Apr 01

Adaptogens & Medicine

Adaptogens, Neurotransmitters, Rhodiola Rosea No Comments »

What are Adaptogens? Adaptogens help the body and brain cells “adapt” to and resist physical, chemical and environmental stress. They also help the body by normalizing the immune system and glucocorticoid hormone levels in a positive way, bringing them into balance.

Rhodiola rosea in late bloom

Rhodiola rosea is such an adaptogen with a common name called “Golden Root”, ever heard of it? It has more than 45 years of clinical studies and used in natural medicine for thousands of years.

How could something so good and with such a history of helping the body to adapt to and resist physical, chemical and environmental stress evade the medical community of the US? Five reasons:

  1. There are 20 species of Adaptogens; most are unknown in the US market because they exist outside of the US.
  2. Rhodiola rosea was kept as a “Soviet Secret” until after the Soviet Union collapsed. For those living in the Altai mountain range of Siberia, Rhodiola rosea has always been known as a natural medicine to help the body and brain cells “adapt”.
  3. Since it is natural, US drug companies are not interested in something they cannot patent.
  4. Alternative companies here in the US are not compelled by the FDA to run clinical trials nor do most have the money to invest in them.
  5. It was not standardized until recent years. However, with that said here are reasons why you might want to investigate this compound.

Most drugs do not have 20 years of clinical studies, Rhodiola rosea has 45 years of documented clinical studies in Europe and in practice by professionals in the US for more that 12 years. Most drugs have multiple unwanted side-effects and cannot be taken with other drugs. Rhodiola rosea only has a couple minor side effects, heightened dreams and agitations at high amounts. Many professionals are claiming side benefits rather than side effects and rhodiola rosea can be taken with most drugs. It’s safe and inexpensive. The only draw back might be that health plans do not cover it, but then most health plans today have co-pays exceeding the cost of purchasing Rhodiola rosea on line. You need a brand you can trust, Ameriden brought it to the professional market in 1995, it’s the only brand used in US case studies and it is standardized. EXTRA: The vast majority of tests performed with Rhodiola rosea showed improved bodily functions, especially performance (mental and physical). There are also over 143 published articles related to studies with Rhodiola rosea on PubMed. Here are just a few:

Rhodiola Rosea PubMed References

Clinical Trials
Contemporary Standardized Methods

Pharmacodynamics

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Genetics & Molecular Biology

Animal Studies

Feb 01

Brain Food for a Balanced Brain

Neurotransmitters, Rhodiola Rosea 23 Comments »

-Rhodiola rosea-

For thousands of years, certain civilizations, notably, the Chinese, Egyptians, Indians and Russians have revered herbal remedies for their healing properties. Unfortunately, many countries that used to include herbal medicines put them on the back burner as pharmaceutical drugs rose in popularity. However a renewed interest in alternatives has been revived due to the new findings from their beneficial ingredients. Today research studies published in reputable medical journals such as The Journal of the American Medical Association [1] & Wiley’s Psychiatry Second Edition CAM Treatments [2] point to the complementary role that herbs play in patients treatment. Yet, of all the herbs noted, the ability of an herb to help the body adapt to stress, improve performance and increase resistance to “the Bad Bugs” is most significant.  That herb is Rhodiola rosea from Siberia, a true adaptogen.

Adaptogens help balance our bodily functions via the neurotransmitters of the brain. Once classified as “A Russian Secret” Russian scientists are finally able to bless us with a wealth of information on this wondrous herb. [3] Rhodiola rosea, also known as Golden Root, has been used for centuries; in fact Siberian/Russian Rhodiola has over 45 years of clinical studies to back up its legitimacy as a safe and powerful complementary alternative. Let’s discuss one of its many important roles.

Let’s talk serotonin: Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter of which 80% is primarily found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and only 20% in the central nervous system (CNS) raphe nuclei of animals. Considering that just the slightest disturbance decreasing serotonin in the raphe nuclei can make a person become obsessive compulsive (OCD), manic depressive or schizophrenic, balancing that little bit of chemical becomes so important.  In fact an entire community of doctors now over sees patients on a regular basis to help improve this very problem.  SSRIs and other pharmaceutical drugs that alter serotonin levels are the usual treatment of these symptoms. [4] However many SSRIs carry unwanted side effects, especially for men.

With so much serotonin in the body you would think we would be home free. However, serotonin in the GI tract cannot cross over the blood-brain barrier, a semi permeable membrane that regulates the passage of certain substances into the brain.  Since serotonin is unable to cross over the blood-brain barrier it must be produced directly in the brain. So how is serotonin produced in the brain? An essential amino acid, tryptophan comes into play as serotonin’s raw material that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Tryptophan, when in the brain, is converted to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) by the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase.  The final step involves the conversion of 5-HTP to 5-hydroxytryptoptamine (5-HT), otherwise known as serotonin. [1]

In humans serotonin levels are affected by diet. An increase in the ratio of tryptophan to phenylalanine and leucine will increase serotonin levels as well. Fruits with a good ratio include dates, papaya and banana. Foods with a lower ratio inhibit the production of serotonin. These include whole wheat and rye bread.[5] Research also suggests that eating a diet rich in whole grain carbohydrates and low in protein will increase serotonin by secreting insulin, which helps in amino acid competition.[6] However, increasing insulin for a long period may trigger the onset of insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and lower serotonin levels.

Throughout the body there is a system of checks and balances that work to keep us healthy.  Nowhere is this more important than in the control of serotonin production in the brain.  Two powerful enzymes called monoamine oxidase and aldehyde dehydrogenase help limit the production of serotonin.  Without these two enzymes too much serotonin would be produced which would be just as bad as not enough serotonin.  Depression is a consequence of insufficient serotonin levels, this is a fact that shouldn’t be over looked. Remember brain function is dependent upon proper balance. [1] Enter Siberian/Russian Rhodiola rosea. Siberian/Russian Rhodiola rosea helps the brain adapt to emotional & physical stressors by balancing serotonin. Do you eat on the go?  Are constantly stressed out? Why not give a natural alternative with so much history a try?  Rosavin™ or Rosavin Plus®, brain food for a balanced brain.

REFERENCES:

  1. Arctic Root (Rhodiola rosea), Carl Germano, RD. C.S.N., L.D.N. & Zakir Ramazanov. PhD Kensington Publishing Corp. 1999 Introduction
  2. Wiley –PSYCHIATRY Second Edition, CAM TREATMENTS, A. Tasman, J. Kay, J. Lieberman
  3. The Herb that came in from the cold, Peter Jaret, Natural Solutions, 1/01/2005
  4. Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin
  5. Abu-Jayyab A. “Nutritional Pharmacology Of Sleep & Depression”. SelfGrowth.com. http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Nutritional_Pharmacology_of_Sleep_Depression.html. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  6. Young SN (November 2007). “How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs“. J Psychiatry Neurosci 32 (6): 394–9. PMID 18043762

This Article is copyrighted by AMERIDEN® International, Inc.

No part of this article may be reproduced by any means without the expressed written consent of AMERIDEN® International, Inc. 1/6/2010

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