Adaptogens: Nature’s Answer to Stress, Anxiety and Fatigue

You may have seen them on supplement shelves, in packaged foods, functional beverages, and even in your skin cream. But what are adaptogens, and what do they do? Read on to discover everything you need to know about adaptogens and how you can choose the right adaptogen for your goals.

First Thing’s First: What Are Adaptogens?

Adaptogens are herbs that balance the body and help it adapt to stress. They can reduce fatigue, increase energy, increase stamina and endurance, enhance concentration, promote relaxation and sleep, improve mood and mental function, increase physical performance, and even provide beauty benefits.

The term adaptogen was coined in 1947 by a Soviet scientist named Dr. Nikolai Lazarev, who used the term to describe substances that help the body “adapt” to stress. In 1959, however, the definition expanded to include botanical substances with an immunostimulatory effect and antioxidant properties. Today, we use the word in both senses: as a herbal supplement and as a general category of herbs that help us adapt to stressors. Although there are a few substances that are not botanical herbs but are considered adaptogens.

Adaptogens have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, but it wasn’t until the late 20th century that Western doctors and scientists began to investigate how they work. There are now several hundred studies on adaptogens in various scientific journals, with more being added every week.

How Adaptogens Can Help You Deal with Stress

Stress is a normal part of life. It’s not always easy to manage, but you can take steps to reduce its impact on your health, and that’s where adaptogens come in. Adaptogens can help the body deal with stress by increasing energy, boosting immunity and reducing inflammation. In addition to having the ability to help your body deal with stress, adaptogenic herbs can also help regulate cortisol levels. Cortisol is known as your stress hormone, but it’s not just released when you’re stressed. It can be released as a result of any physical or psychological stressor, including illness, injury and long-term mental or emotional distress. In the shorter term, prolonged stress can cause insomnia, anxiety and weight gain. In the longer term, chronic stress can cause what is known as oxidative stress, which paves the way for disease like diabetes and heart disease down the road.

Adaptogens vs Stimulants

Adaptogens are not stimulants. While stimulants, like caffeine, fire up your nervous system, adaptogens can help to calm your nervous system. This process makes adaptogens useful for dealing with anxiety and insomnia. Adaptogens help restore balance of the body’s response to stressors by increasing resilience and decreasing reactivity to physical and emotional challenges. Adaptogens increase resistance to physical and mental illness, which makes them great for recovery from colds or illnesses, as well as fatigue caused by poor sleep quality or overworking yourself physically or mentally.

Here are some more benefits you can feel from using adaptogens:

•    Increase energy and stamina

•    Help you feel more relaxed, calm and focused throughout the day

•    Promote better sleep at night

However, with many different types of adaptogens available, there is an art to choosing the right adaptogen for you. It always helps to have a qualified natural health practitioner or store educator that can help to guide you on your journey.

Research on Adaptogens

Research on adaptogens is still limited, but there is some evidence supporting their use for helping with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and stress. The main reason that most of this research hasn’t been done on North American herbs is because they haven’t been studied in clinical trials. As a result, most people don’t know much about them except through anecdotal evidence from other cultures.

Who Needs Adaptogens?

Because of their ability to help the body adapt to stressors, adaptogenic herbs can be beneficial for people who feel stressed out after a long day at work or school, as well as athletes who are training hard (both physically and mentally) but don’t have time for rest days between workouts. Adaptogens can also help with mental health issues like anxiety and depression by promoting relaxation while improving mood.

Different Adaptogenic Herbs

If you’re wondering when to use certain adaptogens and which ones are the best, here are some examples:

•    Energy and stamina: Rhodiola, ashwagandha, Siberian ginseng

•    Focus: Ashwagandha and rhodiola

•    Immunity: Astragalus

Adaptogens are a unique class of herbs, and there is still much to learn about how they work. But they have been used for centuries in traditional medicine around the world, and they continue to be studied today. As we learn more about these plants from both ancient and modern sources, it will be important to understand their potential benefits. In addition to being safe for most people when taken in moderate doses for short periods of time (such as one month), many adaptogens also have other health benefits besides stress relief such as improving sleep quality or boosting immunity against infections.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your practitioner prior to taking herbs or nutritional supplements.