For a long time, pharmacology has drawn active ingredients from plants with the power to cure certain ailments. 

Phytotherapy, aromatherapy and naturopathy are the trends that we most often find in the prescription of "natural care". 

However, scientific advances, research, and clinical tests have made it possible to define the causes of the links between effects attributed to certain active plant ingredients: those of adaptogenic plants.

What does "adaptogen" mean? 

The concept of "adaptogen" characterises "a pharmacological substance capable of inducing in an organism a state of increased non-specific resistance enabling it to counterbalance stress signals and adapt to exceptional effort". 

The uses of this type of plant are in fact not recent.

Chinese medicine has been using it for a long time but has never "classified" this plant into a particular group. 

The unusual characteristics of these plant's active ingredients were first highlighted during the Second World War by a Russian pharmacologist, Nicolaï LAZAREV, who was trying to define the type of action of certain plants such as ginseng, with the aim of finding natural substances that could improve the performance of soldiers.

What are the effects of adaptogens on our body? 

According to the publications of the National Center for Biotechnology Information*: adaptogens can be considered as a new pharmacological category of anti-fatigue drugs that :

• induce an increase in attention and endurance in situations of decreased performance caused by fatigue and/or a feeling of weakness.
• reduce stress-induced deficiencies and disorders related to system function (neuro-endocrine and immune).

It has been suggested that adaptogens not only have specific therapeutic effects in certain stress-induced disorders, but that they may also have an impact on the quality of life of patients.

There are about twenty plants described as adaptogens. They have their own specific effects. 

Saffron, astragalus, rhodiola and bacopa, for example, are used for their benefits on memory. 

Royal jelly, which is also very well known, is often found on the shelves of pharmacies for its energising role.

Probably the most complex and today the most studied for its multiple benefits for our system is the Cannabis Sativa plant. The same plant that delivers its many cannabinoids such as cannabidiol, which we use frequently, cannabigerol, or THC (which we do not use). 

For well-being, stress management, pain inhibition, preventing severe epileptic seizures, or other mild or severe pathologies, cannabis is today the most promising plant in the industry. 

Soon to be found in many medicines in pharmacies, and currently being tested in more than 3,000 French pharmacies, cannabinoids have been adopted for several years by our neighbours. 

At Sowé, we advocate its use in each of the areas we work in: 

• In cosmetics, CBD has a remarkable ability to communicate intelligently with our endocrine and immune systems in order to harmonise imbalances, whether caused by stress or other external aggressions. The most well-known is the famous "oxidative stress" that wreaks havoc on the skin by asphyxiating our epidermal cells. 

CBD is also one of the rare active ingredients capable of regulating sebum so well, thus limiting its production, and correcting oily skin and the appearance of blackheads. 

• In nutraceuticals, cannabidiol, like an adaptogenic plant, is just as interesting because once ingested, it helps the body to adapt to stress by balancing the different cursors: more energy, less stress, more immunity, more serenity, etc. The results are different for each person: we do not need the same 'settings' at the same time. This is what makes adaptogenic plants so valuable for our mental health.

As you can see, CBD is one of the most complex, but above all most effective, plant-based active ingredients for treating numerous ailments, whether aesthetic or physiological. No wonder it has become a must have. 

If you didn't know, maybe it's time to discover all its benefits thanks to our face oil, Huile Précieuse, or our edible CBD Oils.

Sources

1. Panossian, A., & Wikman, G. (2010). Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress-Protective Activity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 3(1), 188–224. doi.org/10.3390/ph3010188
2. Panossian, A., Wagener, H. (May, 2011). Adaptogens. A Review of their History, Biological Activity, and Clinical Benefits. Herbal Gram, 2011, vol.90.
3. Pellati, F., Borgonetti, V., Brighenti, V., Biagi, M., Benvenuti, S., & Corsi, L. (2018). Cannabis sativa L. and Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoids: Their Chemistry and Role against Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Cancer. BioMed research international, 2018, 1691428. doi.org/10.1155/2018/1691428