What Are Adaptogens? Benefits for Stress, Cortisol, Energy & Hormone Balance

0:00 What are adaptogens and do they really do anything? Everyone has been talking about adaptogens right now, whether it's for stress, for hormones, for energy. There's adaptogenic drinks like Juni and gummies and so many supplements becoming popular with adaptogens. But do they really work or is it just another wellness trend? The truth is that adaptogens are not new at all. They have been used for hundreds, even thousands of years in systems like Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. As a nutritionist and someone who has studied Ayurveda and a regular consumer of adaptogens, I can honestly say that they have helped me to support my body daily, whether it's stress, immunity or focus.

0:34 And there are different adaptogens for different functions in the body. So in this video, I'm going to break down what adaptogens really are, how they work, which ones are actually worth your time and how to use them in a way that genuinely supports your health. I think the reason they're becoming popular right now is because of the way that we are currently living. We're more stressed, we're more burnt out and we're more overstimulated than ever before.

0:53 And I think people are really starting to shift from reactive health, where we wait for something to go wrong, to proactive and preventative health, where we actually build resilience so that our body can handle stress before it turns into something bigger. And that's exactly where adaptogens sit. They're not about quick fixes or masking symptoms, they're about daily support, long-term balance and helping your body to adapt. So, let's talk about what adaptogens are. Adaptogens are a group of herbs and plants that help your body respond to stress, whether it's physical, mental or emotional. But what makes them different is that they don't force your body in one direction. They don't just sedate you or stimulate you, they work with your body and meet it where it's at. So for example, if you're feeling anxious and overstimulated, they can help bring things down. If you're feeling exhausted and depleted, they can help support your energy. They're really about bringing the body back into balance. Now, not every herb is actually an adaptogen. There are three specific things that determine whether a plant or a herb is in fact an adaptogen. It helps your body resist stress, whether that's physical, chemical or biological, it helps restore balance or homeostasis in the body and it works across multiple systems in the body rather than targeting one specific pathway. So instead of being a quick fix for one symptom, adaptogens support your body as a whole, especially your stress system.

2:02 And when we talk about stress, we're really talking about something called the HPA axis. Now, you don't need to remember that term, but that's really what controls our nervous system and our stress system in the body. It is your body's central stress response system. And in short bursts, this system is actually really helpful. It helps you to respond, perform, and protect yourself. But, the issue is that most of us aren't dealing with stress in short bursts anymore. We're living in these chronic stress states. And that keeps the system constantly switched on. And research has now shown that when this happens over time, it can lead to things like anxiety, poor sleep, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, and even trouble focusing, which I'm sure so many of us can relate to on a daily basis. So, I'm going to share exactly what happens in the body. Now, you don't need to remember this, or you don't need to know this, but I think it's really useful to understand how our body works, and the different parts of our body that are actually involved when it comes to feeling stressed. So, when you end up being stressed, whether it's physically or psychologically, your hypothalamus, which is in your brain, detects it, and it sends a signal to your pituitary gland. And your pituitary gland controls the secretion of basically every hormone in your body. So, that sends a signal to your adrenal glands, which is where a lot of your hormones are held, and it releases cortisol, which is your stress hormone. So, your brain essentially signals to the hormone controlling area, the hormone controlling area sends a signal to the hormone release area, and the hormone release area says, "It is time to release cortisol, which is your stress hormone." Now, short term, cortisol is actually really useful in the body. It sharpens your focus, it mobilizes energy, it prepares you to respond. In modern life with chronic stress, it never fully goes away. So, cortisol just stays elevated and stays in your bloodstream. And the thing is, when cortisol stays high in your bloodstream for a long period of time, it can lead to everything from immune suppression, it affects your memory, gives you foggy brain, your focus, your attention, it can disrupt your metabolism, and it can cause you to feel really tired and depleted all the time.

