Table Of ContentADAPTOGENS
in Medical Herbalism
“Donald Yance has yet again set a benchmark for complementary, botanical
medical books. Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism is both thorough and
accessible, and it provides clear understandings of the importance of these
herbs in health and disease prevention. What distinguishes Donnie’s book
from the many available in the field is his grasp of the essential issues and his
deep exploration of the resources, demonstrated by his faultless referencing. It
will become the standard by which future books will be judged.
DANIEL WEBER, PH.D., PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR
INTEGRATIVE ONCOLOGY AND CHINESE MEDICINE, EDITOR OF
THE JOURNAL OF CHINESE INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE, AND VICE
CHAIR OF ONCOLOGY AT THE WORLD FEDERATION OF CHINESE
MEDICINE SOCIETIES
“A breakthrough in herbalism! This book should be in every household.”
CHRISTOPHER VASEY, N.D., AUTHOR OF THE ACID–ALKALINE DIET
AND OPTIMAL DETOX
“This is a wonderful, deeply informative, and comprehensive book. . . . I
strongly recommend Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism to anyone who is
devoted to preventing, healing, or recovering from a chronic condition. It is
my hope and prayer that this book becomes a mainstay in general public
education and dialogue as well as in integrative medicine and integrative
oncology.”
ROBERT ZIEVE, M.D., PRESIDENT OF THE CENTER FOR HEALTHY
MEDICINE AND AUTHOR OF HEALTHY MEDICINE: A GUIDE TO THE
EMERGENCE OF SENSIBLE, COMPREHENSIVE CARE AND BEYOND
THE MEDICAL MELTDOWN: WORKING TOGETHER FOR SUSTAINABLE
HEALTH CARE
“Western medicine needs medical herbalism, and Donnie Yance provides
comprehensive natural medical knowledge of adaptogens and their
companions along with insightful information on vitality and health. The book
also contains useful monographs and extensive journal references for
practitioners.”
STEVEN MAIMES, COAUTHOR OF ADAPTOGENS: HERBS FOR
STRENGTH, STAMINA, AND STRESS RELIEF
T
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND
DEDICATION
his book has been several years in the making, and I am deeply grateful to
those who have provided inspiration, support, and encouragement along the
way.
The late Dr. Ben Tabachnik, my friend and colleague, was instrumental in the
creation of the adaptogen formulas that I use today that have benefited so many
people. Although I had used adaptogens in my clinical practice for many years,
meeting Ben in 1999 deepened my interest in these remarkable healing plants.
As a senior scientist for the National Research Institute of Sport in Moscow
during the 1970s and ’80s, Ben implemented scientific discoveries in
biochemistry, pharmacology, and nutrition into the training programs of top-
level athletes, including members of the Soviet Union’s national Olympic
sprinting team. In 1990, Ben immigrated to the United States, where he
continued to coach elite athletes. Ben’s first book in English, Soviet Training
and Recovery Methods, introduced to the American public the concept of using
natural
anabolic
agents—herbal
adaptogens—for
improving
athletic
performance. Ben maintained that the same catabolism (breaking down) that
occurs in elite, competitive athletes could also be seen in normal people under
everyday stressful conditions. In our collaboration, Ben and I were inspired to
create adaptogenic formulas to benefit a wide range of people, from my patients
with chronic diseases like cancer to anyone interested in maintaining optimal
health and vitality.
Donald Yance with Dr. Ben Tabachnik, March 2003
I would like to dedicate this book with love and gratitude to a very special
man in my life, Shelley Shelley. Shelley, whom I consider to be my adopted
father, is truly an amazing man who has given and taught me so much. At two
years shy of one hundred years of age, he believes wholeheartedly in the benefits
of herbal and nutritional medicine. He is involved in and supportive of all of my
endeavors and encourages me with his steadfast faith in the work I do. I also
want to thank Paul Dujardin, another wonderful man whom I have known as
long as Shelley, and who has also believed in me and supported me.
I also thank God as I know him in the cosmos and through my personal
Eastern-Christian Franciscan faith, God as we find him in one another through
our love, and God as we find her in all of nature—most especially in those
humble healers we often call weeds.
I am grateful for my loving, beautiful, and supportive wife, Jen, who has
unwaveringly held the vision for this book from the very beginning, and who has
worked by my side through the lengthy process of bringing it to fruition. To my
children, Stella, Coltrane, and Clarissa: may you be inspired by these plants and
infused with their healing properties and wisdom throughout your lives. To
Laurel Vukovic, I offer my gratitude for your tremendous ability to capture my
voice and articulate my message to the world in an eloquent way; you are a
gifted writer and a joy to work with. And my thanks also go to Suzanne Sky,
who acted as the master architect in the early stages of organizing material for
this book.
