The Benefits of Adaptogens

The benefits of adaptogens are many. Living up to their names, adaptogens are plants or herbs that help bodies adapt to stress and stay in good shape every day. For more than four decades, over a thousand researchers and scientists worked to find out the medical potential of plants that were already used by early Siberians to achieve good health and long life. In fact, more than 3,000 studies were done to know the benefits of herbs to people who use or consume them. And the discovery significantly contributed to modern medicines.

In 1947, Russian scientist Dr. Nicolai Lazarev coined the term “adaptogen” to refer to plants or herbs that increase the body’s resistance to stress, fatigue, diseases, anxiety, and even trauma. In the past, adaptogens were originally called rejuvenating herbs or restoratives. At times, these plants that contain natural antioxidants were also called rasayans or qi tonics. India and China were the first countries that widely used adaptogens to ward off diseases and live a healthy life.

In the old times, Chinese considered adaptogens as the best source of remedy and cure for many several illnesses. They regarded herbs as very valuable in improving physical and mental ability, and decreasing the risk of suffering from fatigue and other diseases. As an evidence to the recognition of the wonders and health benefits of  adaptogens, Chinese soldiers used these adaptogen plants before going into war. Siberian hunters also used herbs before embarking on perilous hunting expeditions. Tibetan monks who lived in mountain peaks were known to use adaptogens to survive for sometime without anything to eat or wear during cold weather.

The medical benefits of adaptogens were formally studied by Russian physician and scientist Dr. Israel Brekhman, together with his professor, Dr. Lazarev, 45 years ago. Until now these non-toxic herbs, such as ginseng, ephedra, and eleuthero, are used for healing purposes because they have natural substances or “organic chemicals” to produce a normalizing effect on the body’s functions.

Since adaptogens help the body to adapt or adjust to both internal and external strains, people who use these herbs have higher chances of surviving in a strained environment. There was a big and significant body of scientific research that found out that both people and even some organisms could adapt to the changes in the environment and eventually survive longer. This is due to the biologically active substances present in adaptogens.

Just recently, the World Health Organization projected that around 80% of people worldwide use adaptogens or herbs for health purposes. In America, there is a current high demand for natural or organic remedies remedies because of the skyrocketing costs of commercially-made medicines. For the purest source of adaptogens, try Vaxa Adapt or Fundamental Adrenal.

Beat Stress with Adaptogens

Stress and Adaptogens
Are you feeling stressed out in your job? You’re not alone. The Washington Post reported that 54% of Americans are concerned about the stress in their lives. An even greater number rank money and their jobs as the primary triggers for stress.

Stress may seem like a normal part of our lives but did you know that stress could be dangerous to your health? When you are stressed out, your body responds and produces hormones to cope with the challenge. The hormones that your body produces are adrenaline and cortisol.

Stress Hormones
Cortisol and adrenaline cause your body to perform better. Your heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism speed up. Your blood vessels allow your blood to flow into your muscles, making your actions quicker and more powerful. Your liver helps, too, by releasing glucose to increase your body’s energy. These physical changes help you react quickly and effectively to handle stress.

Sounds like a good thing, right? Not so much. You see, your body’s response to stress is quite handy if you’re trying to win a football game or slamming the brakes to your car to avoid hitting a tree. The stress response puts your body in an abnormal state. That’s why your body needs to recover from it.

Now, imagine being under stress for longer periods. Your body will respond to the stress continuously. That is bad. Cortisol can become toxic in larger doses. This hormone can lead to high blood pressure and make you prone to heart attacks. Your energy will flag and your immune system will be compromised. Your serotonin levels will drop, making you more prone to depression and anxiety.

The only thing you can do to beat the stress is to either remove the sources of stress or help your body along with adaptogens. Although it may be tempting to throw your boss out the window, you can’t. So let’s look at the other alternative, adaptogens.

The first time I heard about adaptogens, I thought my friend was asking me to take some sort of illegal drug.  It sounds like one, right? Then I found out that adaptogens are plant extracts that help you cope with stress. Since adaptogens are derived from plants, it is all-natural. Adaptogens lower cortisol levels and increase energy. They also improve your focus and make you more alert. If you’d like to try out adaptogens, try Vaxa Adapt. It’s made in the USA, and so it’s as safe as you can get.