Savvy Self-Care: The Evolutionary Benefits of Adaptogens

By Heath and Nicole Reed

Editor’s Note: Savvy Self-Care regularly appears in Massage & Bodywork magazine, providing ways for bodyworkers and massage therapists to engage in self-care throughout their day. This article is the complete version of the one that appears in the January/February 2024 issue (page 88). 

Have you heard of adaptogens? You may already be using adaptogens in your practice, with your clients, and with yourself. This article explores what an adaptogen is, the types of adaptogens, how they impact the nervous system, and how you can incorporate adaptogens to recalibrate your nervous system to convert stress into balance.

Our bodies are always on a mission to heal, coordinate homeostasis, return to center, and find balance from within. And this internal healing capacity is constantly being stressed and thrown off balance. A smidge of a particular flavor of stress has the capacity to disrupt our finely tuned equilibrium and subtly or excruciatingly blow out our nervous systems. This neurological distress manifests in special ways unique to each of us, from fatigue, headaches, and an upset stomach to impatience, irritation, or debilitating pain. And stress is on the rise. Nearly 47 percent of Americans report an increase in their stress levels since the pandemic.¹ As humans, stress is part of being alive. Adaptogens offer a solution to more peacefully engage with ongoing stress. Research demonstrates that adaptogens offer not only protection but also a prophylactic adaptive mechanism that optimizes our neurobiology to radically mitigate and reduce the effects of future stress.

Giving Our Body Resources to Adapt

Humans have been using adaptogens for centuries in traditional medicine—particularly in Ayurveda and Chinese medicines—to treat a variety of painful projects. Lavender essential oil is one of the most well-used adaptogens because it can either stimulate or relax your nervous system and will behave differently depending on what the user needs. In the US, researchers and medical experts are studying and corroborating the power of adaptogenic plant medicines such as herbs, spices, and mushrooms. And by applying the same healing principles of adaptogens to our behaviors, we can optimize our ability to heal from the inside out with simple lifestyle shifts. 

The Evolving Definition of Adaptogens 

Though adaptogens have been used in food and medicine for millennia, our scientific understanding is still in the evolutionary phase. Andrew Huberman, PhD, neuroscientist, and professor at Stanford School of Medicine, writes, “the most common definition of an adaptogen is a compound that is typically a supplement or drug, although it could be a behavior if you really think about it, that helps you adapt to and buffer stress.” And a scientific meta-analysis review of multiple adaptogen studies insists an adaptogen must adhere to the following criteria:

1. It must help the body resist a range of nonspecific conditions related to physical, chemical, or biological stress
2. It must help maintain the body’s biological, self-regulating process (aka homeostasis), which helps offset illness and conditions caused by external stress
3. Not harm regular human body functions.² The mechanisms of adaptogens are to induce stress-protective activity, which increases our human adaptability. This allows adaptogens to exert polyvalent beneficial effects against chronic inflammation, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative cognitive impairment, metabolic disorders, cancer, and other aging-related diseases.³

This is Your Brain on Adaptogens 

Adaptogens’ stress-protecting and age-extending abilities directly influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the brain, a critical intermediary that communicates instructions between the nervous system and endocrine system. “Researchers say adaptogenic herbs interact with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is a complex system of glands, hormones, and receptors in the human body. The HPA axis is central to the body’s homeostasis, stress responses, and energy metabolism. When we consume adaptogens, their organic properties and compounds work with the HPA axis to help keep our system in balance. If there’s too much of one hormone, for instance, the adaptogens help to lower it. On the flip side, if there isn’t enough of a hormone, adaptogens can help replenish its levels.”⁴ 

Adaptogenic Benefit for Hormones, Mood, Immune System

We know our lives are shaped by stress. In fact, mental health experts say our lives are framed by stressors, defined as “any situation that causes a physical and/or mental change.” Research shows that adaptogens help reduce the bombardment of stressors, anxiety, and fatigue by adjusting the secretion amount of various hormones, including the stress hormone cortisol. A study by the National Institute of Health also shows adaptogens interact with the immune-neuro-endocrine system, which helps the body regulate its use of energy and maintain strong immune defenses.”⁵ And bonus features: adaptogens are found to reduce inflammation and pain levels and help support a better night’s sleep.    

