How Do Adaptogens Actually Work?

a clinical herbalist's insights on the trendiest herbs today

What adaptogens are—and aren’t, how they work and why we love them, though not more than any other classification of herbs—is the single most common topic I’ve been asked to explain in my career as an herbalist. I welcome it! A few points drive my enthusiasm for continuing to teach on this topic: 1. Adaptogens are so damn popular. That popularity is raising awareness about the wider world of herbs and their incredible applicability for modern life. 2. Adaptogens are largely misunderstood, by both brands and consumers alike.

Let’s set the record straight right away. Only nine substances (not all are plants) are considered true adaptogens.¹ (Listed at the end of this piece.) Any other substance (and I do mean any) not on the list is not an adaptogen. That doesn’t make it any less incredible than it was before you read this, and I mean that; you just understand it better now (or, you will when you get to the end of this piece).

An adaptogen is “a substance that assists a living organism to adapt to environmental, physical, or psychological stress.”² To be an adaptogen, a substance must be non-toxic in therapeutic doses, non-specific, and systemically normalizing. The ingredients work through the HPA-axis and SAS (sympathetic nervous system( to help mitigate the negative effects of stress (cortisol-induced mitochondrial dysfunction) and improve our resilience (ability to respond to and recover from) stress.

That definition makes it very clear why adaptogens are so popular. Now, let’s expand some minds. The term adaptogens is not a synonym for herbs. If that is all you take away from this piece, I will be very happy. Herbs are the ~30,000 botanical ingredients available for us to use for medicinal purposes. Turmeric, tea, passionflower, chamomile, coffee, tobacco, lavender, sage, mint, cacao, and yes mushrooms like chaga and turkey tail … all herbs (and fungi). The world’s medicinal herbs are organized into categories based on how they affect us. Think: Stimulants and nootropics, sedatives, anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, anxiolytics (anxiety reducers), analgesics (pain relievers), anti-spasmodics (muscle relaxers), psychedelics or entheogens, and nervines (herbs that specifically benefit the nervous system).

All of those actions are very specific. Passionflower works specifically on the nervous system to support a state of peace (and is the go-to herb for recursive thoughts, aka a monkey mind). Adaptogens, as you may recall, are non-specific. They work a bit like a thermostat; adjusting levels up and down as needed in order to maintain homeostasis. That balancing effect is the “normalizing” part of their definition. They are not stimulants and they are not sedatives; they want us to be our very best normal selves. This is why ashwagandha can help lower high cortisol levels but won’t have the same effect for someone whose levels are already healthy. (Herbs that normalize specific organs are referred to as amphoterics.)

Professionally, I use adaptogens to help folks recover from burnout, or support high levels of athletic performance. They generally need to be used regularly (daily) for long periods of time (months or more) to reach full effect. Using one adaptogen one time is a bit like eating kale salad once. Consistency, along with lifestyle changes (which are major), is key. We don’t recommend adaptogens to help people endure the stress of poor work-life balance because this only delays the inevitable (burnout) and can make us less able to sense when we’ve hit the wall. It’s similar to upping caffeine intake while being in denial about exhaustion. Using herbs to medicate symptoms (rather than addressing causes) is only slightly better than doing it with non-natural methods.

I also use adaptogens as a foundation beneath specific herbs that treat peoples’ specific needs. For quick nervous system relief, it’s nervines for me. Nervines like chamomile for daily chill plus nootropics like Lion’s Mane and Turmeric for memory, focus and concentration. Turmeric for its too-many-benefits-to-count and sedatives like Valerian for sleep. Let a blend of normalizers work in the background while a specific mix of the herbs fit like a lock-and-key into your routine.³ And, always-and-forever, nutrition and lifestyle (sleep, exercise, mental health) matter most of all. Any great herbalist will say the same.

One of the misconceptions about herbalism is that there isn’t science to support the claims. While there’s plenty yet to learn (30K plants, each with dozens if not hundreds of individual compounds, is a ton to study), there are also a lot of studies available freely online with more every year — especially after the pandemic spiked interest in natural supplements. (If you’re into reading studies, I recommend PubMed.)

Research on adaptogens really got going after the 1940s, which is when the term was created. Here’s a look at some of the popular adaptogenic herbs and how exactly (scientifically) they’re working their magic:

Ginsengs: Three of the nine true adaptogens are ginsengs. They range from mildly stimulating to very stimulating, and are generally used for people of different ages or life stages. Eleuthero (the herb formerly known as Siberian Ginseng) is the least stimulating and used most commonly for young people under temporary, uncommon stress (aka it’s Finals Week). American Ginseng is considered nourishing and mildly stimulating whereas Panax or “Asian Ginseng” is the most energizing and typically reserved for folks over age 60. “The molecular and cellular mechanisms of Panax ginseng include modulating monoamine neurotransmitter system, upregulating the expression of neurotrophic factors, regulating the function of HPA axis, and anti-inflammatory action.”⁴ Translation: Ginsengs work in part by regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, normalizing our stress-response system, keeping an eye on the cellular health of our nervous system, and reducing inflammation.

Ashwagandha, the most popular adaptogen lately by a long shot, is a calming adaptogen used for weakness and fatigue, though also to support muscle tone and strength, cardiorespiratory endurance, the immune system and more.⁵ (There is always an “and more” when it comes to herbs. No one is good for only one thing.) Like all adaptogens, ashwagandha works through the HPA-axis⁶ and contains compounds⁷ that have shown “significant anti-stress activity against acute models of experimental stress.”⁸

Cordyceps, playing the villain in the apocalyptic show The Last of Us, is (actually) a calming adaptogen used to nourish our endocrine (hormone), immune, nervous, and other systems. Though it creepily possesses caterpillars, in humans it’s nothing but nice. Herbalists love it for supporting recovery, sleep quality, and athletic performance (my personal favorite). One clinical trial saw it prevent overtraining and reduce oxidative stress in athletes (over the course of three months).⁹ It’s proved beneficial for high altitude training (improved aerobic performance and decreased fatigue)¹⁰ and when used long-term, for improving Vo2max, time to exhaustion and the ventilatory threshold during high-intensity exercise.¹¹

Last but not least, perhaps the most well-rounded adaptogen, Rhodiola. This rose-scented root is an impressive 3-in-1 combination of support for healthy energy levels, recovery, and mood. In the right dose, it’s perfect pre-workout or during a focused work session. And, it can also be used to support sleep. (I mentioned herbs being magic above, right?) Rhodiola’s mechanism of action (a great way to understand exactly how an ingredient is working in your body) is partly attributed to its ability to influence levels of feel-good neurotransmitters by inhibiting their breakdown, and facilitating their support in the brain.¹²

Thanks for joining me on this journey into adaptogens. Sharing what you’ve learned with friends or strangers is highly encouraged, as is working in more of these great herbs—adaptogens and beyond—into your daily groove. They’re only magic in the way that brilliant and powerful nature is, and there’s always more.

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List of True Adaptogens:¹³