ASTRADEFEN® Immune Tonic: 'Why These Conditions' and 'Why This Formula'

Posted by Beck Keogh on May 11, 2024

The continuing development of ASTRADEFEN® Immune Tonic was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Core Botanicals® brand.

Our founder, Paul Keogh has over 35 years of clinical and commercial experience as a medical herbalist, naturopath and industry expert. He has significantly contributed to and deeply understands the storied history that this respected immune tonifying formula represents.

At Core Botanicals® our mission is to assist our customers in their wellness journey, by providing the most potent and meticulously crafted, liquid herbal medicines. All our medicines are manufactured in Australia from traditional Chinese herbs, laboratory tested for purity and potency.

ASTRADEFEN® is the foundation of our product range developed to support our customers’ immune health and improve their overall well-being in the process.

In this article, we dive a little deeper in the history of the ASTRADEFEN® formula and its ingredients.

ASTRADEFEN ®

Historical background

The original inspiration for this medicine was a dry herb combination called Astragalus Eight Herb Formula, outlined by Dr Subhuti Dharmananda in a paper titled, “A New Herbal Combination for the Treatment of Immunodeficiency Syndromes”, published by The Pacific Journal of Oriental Medicine, Vol. 3., No.1 (1986): pp. 20-29.
Laurence Badgley mentions this formula in his book, Healing AIDS Naturally, published in 1987.
In the early 1990’s, Assoc. Professor Denis Stewart (clinical herbalist and naturopath https://denis-stewart.com/biography/) and his associate Noel Rigby (herbalist) extracted the active components of the dry herb preparation of Astragalus Eight Herb Formula to produce a one-to-one (1:1), full-strength fluid extract and released it to health professionals for clinical applications.
Paul Keogh (medical herbalist & naturopath), who studied under Assoc. Professor Denis Stewart from 1981-1986, helped develop the clinical applications for what became known as Astragalus 8.
In 1999, Paul Keogh and his business partners, Geoff Teasel and Bob & John Power, took over the manufacturing and distribution of Astragalus 8 under the Oriental Botanicals^Ò brand for practitioners, and released Astra 8 Immune Tonic under the Fusion Health^Ò brand for health food stores to provide direct access for consumers.
In 2016, Blackmores Australia purchased both Fusion Health^Ò and Oriental Botanicals^Ò brands; ultimately discontinuing the manufacture of Astragalus 8 and reducing the potency of Astra 8 to one-in-two (1:2), a half-strength fluid extract prepared from dry concentrate (powdered) herbal extracts instead of the dry herbs as it was originally.
In 2020, Blackmores sold both Fusion Health^Ò and Oriental Botanicals^Ò brands to McPherson’s Consumer Products.
In 2021, in accordance with official TCM dosages, Core Botanicals developed a higher potency version of the eight-herb formula equivalent to three times the dry herb strength of Astra 8 i.e., one-&-one-half-to-one (1.5:1), called ASTRADEFEN ®.
ASTRADEFEN ® is now available for consumers to purchase from health food stores, health professionals and online.

Why these conditions?

ASTRADEFEN ® combines two restorative tonic herb, Astragalus and Siberian Ginseng, with six other traditional Chinese tonic herbs, working together to tonify the immune system.
In Chinese medicine there are specialised tonic herbs for each system of the body.
For example, Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) is traditionally taken to support the immune system to fight illness, promote immune defences and improve immunity.
Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is evidenced to relieve fatigue, tiredness, and feeling of weakness, as well as assist with recovery from illnesse., during convalescence.

Why this formula?

ASTRADEFEN ® is an East-West formula, which is classified in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as an Immune Tonic, providing a range of therapeutic effects known collectively as immune tonification.
ASTRADEFEN ® contains two principle restorative tonic herbs: Astragalus and Siberian Ginseng, together with six other traditional Chinese tonic herbs working together.
This combination of eight Chinese tonic herbs exemplifies the synergistic relationship between different yet complementary effects on the immune system i.e., Astragalus supports the immune system to fight illness, while Siberian Ginseng assists with recovery from illness.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), combining immune tonics with complementary effects is called Fu Zheng
In Western herbal medicine (WHM), immune tonics are frequently classified as adaptogens e.g., Astragalus, Reishi Mushroom, Schisandra, and Siberian Ginseng, which help the body adapt to stress.
Energetically, immune tonics strengthen the body’s ‘vital energy’ or Qi especially the body’s protective Qi, and nourish the Blood e.g., Astragalus and Reishi Mushroom.

