Why we selected this company:

Gaia Herbs and Professional Solutions strive to produce pure plant medicines of exceptional quality and purity while enriching the ecology of the earth and the health and harmony of the people that use their phyto-medicines.  Gia Herbs’ mission is all about organics and making phyto-medicines with the highest degree of quality and integrity. To this end, Gaia Herbs and Professional Solutions have proudly invested in cultivation of 250 acres of certified organically grown herbs on our own farm in North Carolina. Our efforts in science & research yield unsurpassed quality botanical medicines.

Why we selected this product:

The effects of Eleutherococcus senticosus and Panax ginseng on steroidal hormone indices of stress and lymphocyte subset numbers in endurance athletes.

Gaffney BT, Hügel HM, Rich PA.

School of Nursing. Faculty of Nursing and Health, Griffith University, Meadowbrook, Queensland, Australia. B.Gaffney@mailbox.gu.edu.au

A clinical trial was undertaken to investigate the effects of Eleutherococcus senticosus (ES) and Panax ginseng (PG) on competitive club-level endurance athletes engaged in their normal in-season training. Participants were matched for training stress and received a 33% ethanolic extract (8 mL/day) containing either ES, PG (equivalent to 4 g and 2 g/day of dried root, respectively), or a placebo. A pre-test and post-test were used to evaluate the effects of six weeks of supplementation on cortisol, testosterone, and testosterone to cortisol ratio (TCR) as well as circulating numbers of total T-cells, T-helper cells (CD4), T-suppressor cells (CD8), CD4 to CD8 ratio, natural killer cells, and B lymphocytes. None of the immune system variables changed significantly nor showed any clear trend from pre to post test in any of the treatment groups. No significant change in testosterone, cortisol or TCR was observed in the PG group. In the ES group, however, TCR decreased by 28.7% from 0.0464 to 0.0331 (P=0.03). The main contribution to this decrease appeared to be a non-significant (P= 0.07) 31% trend towards increased cortisol rather than a very small non-significant (P = 0.36) 7% decrease in the calculated mean for testosterone. This result suggested that contrary to initial expectation, ES increased rather than decreased hormonal indices of stress, which may be consistent with animal research suggesting a threshold of stress below which ES increases the stress response and above which ES decreases the stress response.

PMID: 11798012 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Life Sci. 2001 Dec 14;70(4):431-42.

Benefits for the body:
Ultimate Support to Enhance Energy and Stamina
Encourages a Healthy Response to Stress
Promotes Adaptation to Stress

Interesting facts:
During the 1950’s and 1960’s Russian scientists began to extensively study the constituents and activities of Eleuthero. A new terminology was about to be born, as scientists studied substances that were able to bring about an “increased non- specific resistance” to an organism. These substances and the plants that contained them were called “adaptogens.”  An adaptogen is a substance that helps the body adapt to stresses of various kinds. In order to achieve this classification, a plant must be harmless. It must have a normalizing, broad-spectrum action that brings an organism back to homeostasis. Through Russian research, Eleuthero became the model of an adaptogen. Numerous clinical studies performed in Russia have documented the efficacy of Eleuthero as an adaptogen. In the late 1960’s and 1970’s studies were conducted in over 2,100 healthy people. These studies showed that Eleuthero increased the ability of the subjects to withstand stresses such as heat, noise, motion, exercise, and increase in workload. Subjects also experienced increases in mental alertness and work output.

Ingredients:
ELEUTHERO ROOT MG EXTRACT PER 2 CAPS
(Eleutherococcus senticosus)         400 mg
STANDARDIZED TO FULL SPECTRUM ACTIVITY PROFILE
Eleutheroside B & E                           3.2 mg

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.  If in doubt consult with a licensed naturopathic physician before use.  Physicians at Genesis Health Systems can be reached at 480.284.8155 and we are happy to consult with you about this product and helping you achieve optimal health.