Mycelia networks, adaptogens, and mental health

Mycelia network

psilocybin-neurogenesis

Jones, K.. (1998). Reishi Mushroom. Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 4(4), 256–266.

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1089/act.1998.4.256
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Panossian, A., & Wikman, G.. (2010). Effects of adaptogens on the central nervous system and the molecular mechanisms associated with their stress – Protective activity. Pharmaceuticals

Plain numerical DOI: 10.3390/ph3010188
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“Adaptogens were initially defined as substances that enhance the ‘state of non-specific resistance’ in stress, a physiological condition that is linked with various disorders of the neuroendocrine-immune system. studies on animals and isolated neuronal cells have revealed that adaptogens exhibit neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, antidepressive, anxiolytic, nootropic and cns stimulating activity. in addition, a number of clinical trials demonstrate that adaptogens exert an anti-fatigue effect that increases mental work capacity against a background of stress and fatigue, particularly in tolerance to mental exhaustion and enhanced attention. indeed, recent pharmacological studies of a number of adaptogens have provided a rationale for these effects also at the molecular level. it was discovered that the stress-protective activity of adaptogens was associated with regulation of homeostasis via several mechanisms of action, which was linked with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the regulation of key mediators of stress response, such as molecular chaperons (e.g., hsp70), stress-activated c-jun n-terminal protein kinase 1 (jnk1), forkhead box o (foxo) transcription factor daf-16, cortisol and nitric oxide. (copyright) 2010 by the authors; licensee swedish herbal institute, gothenburg, sweden.”

Provino, R.. (2010). The role of adaptogens in stress management. Aust J Med Herbal

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“Stress is a normal part of everyday life but it is important to be able to use tools for its management otherwise chronic stress, if left untreated, can lead to a variety of stress related illnesses including hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, depression, memory impairment and chronic fatigue syndrome. the aim of this literature review is to summarise and critically analyse research conducted on the adaptogenic herbs withania somnifera, panax ginseng, eleutherococcus senticosus, schisandra chinensis, glycyrrhiza glabra, rhodiola rosea, bacopa monniera and centella asiatica. the mechanism of adaptogens appears to involve the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis with resultant decreases or normalising of nitric oxide and cortisol, which are increased during times of stress. most adaptogens also have anxiolytic and antioxidant properties and these have been attributed to their adaptogenic effect. methods: the online databases pubmed, proquest, ebsco and the directory of open access journals were searched to obtain peer-reviewed journal articles on adaptogens. the library of the national herbalists association of australia was also searched. most studies used animal experimental models but some limited human clinical trials have been conducted. fourteen studies using animal experimental models were identified and these have been summarised in table 1. twelve human clinical trials were identified and these have been summarised in table 2. results and conclusions: withania somnifera appears to be the most commonly used, and extensively studied, adaptogen followed closely by panax ginseng and eleutherococcus senticosus. schisandra chinensis is an extensively used adaptogen in traditional chinese medicine (tcm). other herbs studied that show adaptogenic activity include rhodiola rosea, glycyrrhiza glabra, bacopa monniera and centella asiatica, with the latter two more specific in improving memory. most studies on adaptogens have used animal experimental models and whilst positive benefits have been shown, more large scale human clinical trials are needed. [abstract from author] ”

Panossian, A., & Wagner, H.. (2005). Stimulating effect of adaptogens: An overview with particular reference to their efficacy following single dose administration. Phytotherapy Research

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1002/ptr.1751
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“Plant adaptogens are compounds that increase the ability of an organism to adapt to environmental factors and to avoid damage from such factors. the beneficial effects of multi-dose administration of adaptogens are mainly associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (hpa) axis, a part of the stress-system that is believed to play a primary role in the reactions of the body to repeated stress and adaptation. in contrast, the single dose application of adaptogens is important in situations that require a rapid response to tension or to a stressful situation. in this case, the effects of the adaptogens are associated with another part of the stress-system, namely, the sympatho-adrenal-system (sas), that provides a rapid response mechanism mainly to control the acute reaction of the organism to a stressor. this review focuses primarily on the sas-mediated stimulating effects of single doses of adaptogens derived from rhodiola rosea, schizandra chinensis and eleutherococcus senticosus. the use of these drugs typically generates no side effects, unlike traditional stimulants that possess addiction, tolerance and abuse potential, produce a negative effect on sleep structure, and cause rebound hypersomnolence or ‘come down’ effects. furthermore, single administration of these adaptogens effectively increases mental performance and physical working capacity in humans. r. rosea is the most active of the three plant adaptogens producing, within 30 min of administration, a stimulating effect that continues for at least 4-6 h. the active principles of the three plants that exhibit single dose stimulating effects are glycosides of phenylpropane- and phenylethane-based phenolic compounds such as salidroside, rosavin, syringin and triandrin, the latter being the most active. copyright © 2005 john wiley & sons, ltd.”

