“Have you tried adaptogens like saffron?” my psychiatrist asked me during a quarterly check-in after I explained that I was experiencing some pretty depressing mood changes, nervous fraying, and work paralysis due to the increasing stress I was feeling. My usual “reset and readjust” method didn’t work as well as it usually does.
At the time, I wasn’t particularly looking for adaptogens, but as someone who has been involved in health and wellness reporting for 10 years, I’m always willing to try anything at least once. Following my doctor’s recommendation, I started incorporating adaptogens into my daily routine, specifically Ritual’s Stress Relief Bio Series. Although I can’t say it completely eliminated my stress (I’m a perfectionist, my eldest daughter, I love to please, I’m a Pisces, stress is practically in my DNA), but can I feel visibly clearer, lighter, and ready to accept it. When feeling hopeless is your biggest obstacle, adaptogens can help you find your way out of it.
Vogue’s Favorite adaptogen supplements:
Ritual Stress Relief Supplement
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Athletic Greens AGZ Nightly Rest & Restore Powder
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Thorn Rhodiola Supplement
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Gaia Herbs Stress Response Supplement
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Alice Mushroom Brainstorming Chocolate
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Four Sigmatic Original Mushroom Coffee
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Plant People Wonder Day Mushroom Gummies
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If it seems like adaptogens are everywhere, you’re not imagining it. According to Grand View Research, the U.S. adaptogen market is expected to grow steadily by 2030, thanks in part to increased consumer awareness and a desire to find natural solutions to deal with everyday stress. Adaptogens do just that (and as their name suggests) they help the body adapt to stress. Long-term stress can imbalance the brain’s “power grid” called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. A leading theory is that adaptogens may help reduce what’s called allostatic load, which Taylor Fazio, a New York-based registered dietitian and Lambie wellness advisor, says is “essentially a stress system. “It’s the depletion that builds up in the body when it’s activated too often or for too long. Depending on the herb, it may look like modest changes in cortisol patterns, improvements in subjective stress, sleep, fatigue, alertness, and resilience,” she says.
However, adaptogens modulate pathways beyond cortisol levels. “Cortisol has gotten the most attention because it’s easy to talk about and easy to measure,” Fazio says. “However, adaptogens appear to interact with a broader network, including the sympathetic nervous system, inflammatory signaling, oxidative stress pathways, immune function, and in some cases neurotransmitter systems such as GABA.” However, note that not all plants and mushrooms are adaptogens. “There are certain scientific criteria that adaptogens must meet in order to be considered adaptogens,” says Erica Casavecchia, MSc, a New York-based integrative nutritionist and founder of Casawell Health. “Adaptogens should not impair the body’s normal functioning and should help maintain body homeostasis, restore balance to the body, and increase the body’s ability to cope with various stressors.” Popular examples include ashwagandha, rhodiola, ginseng, saffron, and reishi mushrooms.
These can be great tools, but it’s important to keep your expectations realistic. “Adaptogens are not resetting the nervous system, but acting more like support tools in a broader lifestyle and medical context,” Fazio says. “At this time, there is still a gap between the likelihood and the strength of evidence regarding adaptogens.”
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