Adaptogens Benefits: Boot Your Health Naturally

Mother Nature holds the key to good overall health, producing plants that nourish your body and mind. In today’s fast-paced world, these plants are worth their weight in gold.

In fact, these days, more people are turning toward natural remedies for relaxation and rejuvenation. Adaptogens, in particular, lie at the center of this health renaissance. But while you may have heard this buzzword before, do you know what adaptogens can do for you?

Let’s take a deep dive into adaptogens benefits. Learn why adaptogens are Mother Nature’s powerhouse ingredient, and discover exactly how they can change your life.

What Are Adaptogens?

Adaptogens are non-toxic plants that help your body deal with stressors like poor diet and major life changes.

When these stressors arise, you can face:

Inflammation and swelling
Full body aches
The return of other health conditions
Susceptibility to sickness

In short: stress can break down your body’s natural defenses and cause your overall health to suffer. Adaptogens, on the other hand, can back your body up, bulking its defenses against stressors.

The use of adaptogens dates back thousands of years and appears in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. You can take adaptogens as supplements, tea or even by adding them to dishes as you would with another herbal remedy such as holy basil.

But what makes an adaptogen an adaptogen?

Put simply, a plant needs to fulfill three requirements to fall under the definition of “adaptogen.”

It must be non-toxic when used in normal doses.
It must support your ability to handle stress.
It must help your body maintain balance.

Adaptogens also fall under one of two categories:

Natural Adaptogens

Producers extract these androgens from parts of beneficial plants like the reishi mushroom, Panax Ginseng, Rhodiola Rosea, Astragalus and cordyceps. The roots, stem, leaves, flower, seeds, petals and core of a plant are all potential targets for extraction.

Some plants, like marijuana, aren’t adaptogens by definition but offer similar benefits. This is especially true for CBD-heavy strains or CBD-only extracts, which can aid in relaxation and stress relief.

Synthetic Adaptogens

Through modern technology and new scientific methodology, scientists have also created synthesized adaptogens.

Examples of synthetic adaptogens include:

Levamisole
Bemethyl
Bromantane

Synthesized adaptogens increase blood flow by expanding your blood vessels. They can also lower your blood’s lactate and sugar levels. They provide many of the same benefits as natural adaptogens, but producers of synthetic adaptogens have tighter control over the potency and quality of their products.

Adaptogens and Your Body

Adaptogens work nonspecifically. In other words, they affect your body as a whole, rather than targeting specific issues. Because of this, science doesn’t completely understand the howand whybehind adaptogen effectiveness.

Right now, it’s believed that adaptogens target the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and other stress mediators. Studies show that adaptogens also affect blood sugar levels, cortisol levels, lipids, lactate and liver enzymes.

Importantly, adaptogens don’t preventstress. Many stressors are out of your hands, so all you can do is control how you react to them — which is exactly what adaptogens excel at. They improve your body’s stress response by activating the cell signals that increase resilience, adaptability and survival.

How Adaptogens Benefit You

The two main adaptogens benefits are balancing your body and reducing the impact of stress. Adaptogens do this by targeting tissue and organs throughout your body.

In particular, adaptogens reportedly help soothe and maintain:

Your neuroendocrine health
Your sleep schedule
Hormonal imbalances
Cholesterol levels

You can think of adaptogens like multivitamins. Your body produces its own vitamins, and you get many through snacks and meals. Even so, a lot of people just don’t get their daily servings of every necessary vitamin through diet alone. Likewise, your body regulates the balance of its own systems well, but sometimes, it can use a little boost.

Other studies focus on the specifics of different common adaptogens and the health benefits they bring to the table. For instance:

Rhodiola crenulata – Reduces physical and mental stress and helps prevent fine lines and wrinkles.
Panax ginseng – Can reduce nervousness, protect heart health, manage blood sugar and modulate the immune system.
Schisandra chinensis – May help improve sleep while decreasing body fatigue and stress in the digestive system.
Maca root – May help with low moods and memory problems.
Reishi mushroom – Promotes healthy sleep patterns and helps the body adapt to stress.
Bacopa – May improve cognitive function and memory.
Wild yam – An antioxidant that helps with swelling and regulation of blood sugar levels.

Choosing the Right Herbs For Your Body

When choosing the right natural medicines for your body, you may need to try more than one product to find what works best for you.

If you’re going to give adaptogens a try, consider talking to a naturopath. They’ll provide advice on dosing, types of adaptogens and what to avoid if you’re already taking other medications.

These days, you can buy adaptogens as tinctures, drinks, capsules and powders, to name a few products. If you get your hands on the whole herbs, you can take them dried or fresh, too. Mix them into your food or drink at mealtimes, or make adaptogen teas.

When shopping for adaptogen products, keep an eye out for a third-party organization’s seal. U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), NSF International and ConsumerLab.com are third-party labs that run tests to ensure your product is contaminant-free.

Consider working CBD into your routine, too. CBD — a cannabinoid found in marijuana — is a great anti-stressor that can also help relax your body and mind. To better understand how CBD can complement adaptogens in your wellness routine, explore our articles on CBD oil benefits and CBD for inflammation.

Boost Your Mind and Body with Zebra CBD

The health benefits of adaptogens are plentiful, but in particular, these powerful plants help control your body’s stress response, making you an overall healthier person inside and out. By adding adaptogens to your diet, you can lower inflammation levels, regulate your blood sugar and maintain energy.

CBD isn’t an adaptogen, but it works great alongside adaptogens to provide extra stress relief. When it comes to finding the best CBD products, trust Zebra CBD. We offer many types of CBD, including edibles, hemp pills, CBD hemp oil for sale, and more; all perfect additions to adaptogen supplements.

When it comes to CBD, Zebra CBD sets the standard. Shop Zebra CBD online today.

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