What are Adaptogens?
Adaptogens are non-toxic plants that help can the body resist the stressors of day to day life, whether physical, chemical or biological. These plants have been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine traditions, and they are becoming very popular again today.
Adaptogens help your body handle stress. They’re meant to bring us back to the middle, to balance, to homeostasis.
To be considered an adaptogen, a substance must:
- Increase the stress resistance of an organism in some way
- Promote balance and homeostasis
- Be non-toxic, or nearly so
Essentially, adaptogens increase your general resistance against many different types of stress (physically, chemically, and spiritually) and helps to keep your body in a state of balance or equilibrium, safely and without any adverse effects.
Do adaptogens actually work?
Adaptogens can have a place in your life, although research is ongoing. Adaptogens can strengthen your adrenal glands just like exercise does for your muscles. When we exercise, we put stress on our muscles and it’s a stress on our bodies. As we continue to exercise, we grow muscles, our bodies adapt, get stronger and get better at dealing with the stress of exercise. Taking adaptogens helps train your body to better handle the effects of stress, and your resilience increases.
The plants do this by interacting with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system, which are involved in the body’s response to stress. Adaptogens tweak hormone production and physiological responses to stress to assist your body—from your mind to your immune system to your energy levels—to function as it should, to work as it was designed to by nature.
What can adaptogens do for us?
As mentioned earlier, adaptogens help us become more resilient and adaptable to stress. This includes stress from all sources, whether it be disease, injury, work or personal problems, poor diet or not enough sleep. They help the body build a reserve energy to help bring us back into balance when life throws us a curve ball and we get pulled out of homeostasis. Adaptogens can help us relax, sleep, improve our mood, enhance our energy levels, improve feelings of wellbeing, reduces feelings of depression and anxiety, supports our immune system, can improve physical and mental performance. Most importantly, adaptogens can help mitigate the health damaging effects of stress. Different herbs and mushrooms give differing effects.
Many adaptogens reduce cortisol, one of the stress hormones, while also reducing the effects of cortisol in chronic stress. Adaptogens also reduce inflammation throughout the body and assist in balancing your immune system. Adaptogens protect the cells and organs in the body. There are very few side effects related to adaptogens, of course, there is always a possibility of allergic reaction, upset stomach and some people who take multiple adaptogens report they have too much energy and can’t sleep.
What are some types of Adaptogens
Dozens of herbal plants and quite a few mushrooms are considered adaptogens. Some have been used in traditional Eastern and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. Here are a few adaptogens that are linked to stress relief and have multiple scientific studies behind them.
Ashwaganda. This evergreen shrub grows in India, the Middle East, and regions of Africa. Research suggests it may help with aging, anxiety, stress and healing inflammatory conditions, and can help balance hormones. The root extract may possess the ability to improve overall well being.
Ashwaganda can improve stress, endurance, anxiety, depression, focus and concentration, as well as loss of libido, and can help restore insulin resistance.
Chaga. This is a fungus that grows mainly on birch trees in the far north. It has been used by indigenous peoples, and its use dates back to Roman times. Chaga has high antioxidants and has been used traditionally as a cancer medicine. Because of its high antioxidants it is also used for anti-aging. Chaga can balance the immune system making it stronger when necessary, as with chronic stress - or dialling it down, in the case of auto immune disease. It can reduce inflammation and food sensitivities, and improve energy and stamina.
Rhodiola Rosea. Rhodiola grows in sub arctic regions of the world including China, Europe and Eastern Canada in mountainous areas at high altitude. The root is often used traditionally for anxiety and depression, mental stress, and fatigue. Quite a few studies have been done on Rhodiala on its effectiveness on stress and improved mood. It has been found to significantly improve symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Rhodiala can also increase focus and concentration, improve endurance exercise performance, improve immune function, and better sleep. It’s a great herb to help with feelings of burnout. Rhodiola can help with chronic fatigue.
Holy Basil (Tulsi). Tulsi is a flowering plant of the mint family, found throughout southeast Asia.The plant has been used for a few thousand years in Ayurvedic medicine for a variety of ailments. It is also a culinary herb used in cooking. Traditional uses of tulsi include reducing inflammation, reducing blood sugar levels, healing skin conditions. Research indicates it can also be used as broad spectrum antimicrobial use, antioxidant, detoxification, generalized anxiety disorder - tulsi has shown a significant improvement in symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. Tulsi can help slow aging, boost immune function, help fight cancer and promote liver function.
Reishi Mushroom. Reishi is a woody mushroom found on dead and living tress mainly in Japan, Korea, and China. It can be taken as a tea, powder or tincture. Reishi isn’t your ordinary mushroom and won’t be found in your fresh produce isle. Reishi has been used for a few thousand years in traditional Chinese medicine. Reishi mushrooms have a high content of antioxidants, proteins and many minerals the body uses, like magnesium, selenium and zinc. Reishi also has anti-inflammatory properties, and anti-stress properties. It can help balance the body and assist in reversing the effects of stress on your body. Reishi can help increase your emotional and physical resilience and wellbeing. It does this by balancing the adrenal glands, which are responsible for some of the stress hormones. By balancing the stress hormones, your sleep is improved, anxiety and depression is improved. The high antioxidant content can slow signs of aging. Reishi can stimulate your immune function and liver function, as well. Many cancer patients also find it helpful in their cancer treatment.
Because the effects of adaptogens are broadly targeted, most people can benefit from taking one or a few adaptogens. There are very few and rare adverse effects, mainly digestive symptoms, dry mouth, dizziness, and sleep disturbance. Interestingly, in many studies, the placebo groups had more adverse effects than the groups actually receiving the adaptogen.
As always, check in with your doctor and/or pharmacist, especially if you are already taking prescribed medications. Ask to know if your doctor is familiar with adaptogens. Many are not. Your pharmacist will have information readily available to them to make sure there are no interactions with medications you may already be taking.
Make sure you buy any product from a reputable supplier, as all are not equal.
If you are pregnant or nursing there are not enough studies done proving safety. Wait until you are done nursing before taking adaptogens.
