Adaptogens 101: What You Need To Know

You may not be too familiar with adaptogens are, but you will hear about them very soon as new research is continually being published about their health benefits, they are becoming a force in the health world. This class of incredibly powerful plants has been used in ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, and now decades after scientists in the West discovered these plants during World War II, are seeing the limelight due to their stress-protective and energy boosting properties. Besides that, these plants also provide the body with a plethora of health benefits per plant and can treat a variety of ailments.

What Are Adaptogens?

Adaptogens - or adaptogenic substances - like herbs, practices, and compounds are all part of a pharmacological concept that, when used, result in the stabilization of physiological processes and promote homeostasis such as a decrease in cellular sensitivity to stress. Essentially, adaptogens are a unique class of healing herbs and plants used for centuries in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine that promotes the restoration, balancing, and protection of the body from adverse influences, such as stress.

The term adaptogen was first coined in 1947 by the Soviet Union's Ministry of Health and was specifically referring to a class of mushrooms and herbs offering incredible support for the body's natural resistance towards mental and physical ailments. One of the significant benefits of adaptogens is it works with the body's specific needs and adapts the plant's function to what nutrients the body needs to restore health and wellbeing for the patient.

How Are Adaptogens Supposed To Help The Body?

The human body was built to release various hormones depending on the circumstance. Cortisol - also known as the aging hormone - is released as a response to stress. However, elevated cortisol levels over long periods and chronic stress can affect every physiological system within the body, including the thyroid and adrenal glands. When cortisol levels increase within the body, an individual will experience a 'fight or flight' response which stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal glands. When this event occurs, a decrease in digestive secretions and an increase in blood pressure takes place, the body and the brain are responding to the stressor, cortisol levels return to normal, and the body becomes balanced once again.

The key role adaptogens play is the minimizing of these effects and allow the body to respond to stress in a healthier way, without cortisol levels reaching a monumental level. The majority of adaptogens have universally proven to minimize fatigue and improve focus and endurance when feeling tired, boost immunity, protect against disease, increase energy and physical endurance, relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, balance moods, sustain mental focus and cognitive abilities, and restore balance to metabolic processes.