Adaptogens: Plant-Based Medicine

The plant world offers a wide selection of adaptogens. Besides lavender, “lemon, peppermint, bergamot, holy basil, and ginger [essential oils] have both restorative and stimulant properties that can help you adapt to whatever life throws at you.”⁶ Not only can you use these as distilled extracts, several whole foods provide adaptogenic benefits. Eating dark, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables is effective in reducing inflammation. And the potent adaptogen herb ashwagandha has been used for millennia and is an oft-prescribed remedy for stress in Ayurvedic medicine. If you travel just slightly outside the plant kingdom to the world of fungi, we find adaptogenic mushrooms like lion’s mane (improves memory) and chaga (reduces cortisol levels). Consider experimenting with some of these adaptogens in your diet and nutrition, or schedule a hot bath infused with adaptogenic essential oils.

Even if you don’t have immediate access to outside adaptogens, you can reduce stress and fortify resilience with regular infusions of adaptogenic behaviors. A new favorite adaptogenic practice in the Reed household is the “Physiological Sigh,” a breathing practice you can easily infuse throughout your day to help soften the blows of everyday stressors. 

The Physiological Sigh 

This is a modern spin on ancient pranayama practices researched by Dr. Andrew Huberman. 

Breathe in a big, beautiful breath through your nose. When you think you’ve reached the top of your in-breath, pull in an extra, short staccato-like breath through your nose. Without holding your breath, purse your lips and slowly exhale every drop of breath from your lungs with an even and steady flow. Repeat at least three times to feel yourself return to balance. With practice, you can almost feel a switch flip in your brain, activating your vagal tone and allowing you to calmly engage with what’s occurring. 

Preventing Trouble Before It Arises

The benefits of adaptogens are amazing: diminishing stress, enhancing hormonal and immunological efficiency, reducing inflammation, and preventing age-related diseases. One of the most profound and intriguing features of adaptogens is their customized responsiveness and individual healing prowess. Adaptogens seem to have an intelligence of their own, inspiring our physiology to upgrade and more gracefully respond to the inevitable stressors and changes around us. We are amazed at the intelligence transmitted through a plant, flower, herb, vegetable, mushroom, spice, or even a conscious breath that can provide the perfect nudge toward physiological and psychological equilibrium. Adaptogens remind us that food is medicine, or poison, depending on our choices, and that small behavioral shifts, like a few mindful physiological sighs, can be the perfect assist to feeling more aligned and less stressed.  

Notes

1. UCLA Health, “What Are Adaptogens and Should You Be Taking Them?” www.uclahealth.org/news/what-are-adaptogens-and-should-you-be-taking-them.

2. Velislava Todorova et al., “Plant Adaptogens—History and Future Perspectives,” Nutrients 13, no. 8 (2021): 2861, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082861.

3. Alexander Panossian, “Understanding Adaptogenic Activity: Specificity of the Pharmacological Action of Adaptogens and Other Phytochemicals,” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1,401, no. 1 (August 2017): 49–64, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28640972.

4. Alexander G. Panossian et al., “Evolution of the adaptogenic concept from traditional use to medical systems: Pharmacology of stress- and aging-related diseases,” Medical Research Reviews 41, no. 1 (2021): 630–703. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33103257.

5. Lian-Ying Liao et al., “A Preliminary Review of Studies on Adaptogens: Comparison of Their Bioactivity in TCM with That of Ginseng-Like Herbs Used Worldwide,” Chinese Medicine 13, (November 2018): 57, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30479654.

6. Erica Jones, “You Need These Adaptogenic Essential Oils for Stress, Balance & Mood,” https://elevays.com/adaptogenic-essential-oils/.