Performance, Endurance and Rehabilitation

Adaptogens provide the basis through which people can build up an energy reserve to be tapped when the body needs it most – under extreme physical tension and during recovery from fatigue. Test subjects administered adaptogenic extracts rapidly displayed improved indicators of energy and endurance, and athletes were able to improve greatly the results of their athletic endeavors.

In one study, under exhaustive muscle workloads, it was revealed that Rhodiola extract increased the activity of proteoytic enzymes and also significantly increased the level of protein and RNA in the skeletal muscles.

In another study involving a college basketball team, it was revealed that all four parameters of work capacity (including VO2 max, O2 pulse max, total work and exhaustion time) showed significantly larger increases when Eleutherococcus was administered than when the subjects were given a placebo. After administering Schizandra in an experiment on 140 athletes, 74% of the test subjects obtained their best results in a 3,000 meter run.

In one long-range study involving 60,000 people conducted over a 10-year period at the Volzhsk Automobile factory in Tolyatti, Russia, absence and disability were reduced by 20-30% after taking Eleutherococcus. A 30-50% decrease in cases of influenza and general improvement in health were also noted.

Observations were also conducted on weightlifters, wrestlers and gymnasts. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that Eleutherococcus extract increased physical work capacity, decreased fatigue and improved the general mental and physical state of the test subjects.

In an experiment on healthy male athletes, adaptogen administration induced a 64% increase in work endurance, while a higher rate of cases with reduced blood lactate and consistently lower blood pressure was also recorded.

A study of people performing physical labor revealed that when Eleutherococcus, Rhaponticum carthamoides and Rhodiola were administered, all test subjects showed an improvement in their general physical and mental states. There was also an improvement in functional indicators (pulse, arterial pressure, vital capacity, back muscle strength, hand endurance under static tension, coordination of movement) and a reduction in the duration of the recovery period in all test subjects.

Through extensive experiments on swimmers, skiers and other athletes, scientists around the world have reliably demonstrated the value of adaptogens for increasing stamina and accelerating the recovery process after physical exertion.

Researchers                                 Institute
E. Ahumada                          Laboratorio de Farmacologia

J. Hermosilla                        Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

V. Wyss                                 Inst. Med. Sport A. M.

G. P. Ganzit                           Torino, Italy

A. E. Bulanov                        Vladivostok Medical Institute

A. A. Sheparev                      Vladivostok, Russia
T. M. Agapova

K. Asano                               Institute of Health & Sport Sciences

T. Takahashi                         Tsukuba University

M. Miayshita                         Ibaraki, Japan

M. Kuboyama                        Medical Research Laboratories

H. Kuo                                   Toyko, Japan

B. N. Blokin                          Institute of Physical Culture, Moscow, Russia

L. McNaughton                     Center for Physical Education

G. Caelli                                Australia