Complementing these primary energetic effects are organ tonics which support the Lungs (Astragalus, Codonopsis, Reishi Mushroom), the Spleen (Astragalus, Codonopsis, Licorice Root, White Atractylodes), and the Kidneys (Ligustrum, Schisandra, Siberian Ginseng).

← Older Post Newer Post →

Core Botanicals blog.

Why 86% of you come back (and the 2000-year-old secret)

A Note From Paul - medical herbalist, naturopath and founder of Core Botanicals®

I was recently looking at some data from our online store, and one number stopped me in my tracks: 86%.

That is our returning customer rate. In a world of "quick fixes" and endless supplement options, seeing that almost 9 out of 10 people come back to Core Botanicals  is the ultimate feedback. It tells me that what I set out to do - create potent, result-driven therapeutics - is actually working for you.

So, let me pull back the curtain on why Core Botanicals  formulas are different.

In the traditional world of herbal medicine (especially Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM), getting a therapeutic dose often meant boiling a large quantity of herbs on the kitchen stove.

This process is called decocting which in the end produces about 750 mL of dark, bitter, "smelly"liquid that you must choke down throughout the day. This system does work, but let’s be honest, it’s a lot of effort, and it doesn't exactly make your kitchen smell like a day spa.

At Core Botanicals, we’ve modernized this 2000 to 3000-year-old process.

For example, take our ALLERDEFEN medicine which was first formulated more than 1800 years ago. The basic seven herb formula has been used for generations to defend the spaces between the interior and the exterior of the body. In modern terms this function relates to the immune system defences and to “spaces” the likes of the eyes, nose and throat which can manifest
symptoms identified in Western medicine as allergic rhinitis or hayfever.

Core Botanicals takes the very same traditional herbal ingredients and extracts them using both the modern hydroethanolic system and the ancient aqueous decoction process to produce a high-potency medicine equivalent to at least 1.5g of dry herb per millilitre of extract.

Not only do we save people the inconvenience and trouble of preparing Chinese medicine the traditional way themselves, but we concentrate the daily dose of 750 mL of decoction into a convenient, reasonably palatable, high-potency daily dose of approximately 40 mL or a little over 5% of the decoction volume. No "smelly vapours" in the kitchen - just clinical-strength medicine in a highly absorbable liquid form that’s eliminated the hard work and inconvenience from taking Chinese herbal medicines.

When you see the statement "concentrate liquid herbal extracts" on our labels or “potency before profit” in our marketing, these are not buzz-phrases. They represent our unequivocal commitment to provide medicines that are consistent with traditional indications and dosages so you can experience the power of ancient Chinese medicine in a modern, convenient, liquid form.

Paul’s Clinical Tip: If you’ve tried dry herb preparations in decoction, capsule or tablet forms for the relief of the symptoms of hayfever (allergic rhinitis) including watery eyes, dripping nose, sneezing and itchy throat without satisfaction, maybe you’d like to try our high potency liquid ALLERDEFEN medicine. Many of my patients and customers not only report significant relief of symptom but also reduction of recurrence, which exemplifies an important TCM principle of
treating both the branch (symptoms) and the root (predisposition).

To your health,
Paul Keogh
Founder, Core Botanicals

Why you’re exhausted but can’t sleep

The "Tired but Wired" Trap

A Note From Paul - medical herbalist, naturopath and founder of Core Botanicals®

In my clinical experience, one of the most common complaints I’ve heard over the last three decades is some variation of: "Paul, I’m exhausted all day, but as soon as my head hits the pillow, my mind starts racing."

I call this the "Tired but Wired" trap. It’s a hallmark of our modern, fast-paced, goal-oriented world. Consequently, we’re living in a state of "sympathetic dominance" where our nervous system is stuck in "fight or flight" mode, even when we’re just sitting at our desks or trying to sleep. The thing that’s not well known about the "fight-or-flight" or sympathetic nervous system (SNS) mode is that it’s only half of the autonomic nervous system (ANS); the other half is called the “rest-and-repair” or parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which balances the sympathetic nervous system and together optimise the automatic functions of the ANS.