Panossian, A. G.. (2013). Adaptogens in Mental and Behavioral Disorders. Psychiatric Clinics of North America

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.psc.2012.12.005
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Wagner, H., Nörr, H., & Winterhoff, H.. (1994). Plant adaptogens. Phytomedicine

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/S0944-7113(11)80025-5
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“The term adaptogen has not yet been accepted in medicine. this is probably due to the difficulties in discriminating adaptogenic drugs from immunostimulators, anabolic drugs, nootropic drugs, and tonics. there can be not doubt, however, that, at least in animal experiments, there are plant drugs capable of modulating distinct phases of the adaptation syndrome as defined by seyle. these drugs either reduce stress reactions in the alarm phase or retard / prevent the exhaustion phase and thus provide a certain degree of protection against long-term stress. the small number of drugs the antistress activity of which has been proven or reported includes, among others, the plant drugs ginseng, eleutherococcus, withania, ocimum, rhodiola, and codonopsis. this review summarizes the major findings of pharmacological tests and human studies carried out with these drugs. currently used assay systems allowing detection of antistress activities are also reported. at present the most likely candidates responsible for the putative antistress activity of plant drugs are special steroids, phenylprogane compounds and lignanes, respectively. apart from influencing activities of the pituitary-adrenal axis and inducing stress proteins, many adaptogens also possess immunomodulatory and / or anabolic activities. © 1994, gustav fischer verlag, stuttgart · jena · new york. all rights reserved.”

Panossian, A.. (2017). Understanding adaptogenic activity: specificity of the pharmacological action of adaptogens and other phytochemicals. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13399
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“© 2017 the new york academy of sciences.adaptogens are stress-response modifiers that increase an organism’s nonspecific resistance to stress by increasing its ability to adapt and survive. the classical reductionist model is insufficiently complex to explain the mechanistic aspects of the physiological notion of ‘adaptability’ and the adaptogenic activity of adaptogens. here, i demonstrate that (1) the mechanisms of action of adaptogens are impossible to rationally describe using the reductionist concept of pharmacology, whereas the network pharmacology approach is the most suitable method; and (2) the principles of systems biology and pharmacological networks appear to be more suitable for conceptualizing adaptogen function and are applicable to any phytochemical. molecular targets, signaling pathways, and networks common to adaptogens have been identified. they are associated with stress hormones and key mediators of the regulation of homeostasis. in this context, the mechanisms of action of adaptogens are specifically related to stress-protective activity and increased adaptability of the organism. consequently, adaptogens exhibit polyvalent beneficial effects against chronic inflammation, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative cognitive impairment, metabolic disorders, cancer, and other aging-related diseases. current and potential uses of adaptogens are mainly related to stress-induced fatigue and cognitive function, mental illness, and behavioral disorders. their prophylactic use by healthy subjects to ameliorate stress and prevent age-related diseases appears to be justified. it is very unlikely that the pharmacological activity of any phytochemical is specific and associated only with one type of receptor, particularly adaptogenic compounds, which affect key mediators of the adaptive stress response at intracellular and extracellular levels of communication.”

Mendes, F. R., & Carlini, E. A.. (2007). Brazilian plants as possible adaptogens: An ethnopharmacological survey of books edited in Brazil. Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2006.08.024
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“In a survey, from brazilian books, we searched plants that are in popular use for purposes resembling those of an adaptogen. this study focused on 24 books by authors from diverse regions in the country, resulting in a total of 1317 citations of uses related to a possible adaptogen effect from approximately 766 plants. only species native to brazil, cited in at least four books, were selected, resulting a total of 33 species, belonging to 24 families. of these, four species have been studied previously in relation to effects that are considered as part of an adaptogen effect (anti-stress, memory enhancement, increased physical and/or sexual performance): heteropterys aphrodisiaca (malpighiaceae), paullinia cupana (sapindaceae), ptychopetalum olacoides (olacaceae), and turnera diffusa (turneraceae). three others – pfaffia glomerata, pfaffia paniculata (amaranthaceae), and trichilia catigua (meliaceae) – have also been the object of pharmacological studies that support their use as a possible adaptogen, but they are listed in less than four books. the overall results obtained in the present review of brazilian folk literature reveals that brazil is rich in plants with potential adaptogen-like effect, but lacks pharmacological studies (mostly clinical ones) to confirm these therapeutic properties. © 2006 elsevier ireland ltd. all rights reserved.”

Panossian, A., Wikman, G., Kaur, P., & Asea, A.. (2012). Adaptogens stimulate neuropeptidey and Hsp72 expression and release in neuroglia cells. Frontiers in Neuroscience

Plain numerical DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2012.00006
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“The beneficial stress-protective effect of adaptogens is related to the regulation of homeostasis via mechanisms of action associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the regulation of key mediators of the stress response, such as molecular chaperones, stress-activated c-jun n-terminal protein kinase, forkhead box o transcription factor, cortisol, and nitric oxide (no). however, it still remains unclear what the primary upstream targets are in response to stimulation by adaptogens. the present study addresses this gap in our knowledge and suggests that an important target for adaptogen mediated stress-protective effector functions is the stress hormone neuropeptide y (npy). we demonstrated that adapt-232, a fixed combination of adaptogens eleutherococcus senticosus root extract, schisandra chinensis berry extract, rhodiola rosea root extract shr-5, and its active constituent salidroside, stimulated the expression of npy and 72 kda heat shock protein (hsp72) in isolated human neuroglia cells. the central role of npy was validated in experiments in which pre-treatment of human neuroglia cells with npy-sirna and hsf1-sirna resulted in the significant suppression of adapt-232-induced npy and hsp72 release. taken together our studies suggest that the stimulation and release of the stress hormones, npy and hsp72, into systemic circulation is an innate defense response against mild stressors (adapt-232), which increase tolerance and adaptation to stress.”