Donald Yance and Shelley Shelley
CONTENTS
Cover Image
Title Page
Epigraph
Acknowledgments and Dedication
Foreword by Dwight L. McKee
Introduction
WHY HERBAL MEDICINE?
ADAPTOGENS: THE FOUNDATION OF HEALTH
THE PRACTICE OF LISTENING
OUR HEALING JOURNEY
BEYOND SURVIVING: THRIVING
PART ONE: ADAPTOGENS
Chapter 1: My Healing Philosophy
TRADITIONAL HEALING
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
THE ROOTS OF AMERICAN HERBAL MEDICINE
ELI JONES’S CONSTITUTIONAL APPROACH
THE ECLECTIC TRIPHASIC MEDICAL SYSTEM (ETMS)
Chapter 2: Adaptation and the Stress Response
A CONCEPTUAL VIEW OF STRESS AND WELLNESS
THE PROCESS OF ADAPTATION
HOMEOSTASIS: CLAUDE BERNARD AND WALTER
CANNON
HANS SELYE’S GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME
ADAPTATION ENERGY
ALLOSTASIS AND ALLOSTATIC LOAD
PLASTICITY AND ADAPTATION
LIFE FORCE
ENERGY SYSTEM ESSENTIAL FOR HEALTH
ADDICTION TO STRESS
ADAPTIVE CAPACITY: HEALING AND RECOVERY
Chapter 3: Vital Energy and the Neuroendocrine System
VITAL FORCE: MITOCHONDRIA, ATP, AND THE
CELLULAR ENERGY SYSTEM
ANABOLIC (ENERGY-IN) AND CATABOLIC (ENERGY-
OUT) METABOLISM
THE PROCESS OF ENERGY TRANSFER
VITAL ESSENCE: THE NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEM
SELYE’S GAS MODEL AND THE STRESS RESPONSE
HOW STRESS AFFECTS THE ADRENAL GLANDS
CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS: ORCHESTRATING THE
RHYTHM OF THE LIFE FORCE
THE CHRONIC STRESS RESPONSE
ADAPTOGENS SUPPORT RECOVERY FROM THE
STRESS RESPONSE
Chapter 4: The Metabolic Model of Aging
ENHANCING METABOLIC FUNCTIONING AND
MAINTAINING IMMUNE PROTECTION
MITOCHONDRIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY
THE IMPACT OF OXIDATIVE STRESS
CELLULAR TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS
CHRONIC INFLAMMATION
THE HORMONAL NETWORK
ASSESSING YOUR METABOLIC AGE
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
PROTECTING BRAIN HEALTH
Chapter 5: Adaptogens, the Ultimate Evidence-Based
Medicine
A MONUMENTAL ERA OF PARAMOUNT DISCOVERY
EARLY RESEARCH ON PANAX GINSENG
ELEUTHEROCOCCUS, THE PROTOTYPE ADAPTOGEN
ADAPTOGENS DEFINED
HOW ADAPTOGENS WERE INTRODUCED TO AMERICA
APPLICATION IN SPORTS MEDICINE
ADAPTOGENS AND THE NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEM
ADAPTOGENS ENHANCE GENERAL RESISTANCE
ADAPTOGENS NORMALIZE THE HPA AXIS
ALLOSTATIC OVERLOAD AND CORTISOL
Chapter 6: Adaptogen-Based Formulations as the Foundation
of Health
ADAPTOGENS IN MEDICINE
ADAPTOGENS BALANCE THE STRESS REGULATION
SYSTEMS
THE PARADOX OF ADAPTOGENS
ADAPTOGENS REGULATE METABOLISM AND VITAL
ENERGY
ADAPTOGENS REGULATE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
ADAPTOGENIC REMEDIES REPLENISH HEALTH
Chapter 7: Harmonizing with Adaptogenic Blends
AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO HEALTH
COMBINING HERBS FOR SUPERIOR RESULTS
ADAPTOGENS ENHANCE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF OTHER
COMPOUNDS
CATEGORIES OF ADAPTOGENS: PRIMARY,
SECONDARY, AND COMPANION ADAPTOGENS
CREATING HEALTH WITH ADAPTOGENIC BLENDS
Chapter 8: The Thyroid and the HPA Axis
THYROID DISEASE
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THYROID HEALTH
PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THYROID HORMONES
HOW ADRENAL HEALTH AFFECTS THE THYROID
ASSESSING ADRENAL-THYROID AXIS DEFICIENCY
BASAL METABOLIC RATE
BALANCING THE HPAT AXIS WITH HERBS AND
NUTRITION
SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS TO SUPPORT THYROID
