It is meant to provide new research awareness in the field regarding the fact about stress, stress-disease and their prevention and treatment. This article is being presented with a view to acquaint the readers/scientists about Plant Adaptogens/Antistress agents. Although relation of stress has been recognized in genesis of diseases long back, a scientific database is still missing. The pharmaco-clinical studies carried out in this regard are a new venture in stress- pharmacology. This is more important in view of the fact that there are no drugs for such stress-related diseases in the armamentarium of modern drug therapy. Simple animal models like swimming endurance, immobilization induced gastric ulcers, adrenal function during stress, CCl4 hepatotoxicity, anoxia tolerance test, brain neurotransmitters and enzyme and CNS receptors, levels of neurohumours after swimming immobilization and gravitational stress, milk induced leucocytosis, lipid peroxidase assessment for prevention of cell damage through antioxidant activity were carried out to evaluate the adaptogenic activity of these plants in rats and mice. Clinical trial in diseases related to stress like bronchial asthma, hypertension, cellular immunity, viral encephalitis, chronic fatigue syndrome were carried out in man. Ocimum sanctum (Os), Withania somnifera (Ws), Picrorrhiza kurroa (Pk), Diospyros perigrina (Dp), Altingia excelsa (Ae), Selaginella bryopteris (Sb), Panax ginseng (Pg) and Eleutherococcus senticosus (Es) showed a staminator effect of these herbs in animal tests. These plants increased stamina, prevented gastric ulcers and adrenal function changes due to stress. Thus CNS receptor, neurohumoral and hormonal changes due to stress are normalized by Adaptogens. Adaptogens increased cell mediated immunity in man improved clinically cases of bronchial asthma, hypertension, viral encephalitis and fatigue syndrome. Both Os and Ws were superior to Chinese ginseng (Pg) and Russian ginseng (Es) in respect to their innocuous nature (toxicity) and adaptogenic activities. TULSI, the mother medicine of nature, was found to be a number one Adaptogen.
