Health and Happiness Learnings Number #1

Our Friend the Adaptogen

Gail Forrer

Adapt, Adjust & Re-Align:   In 2021, it takes a lot of adapting to get through the changes and challenges that a COVID world dishes up to us.  Change as we well know, is often experienced as a stressful process. It can make us feel sad, out-of-sorts, confused, depressed, and confused.  Indeed, combined, all these negative forces can prematurely age us. Nevertheless, nature (as always) is filled with positive antidotes to support our health and happiness and scientists have placed this group of herbal helpers under the perfect category name of “Adaptogens’.

Adaptogens perfectly align with the mission of ‘Ground Sourced’ online store, which is to provide a selection of organic products totally dedicated to the good health of all beings.  With this in mind, ‘Adaptogens’ have become an integral part of the super supplements and super foods range – including the Adaptogenic LifeCykel range of mushrooms; Reishi, Lions Mane, Turkey Tale and more. These super-food products are all available from our online store;  or as many of our friends do  - ask for a drop in your coffee at Ground New Farm.

Similar to antioxidants and vitamins, adaptogens assist your adaptability, resilience, survival, and healthy aging.  Adaptogenic substances have the capacity  to normalise body functions and strengthen systems compromised by stress – both environmental assault and emotional conditions.  Researchers have shown they do all this by activating adaptive signalling pathways of cellular and organismal defence systems (stress system e.g., neuroendocrine-immune complex (Panossian et al. 2020).

Stress can cause changes to our body by derailing of the immune system and resulting in stress related disturbances such as fatigue and poor mental performance and anxiety. Stress also promotes the secretion of multiple hormones including adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), cortisol/corticosterone and adrenaline. Adaptogens act as resistors and protection against these stressors. They act to normalise body functions; strengthen systems and functions that are compromised by stress (Debnath. et al. 

For more information on the mechanism of action of adaptogens and how these herbs benefit your body.  Check back to our previous article The Benefits of Adaptogens – Definition, Mechanism, Benefits, and More (Your Complete Guide)

Find Instore at Ground New Farm or online at Ground Sourced.

References: 

Debnath, Jiban, Nitesh Chauahan, T. Prakash, and Divakar Goli. "Stress, "a Proxy Killer" and Role of Adaptogen as Antistress Agent." Archives of Pharmacy Practice 2.1 (2011): 6-10. Web.

Gerontakos, Sophia, Jon Wardle, and David Casteleijn. "Understanding Adaptogens: The Action That Evades Us." Australian Journal of Herbal and Naturopathic Medicine 31.2 (2019): 60-63. Web.

Panossian, Alexander, Georg Wikman, Punit Kaur, and Alexzander Asea. "Adaptogens Exert a Stress-protective Effect by Modulation of Expression of Molecular Chaperones." Phytomedicine (Stuttgart) 16.6 (2009): 617-22. Web.