FUNCTION
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS TO IMPROVE THYROID
FUNCTION
Chapter 9: Cardiovascular Health
LIFESTYLE CHANGES THAT IMPROVE
CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
TEN WAYS TO MAINTAIN CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
REGULATING ADMA
OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS
CONCLUSION
Chapter 10: Revitalizing the Immune System
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN STRESS AND IMMUNITY
CELLULAR ENERGY AND FREE RADICALS
THE IMMUNE-ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
THE THYMUS GLAND AND IMMUNE FUNCTION
ADAPTOGENS, STRESS, AND IMMUNITY
TUNING HORMONE ACTIVATION AND
INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS
IMMUNONUTRITION
Chapter 11: Adaptogenic Remedies in Cancer Therapy
A MULTIFACETED APPROACH TO HEALING
THE WHOLISTIC APPROACH TO TREATMENT
EVALUATE AND ADDRESS THE THREE MAIN
ENERGETIC NETWORKS
THE ROLE OF ADAPTOGENS IN CANCER PREVENTION
AND TREATMENT
THE IMPORTANCE OF IMMUNOTHERAPY IN CANCER
TREATMENT
PHENOLIC COMPOUND ACTIVITY
RADIATION PROTECTION AND POTENTIATION
CHEMOPROTECTIVE ADAPTOGENS
ADAPTOGENS AS MODULATORS OF MULTIPLE
CANCER-RELATED INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS
INDIVIDUAL TREATMENT PLAN
Chapter 12: Healthy Brain and Aging in the Metabolic Model
MITOCHONDRIAL EFFICIENCY
GLYCATION
OXIDATIVE STRESS
HOMOCYSTEINE
NEUROENDOCRINE AND ENDOCRINE DYSFUNCTION
INFLAMMATION
ADAPTOGENIC REMEDIES THAT PROMOTE
NEUROLOGICAL HEALTH
Chapter 13: Bone Health
COUNTERING THE FEARS
HEALTHY BONE FUNCTION AND PEAK BONE MASS
FOODS THAT IMPROVE BONE HEALTH
HERBAL MEDICINE FOR OSTEOPOROSIS
CONCLUSION
Chapter 14: Weight Management
MEASUREMENT OF OBESITY
THE HPAT AXIS, ENERGY METABOLISM, AND WEIGHT
MANAGEMENT
METABOLIC SYNDROME, HORMONES, AND
ABDOMINAL OBESITY
WHY WE GAIN WEIGHT AS WE AGE
A WHOLISTIC APPROACH TO WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Chapter 15: Exercise, the Best Medicine
ENERGY TRANSFER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY
THE EXERCISE HABIT FOR HEALTH AND WEIGHT
LOSS
HOW ADAPTOGENS ENHANCE SPORTS PERFORMANCE
Chapter 16: Eating for Optimal Health
WHICH DIET IS RIGHT?
THE ENERGETICS OF FOOD
THE COMPONENTS OF AN EXCELLENT BALANCED
DIET
ENJOY FRESH, LOCAL FOOD IN SEASON
CREATE COLORFUL MEALS FOR HEALTH
CONSIDER YOUR ANCESTRAL HERITAGE
EAT LESS TO LIVE LONGER
EMBRACE THE SLOW FOODS MOVEMENT
BEVERAGES
GOOD NEWS ABOUT “SIN” FOOD
GOOD NUTRITION ALLEVIATES STRESS
Chapter 17: Mastering Life and Wellness through Spirit
OPTIMAL WELLNESS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT
SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY LIFE
THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE AND STOP WORRYING!
NURTURE CLOSE FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY
NOURISHING SPIRITUAL CONNECTION THROUGH
CONTEMPLATION AND MEDITATION
FINDING MEANING THROUGH PRAYER
LOVE AS MEDICINE
NURTURING SPIRIT THROUGH ART AND MUSIC
LIVING WITH THE UNKNOWN
CULTIVATE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD LIFE’S
TRANSITIONS
Conclusion to Part 1. The Future of Medicine
PART TWO: THE MONOGRAPHS
Acerola
OVERVIEW AND AUTHOR’S COMMENTARY
TRADITIONAL USE
MODERN RESEARCH
Alpha-Lipoic Acid
OVERVIEW AND AUTHOR’S COMMENTARY
MODERN RESEARCH
Amla/Indian Gooseberry
OVERVIEW AND AUTHOR’S COMMENTARY
TRADITIONAL USE
MODERN RESEARCH
Aralia
OVERVIEW AND AUTHOR’S COMMENTARY
TRADITIONAL USE