A great way to appreciate the differences is to imagine you’re picnicking under the iconic African “tree of life” (Baobab Tree) after a tiring safari on the savanna. You relax as you take in the scenery and recover as you enjoy some nourishing provisions. In this context, your parasympathetic mode is dominant. There you are feeling high on life when suddenly your sympathetic mode kicks in as a pride of lions approach. As they do, your appetite is replaced by fear and anxiety, and your bliss is banished by stress hormones surging through your body to raise your blood pressure and heart rate in readiness to fight for your survival or run for your life. All this happen below conscious control as part of our evolutionary responses governed by the ANS. So, although we’re no longer on the savanna, our modern cities can still feel like the jungle.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, the ANS is primarily understood through the lens of Yin-Yang balance, where the SNS is associated with Yang (activity, growth, defence, exertion) and the parasympathetic system with Yin (passivity, digestion, rest, repair). Chinese herbs and acupuncture act as dynamic regulators that harmonize these systems and correct imbalances associated with sympathetic dominance such as mild anxiety, irritability, restlessness, excess nervous energy and poor sleep.

In contract to the use of sedative drugs that "knock you out" to reduce anxiety, Western Herbal Medicine seeks to correct sympathetic dominance with Adaptogens.

Adaptogens are a unique class of herbs that help your body adapt to stress. They don't just control symptoms; they work on the primary mechanisms that govern your body’s response to stress including the ANS and the command and control, hormonal system called the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis (HPA). The HPA and ANS act as complementary, highly coordinated, and physically interconnected systems that calibrate your body’s response to stress.

In summary, the ANS provides a rapid, immediate response (within seconds) through sympathetic ("fight-or-flight") activation and parasympathetic (“rest-and-repair”) withdrawal, while the HPA axis provides a slower, sustained, hormonal response (over minutes and beyond) via cortisol release from the adrenal glands. However, prolonged activation of the “stress response” can lead to a "disconnection" or "disequilibrium" between these two dynamic, interrelated systems leading to many conditions modern humans experience in today’s version of “life in the jungle”.

For this very common "Tired but Wired" state, I rely heavily on two of my favourite Adaptogens: Ashwagandha (Withania) and Sacred Basil (Holy Basil). In our STRESDEFEN formula, we use these highly respected Ayurvedic Rejuvenating tonics herbs which help the body “adapt to stress” through more efficient and effective responses, together with two powerful Chinese herbs China Root and Chinese Senega that "soothe the spirit" (Shen) to calm the mind, aid mental relaxation, ease restlessness and reduce excess nervous energy.

In a nutshell, the goal of this dynamic approach is to calm the "wired" nervous energy while simultaneously rejuvenate the "tired" energy reserves.

What sets our formulas apart is the potency. Most liquid medicines you find on the shelf are tinctures (1:2 or 1:5) not extracts (1:1 or 1.5:1) with their strengths varying widely. Core Botanicals has developed a special dual-phase extraction system to produce a 1.5:1 extract strength that’s three times the potency of a 1:2 tincture. This means you’re getting three times the dry herb equivalence per mL, compared to many leading brands of 1:2 strength liquid medicines.

So, when you’re stuck in a stress cycle, it’s important to take the right herbs at a dose that can actually “move the needle”. I've also found that fresh air, moderate exercise and meditation support herbal medicines that regulate and rejuvenate your nervous system. A simple approach is to get outside and breath in a dose Nature’s most effective tonic combination: fresh air and sunshine. Research demonstrates this can have positive effects on moods and wellbeing by boosting blood oxygen and Vitamin D levels.

Paul’s Clinical Tip: If you find yourself "spiralling" in the mid-afternoon, that’s usually when your cortisol is fluctuating. Try a dose of STRESDEFEN around 3 PM instead of drinking coffee or coke (both caffeine hits) to help reduce that afternoon brain fog and energy slump. Also, try another dose around 9 PM to get you ready for sleep and prevent the "second wind" that keeps you awake.

To your health,
Paul Keogh
Founder, Core Botanicals