What ARE adaptogens?
Adaptogens are a classification of herbal medicine that help bring the body back into balance. They have a tonifying and normalizing effect, and act on the immune, endocrine and central nervous system. They are used primarily to help the body deal with acute and chronic stress, both physical and mental.
What do they do?
Each herb has specific actions, but generally they can increase endurance and exercise capacity, mental alertness and cognitive function, improve sleep and stress resistance and increase non-specific immunity. They modulate ATCH and corticosteroid function and normalize the levels of stress hormones. This is what gives the body an ability to resist stress.
Who should take them?
Honestly, the amount of stress we are under, that is now accepted as normal is crazy to me. I see burnout in my practice everyday, and we know stress is a leading cause of most disease. Yet it is the hardest thing to 'treat' - there is a mental component, how you 'view' your stress, and then the physical component which we generally can't change without completely changing someone's life. I think that adding in the right adaptogen for the right person and situation is the next best thing we can do.
Are you burning the candle at both ends? Do you live on coffee? Are you a working mom?
You are probably somewhere on the burnout spectrum then. We also call it HPA axis dysfunction which stands for hypothalmic-ptuitary-adrenal dysfunction. AKA, all the stress you are under causes changes in the hormones and signalling between your brain and your endocrine system. We phases (phase 1 - 3) to determine the extend of the dysfunction and one way I test for this is a 4 point salivary cortisol test which looks at your cortisol curve. This helps us determine which types of herbs/vitamins/nutritional and lifestyle support would suit you best.
What are some examples of adaptogens?
Probably the most famous as of late would be Ashwaghandha. It is great for 'preserving your battery' as I put it for patients - if we are burnt out, we don't want to be drinking more coffee and burning through that battery faster, we want to preserve the battery power to get us through the day or the week. Ashwagandha normalizes cortisol levels, relaxes the nervous system and can improve sleep.
Rhodiola is the other 'best researched' herb for supporting the HPA axis and burnout. It is a bit more stimulating and has some CIs in mental health, but can also normalize female hormones, calm anxiety and help with mental stamina.
Eleuthro or Siberian ginseng is a performance enhancer, can help with mental alertness, energy and stamina and can be very helpful for people who have to do shift work and therefore stay alert and minimize mistakes on long and/or overnight shifts.
Others include reishi and the other medicinal mushrooms, holy basil, shizandra, maca, and shatavari.
Despite being available over the counter, herbs should never be used without a consultation and a full medical history. They can be unsafe is used in the wrong way, with certain medications or medical conditions. You should always consult with a Naturopathic Doctor, MD or herbalist before starting something new.
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