Adaptogens, Roll Out!
You could be forgiven for thinking they might have fought during the siege of the Hydrax Plateau. And to be fair, the autobots involved may well have benefited greatly from this buzzy wellness ingredient with all the heightened levels of stress and anxiety heading into battle would ordinarily cause. But Adaptogens, in spite of their Transformer-esque name, are in fact the name for the latest plant ingredients on the wellness block expected to see significant demand in the coming years as consumers the world over make self-care a priority to cope with stress and anxiety in the wake of the pandemic.
Adaptogens are essentially a class of nontoxic “super” plants, which are particularly adept at helping our bodies “adapt” to all kinds of stressors – mental, physical and emotional – and return us back to a level of homeostasis without causing any strain on the body. Uniquely, they tend to work in a synergistic manner with what’s happening in the body, which sees them adapt to us, as we adapt to them.
Typically herbs, roots and fungi, the use of Adaptogens can be traced back centuries to traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic healing traditions as medicinal agents drawn from Mother Nature, though the modern world has since expanded on their definition as to their adaptogenic properties. Coined by a Russian toxicologist, N. V. Lazarev in 1947, an adaptogen by definition must be a plant that increases the body’s “state of nonspecific resistance” to adverse influences, thus supporting all the major systems such as the nervous, hormonal and immune systems, in arming the body with tools to fight stress.
Generally speaking, when we face a stressor – physical or mental – our bodies go through a three-stage response called general adaptation syndrome or GAS, comprising first-off, alarm, followed by resistance and finally, exhaustion. In decreasing our sensitivity to outside stress, adaptogens are thought to keep us in the resistance phase for longer, courtesy of a stimulating effect that helps to keep exhaustion at bay. And so instead of crashing amid a stressful situation, adaptogens help us to attain equilibrium and ultimately, to soldier on.
The term adaptogen also encompasses the ability of a plant to operate as a biological response modifier (BRM), which restores the body’s innate immune function and helps the body to adapt to different stressors by modulating the release of hormones from the adrenal glands. This, in turn, aids them in offering a number of benefits including mitigating stress, anti-fatigue properties and enhancing attention.
Every adaptogen has a slightly different health claim and effect on the body, but generally they all propose to alleviate stress and have made their way into a whole plethora of supplements, food and beverages and even beauty products. Some of the more well-known adaptogen heavy-hitters and their touted benefits include: Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is anti-fatigue and adrenal-restorative, and reduces stress and anxiety; Tulsi or Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) promotes focus and alleviates physical and mental stress, stress-related anxiety and depression; Goji berry (Lycium barbarum) boosts energy, physical and mental performance, calmness, and sense of well-being, and can also improve sleep; Cordyceps Mushroom (Cordyceps sinensis) boosts stamina, physical performance and recovery; Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) supports cognition and staves off physical and mental fatigue, supports mood and helps with brain fog; Schisandra berry/Magnolia berry (Schisandra chinensis) supports detoxification, boosts endurance and mental performance; Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral, supports digestion and detoxification, and is immune-enhancing; and Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero Root) fights against stress and fatigue, promotes endurance and memory improvement, and increases cellular energy.
If you feel like you could do with a little extra sleep, a boost in energy and most importantly, a buffer against all the stress and craziness life can throw at us, adaptogens might just be worth a look in. Though like practically any trend in the wellness universe, adaptogens are not a cure-all or a silver bullet; however, they are proving to be an extremely popular go-to ingredient as a unique supportive habit in helping to contribute to a less inflammatory and stressed lifestyle as consumers prioritise mental and emotional well-being in taking a more holistic approach to their health.
