To Russia and Back: Uncovering Secret Studies on Eleutherococcus

Join us for another excellent evening of education presented Brisbane-based Naturopath, Researcher and Endeavour Honours Graduate, Sophia Gerontakos on the well-known and loved adaptogen, Eleutherococcus.

Until recently large amounts of Russian research about its various properties remained hidden from all in the western world. Until an intrepid Honours student researching Adaptogens was invited by a Russian professor of phytotherapy and pharmacology to scour the archives and translate into English the numerous studies which may have been forgotten forever.

Sophia Gerontakos brings some fascinating insights, spectacular library photos and some entertaining tidbits from her month-long Russian adventure to uncover the secret studies on Siberian ginseng.

When: November 18th at 7.00pm (Brisbane time)
Where: Your computer via Zoom

How to join the Webinar: Once we’ve received your payment, we will send you a confirmation email. Following this, we will provide the same email address a webinar link to join in via Zoom approximately one hour before the event begins.

Please note that this is a *live* Zoom event that won’t be recorded, so please do everything you can to make yourself available for what will be another excellent event.

More about the Presentation:

The medicinal plant Eleutherococcus senticosus (Eleutherococcus) is a well-known and loved adaptogen –in Western Herbal Medicine and several other traditional medicine systems.

Eleutherococcus was first officially established as a medicinal plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1962. During the time of the USSR, a distinct research directive was undertaken on Eleutherococcus to examine substances which improve stamina and endurance, with over 1000 studies published between the 1960s and 1980s.

Due to security measures within the former USSR these papers were not accessible to the public, were never translated into English, and have not been accessed by Western researchers, herbalists or the scientific community.

In 2019, whilst undertaking an Honours degree researching adaptogens, Sophia was introduced to Prof. A. Shikov – a Russian professor of phytotherapy and pharmacology who has researched and written prolifically about medicinal plants of the Russian Pharmacopoeia, particularly adaptogens.

Prof. Shikov invited Sophia to visit a university in St Petersburg Russia to search the archives of several Russian libraries and undertake an English language translation and review of the forgotten studies of the Soviet Union on Eleutherococcus.

Some more on our Presenter:

Sophia Gerontakos is a Brisbane-based naturopath, herbalist and researcher. Whilst undertaking an honours degree investigating adaptogens she was invited to present her work on adaptogens at an international congress of phytopharmacology in St Petersburg, Russia and to stay on for an archival retrieval of studies on Eleutherococcus in collaboration with researchers from the Saint Petersburg State Chemical Pharmaceutical University.

Sophia is currently a PhD candidate in public health with the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine at Southern Cross University examining issues of access and integration of naturopathy, whilst running a free community clinic from an inner-Brisbane naturopathic practice.

Sophia is the author of several peer-reviewed publications on adaptogens and naturopathic medicine and has presented her research at international conferences in Australia and overseas. Sophia’s passion is community health and finding ways to ensure more people can access and reap the benefits of naturopathic care.