan şekilde artıran şifalı bitkiler, gıdalar ve fitokimyasallardır. Adaptojenler; strese karşı koymak, fiziksel direnci artırmak, formda kalmak veya yaşa bağlı gelişen hafıza ve dikkat kaybı, yorgunluk, uykusuzluk, kaygı, genel halsizlik, duygusal dengesizlik gibi bazı bozuklukları hafifletmek amacıyla kullanılır. Kısa ve uzun vadede zorlu durumlara karşı vücudun fizyolojik ve zihinsel stres tepkisini düzenlemeye ve azaltmaya yardımcı olurlar. Adaptojenler, adrenal bezlerden salgılanan hormonların salınımını kontrol ederek, fizyolojik ve zihinsel bir tepki olan stres tepkisini düzenlediklerinden sadece bir işlevi yerine getirmekle kalmazlar, aynı zamanda vücudun o an ne ile baş etmeye çalıştığına bağlı olarak salgılanan hormonları düzenleyerek semptomların hafifletilmesine ve azaltılmasına da yardımcı olurlar. Adaptojenlerin kortikosteroidler, katekolaminler ve nitrik oksit gibi stres aracılarına tepki olarak hareket ettiği ve diğer etkilerin yanı sıra spesifik olmayan bir şekilde antioksidan, immünomodülatör, hipoglisemik, hipokolesterolemik olarak da hareket edebildiği düşünülmektedir.

Keywords

• Bitki
• Nutrasötik
• Fitokimyasal
• Stres

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