3:48 Essentially, it's that feeling of being burnt out over and over again. So, where do adaptogens fit into all of this? The great thing about adaptogens is that they don't shut your stress response down and they don't numb it either, but they do help to regulate it, making your system more resilient, more responsive, and more balanced over time. And what I love about that is a lot of medication actually suppresses or overstimulates things in the body and put chemicals or toxins into the body that don't naturally exist. Whereas with adaptogens, what's great is that all it does is support the systems that already exist in our body. So, they help buffer the cortisol spike when you're under stress or they help your system return back to your overall baseline and be able to manage stress more efficiently afterwards. So, I looked up where adaptogens or the word adaptogens actually comes from and it was so interesting because I found out that adaptogens were actually named in 1947 by a Soviet pharmacologist and he was researching substance that could help the body resist stress. And he was actually trying to figure this out to help with the military, to help them feel less stressed, to help them adapt to the stressful situations that they're put in. They wanted to know whether these compounds or these adaptogens could help soldiers perform under extreme conditions. That was the research that actually became the foundation for a lot of what we know today about adaptogens. So, I wanted to share some of the most common, the most researched, and the most useful adaptogens that you can incorporate into your day. There are over 70 plants that have been classified as adaptogens but the clinical research is only concentrated on a handful of them.

5:08 There's still so much more research that needs to be done and it doesn't mean that the ones that haven't been researched don't work. I actually think that there are so much in these ancient texts and these ancient healing systems that have been proven through time rather than evidence, but it's so useful when we get to have scientific evidence to back this ancient information. So, I'm going to go through five of the adaptogens that does have the strongest clinical backing. I'm going to start with the one that's probably the most well-known and that is ashwagandha.

5:31 This is one of the most clinically studied adaptogens in the world and honestly for good reason. They've shown up to a 30% reduction in cortisol which as I said is our primary stress hormone and it's also been linked to reduce anxiety, improve sleep quality, and an overall sense of calm and just overall feeling more calmer in your day. When it comes to the amount you're supposed to take, most of the research points towards an effective dose being around 300 to 600 mg every single day.

5:54 And that's been shown to reduce stress, and improve resilience over time, and just give the overall effective feeling calmer and clearer in times of stress. From an Ayurvedic perspective, Ashwagandha is considered a Rasayana. And that means it's deeply rejuvenating. It's especially supportive for someone who feels anxious, wired, or overwhelmed, or struggles with sleep. This is one of the most grounding herbs that you could you do feel one of those things are prominent in your life. What's really interesting is that Ashwagandha doesn't just calm you down in the moment. It actually helps to regulate your nervous system over time, making you less reactive to stress in general. Next is Rhodiola, which I like to think of as the adaptogen for energy, focus, and performance. This one has been studied quite a bit for its effect on mental tiredness and brain function, especially under stress. It's been shown to improve focus, reduce burnout, and even enhance physical endurance. It actually works at a cellular level by supporting mitochondrial energy production. They're basically the cells that hold and help you to use energy in the body. So, it's not just helping you to focus, it's actually allowing your body to actually utilize the energy that's created in the body most efficiently. So, it's used for times when you're under pressure, whether it's at work, whether it's intense workout, studying, travel, or even just long demanding days. Rhodiola is also fascinating because it's been traditionally used in really harsh environments like cold mountain regions to help the body adapt to physical stress. So, it's very much so more about resilience and stamina in the body. To be honest, it could be another one that you use every single day because if you're someone who feels like you're in the state of fight or flight all the time, you really are having the same effect on the body as being in these environmentally stressful areas, whether it's hot or cold. If you're constantly in this fight or flight mode, that's essentially the same as being in those environments. And so, if you're noticing your body in that state, this could be a great one to incorporate. Then we have Panax ginseng, which is one of the most researched herbal medicines globally.

