Don't Forget To Take Your Tonics!

By Steven Horne (Nature's Field)

There are many researchers right now who are studying the effects of aging on the body. They are finding certain key factors that are involved in the decline of health, vitality and immune function as we age.
These factors include the following:

• Increased resistance to insulin and decreased glucose tolerance (which leads to diabetes).
  
• Increased body fat and altered lipid ratios
  
• Increased systolic blood pressure
  
• Decreased aerobic capacity (ability of the body to oxygenate tissues)
  
• Decreased strength and muscle mass
  
• Hormonal imbalances and reduced hormone output
  
• Reduced immune function

Essentially, what this means is that if we want to keep feeling young, energetic and healthy, we need to find ways to accomplish the following anti-aging goals:

• Decrease insulin resistance
  
• Decrease blood pressure
  
• Reduce body fat and increase muscle mass
  
• Improve immune function
  
• Improve hormonal function
  
• Increase tissue oxygenation

While researchers are searching for ways to achieve these anti-aging effects, there is an answer "sitting right under their noses" - traditional tonic herbs. All over the world, different cultures have herbs that have been traditionally given to the elderly to keep them healthy. As I was assembling the information for this topic, I was impressed with how these herbs help with most of these anti-aging goals.

Many of these superior or tonic herbs described below must be taken in fairly large doses over a longer period of time because they have a gradual cumulative effect. They are more "food-like" than "medicine-like." In this article, I will discuss what these tonic herbs are, how they help counteract the effects of aging.

Korean Ginseng
In China, panax ginseng (also called Korean ginseng) is considered die "king of tonics" and is taken daily by millions of older Chinese people to ward off the effects of aging.
When I recently visited the Chinese herb shop in Chinatown in Las Vegas, I noticed that there was more ginseng there than any other type of herb. In addition to many packaged ginseng products, they had three barrels with three different sizes of ginseng roots as well as numerous prepared ginseng products.
Ginseng is definitely an anti-aging herb. It is known to increase energy, stamina and endurance. It improves mental and physical performance, including memory and reaction time. It decreases insulin resistance and balances blood sugar to counteract hypoglycemia and diabetes. It also helps reduce anxiety due to stress and relieves depression. Ginseng is beneficial for the cardiovascular system, too. It lowers cholesterol, aids blood circulation to the heart and has a beneficial effect on congestive heart failure.

While we think of ginseng as a "male" herb in the West, it is equally beneficial for men and women. For instance, it can help with many of the symptoms of menopause, including vaginal atrophy.

Eleuthero root
(formerly known as Siberian ginseng because of its tonic effects) has been prized in Russia for its adaptagenic effects and is taken by many classes of people from office workers to athletes. It has been shown to increase immunity, and enhance stamina and endurance. It reduces stress hormone output, improves mental concentration and athletic performance and helps balance blood sugar levels.
Eleuthero contains antioxidant compounds, anticancer compounds, immune enhancing compounds and cholesterol-lowering compounds. It is used in Chinese medicine for inflammation of the bronchials, reduced sex drive and function, weakness in the lower limbs and insomnia.

Eleuthero may have a testosterone-like effect. A midwife friend of mine, Joan Patton, said that eleuthero would stop labor if a woman was going into labor prematurely in the third trimester. I haven't read documentation on that else where, but I have no reason to doubt her experience.

Dr. Bruce Halstead, a medical doctor and research scientist, told me that in the early days of space exploration our astronauts were suffering from severe space sickness, but the cosmonauts were not. Because he had contacts in Russia, he was asked to find out the cosmonaut's secret. It was eleuthero root. He said our astronauts started taking eleuthero to prevent space sickness.
Unlike Korean and American ginseng, Eleuthero is safe for younger people to use. It is an excellent herb for anyone who feels like they are under too much stress.

Dong Quai
Dong quai is the Chinese "queen of tonics." Again, we tend to think of it as a female herb in the west, but this simply isn't the case. Although the herb is used by over 500 million women in China alone to maintain health, it has beneficial effects for both men and women.
In Chinese medicine, dong quai affects the heart, liver and spleen energy. This means it enhances blood circulation, builds or nourishes the blood and improves digestion. In addition to having a beneficial effect on women's menstrual cycles, the herb can aid high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, asthma, bronchitis and anemia. It can also be helpful for arthritis, constipation and heart arrhythmia. It is especially beneficial for people who are cold, fatigued, pale, weak and anemic.

Dong quai should he avoided during pregnancy, diarrhea or with hot or feverish conditions. It should also be avoided by women with endometriosis and breast cancer.

Astragalus
Another important tonic herb that comes to us from China is astragalus. This herb is sort of the "poor man's ginseng."
It actually provides many of the benefits of ginseng, but is a milder, food-like herb that can be taken in larger quantities and on a more regular basis. And, unlike ginseng, it is suitable for the young as well as the old.
Astragalus affects the Chinese spleen and lung, so it enhances digestion and assimilation and increases immunity. It replenishes qi (energy), helps the body release toxins, "warms" the system and reduces water retention. Astragalus also has adaptagenic and antioxidant activity.

Astragalus has been traditionally used for conditions such as lack of appetite, fatigue, diarrhea, frequent colds, shortness of breath, chronic sores and ulcerations, weakness, weak constitution and heart palpitations. It has been used to treat scanty urination, abscess, arthritic pain and numbness, asthma, boils, edema, inflammation, loss of appetite, muscle numbness, nephritis, nervousness, prolapsed organs. recovery from severe blood loss and uterine bleeding.

The best use of astragalus is for prevention of disease. Chinese families cook with it during cold and flu season to prevent illness. It is a great tonic for children and pleasant tasting, so they will take it in liquid form or in food. Although it is mildly warming, it can also be used for acute colds and flu. However, it is not suitable for conditions of excess yang (heat and dryness) or yin deficiency (heat, dryness and thirst).

 

Cordyceps
Here's another tonic herb from China, although it's not really an herb; it is a fungus that grows on caterpillars. Research is showing that cordyceps can help enhance energy, sex drive and athletic performance. In Chinese medicine, it is a tonic to both the yin and the yang energy.
It affects the Chinese kidney and lung systems. Kim Balas uses it a lot for chronic weakness of the lungs. She finds it helpful for asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases.
Since "metal" or "lung" weakness is one of my biggest problems, I have started using Cordyceps along with Chinese Lung Support as a tonic for my respiratory system recently and have noticed big improvements in respiratory function and my overall energy level. Studies have demonstrated that it is a great remedy for improving stamina and endurance in athletes.

Cordyceps helps balance blood sugar and has cardiovascular benefits, it reduced stress-induced cholesterol and blood pressure in a study using rats. It can help elderly persons with problems like fatigue. dizziness, cold intolerance, rinnitus, frequent nighttime urination, low libido and memory loss. Cordyceps is also an antioxidant and free radical scavenger. It helps lo reduce chronic inflammation and balance blood sugar levels.
Another benefit of cordyceps is its ability to enhance immune function. It can enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy and may have anti tumor activity. It also prevents cirrhosis of the liver and may be beneficial for hepatitis B. It works well in combination with ganoderma or reishi mushrooms for enhancing immunity.