7:38 This one is incredible for sustained natural energy, but without the crash you'd get from something like caffeine, which is honestly why we put it in our drink Juni. It's been shown to support immune function, improve working memory, reduce fatigue, and even help regulate your blood sugar levels. There's also something in ginseng that has shown to support both brain function and energy metabolism, too. Traditionally in Chinese medicine, ginseng is considered a really powerful chi tonic, meaning it helps to build your whole life force energy. So, if you're feeling depleted, run down, or low in vitality, this is a really supportive one to look at. Number four is shatavari. Now, shatavari is a little less talked about in the West, but it's been really researched in Russia and China. It's often called the five flavor berry because it contains all five tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent, which in traditional medicine is believed to support multiple organ systems at once.

8:23 It says when something has all five of these tastes, it's complete, so it can have a very powerful effect on the body. And a lot of the research has shown that it really supports liver health and your detox pathways in the body. It's also been shown to improve mental performance, physical endurance, and obviously overall stress tolerance, as we know. You know, something that I've been hearing from a lot of health professionals lately is that we all suffer from overheated livers, whether it is because of the environment, the toxins that we're eating, the toxins that are in the air. And so, having a herb or an adaptogen that can help us to detox our liver regularly is really important. And an overheated liver or clogged detox pathways can make us feel lethargic, have brain fog, just not feel our best. And so, having these being used in the background help clear out different things in the body, we don't realize how powerful that could actually be. Then last one I want to talk about is shatavari. And I'd say this is probably one of my personal favorite adaptogens. It is one of the most important herbs in Ayurveda, especially for women's health. It's referred to as a female rasayana in Ayurveda because of how deeply nourishing and restorative it is. Shatavari is traditionally used to support hormonal balance, fertility, and reproductive health, but it's also so calming for the nervous system. It has these natural cooling properties, which also makes it helpful if you're carrying a lot of heat in the body. So, if you're someone who experiences irritability, inflammation, or feels overly heated or overwhelmed a lot, this can be really supportive for you. What's beautiful about shatavari is that it doesn't just target hormones, it supports the whole system, especially during times of depletion, burnout, or transition, specifically for women. Now, a few things I want you to keep in mind if you're thinking about using adaptogens.

9:51 The first one is that timing matters. More stimulating adaptogens like rhodiola and ginseng are best taken in the morning because they support energy and focus, whereas more calming ones like ashwagandha and you know something like reishi are better suited for the evening. Secondly, they're powerful and interactions are real. So, ashwagandha can sometimes interact with thyroid medication or sedatives. Rhodiola may interact with certain antidepressants. So, if you're going to take adaptogens, I would check with your health practitioner or a health care professional if you are on prescriptive medication also. And most importantly, good things come to those who wait and adaptogens are not a quick fix. And I know we're all so used to having these quick fixes when it comes to medication.

10:28 If you're someone who's been used to that, this will take a little bit of time to adapt to. The timelines are a lot longer when it comes to herbs and natural ways of healing. And so, they are best taken consistently over time, usually anywhere from two to eight weeks. They're meant to support your healthy lifestyle, they're not there to replace it. So, instead of trying to take five different things at once or all of these adaptogens in one go, start with one. Choose which one you use based on what your body actually needs right now. If you need calm and grounding, think ashwagandha. If you need energy and focus, think rhodiola or ginseng.

10:56 And just remember that adaptogens are a support, not a solution. They don't change how you feel today, but they will change how your body responds over time. And just remember that adaptogens are a support, not a solution. And these things take time, but know that they're working in the background to help support you. So, the next time you might notice everyone getting a cold around you, you might realize, "Oh, actually I haven't picked it up as easily as I usually would." Those are the type of signs that I had to realize that, "Oh, actually these are little protective things in the background." They are under armor. They may not be visible to other people or even to you straight away, but they are doing the work in the background. I know that there are so many brands out there and it's hard to know which ones you should get, so I have actually left my recommendations in the caption below of the tried and tested adaptogen brands that I have used and the different forms that you can use them in. And I hope that this was really useful for you. Let me know if you try any of these adaptogens out and how you're feeling in a couple of weeks.