What Are Adaptogens?
An adaptogen is a form of nutritional, non-chemical supplement that is intended to assist the body to adapt to common external stressors ranging from anxiety to certain hormonal disorders.
Adaptogens consist of any form of supplement that is part of a family of natural substances, such as herbs like ginseng. To put it simply – adaptogens consist of all forms of herbal medicines! (Source)
The Rich History of Adaptogens
Herbal medicine has a rich history spanning over thousands of years, used by ancient societies in countries across the globe, such as Russia, Japan, Korea, and eventually Europe and the United States.
Advocates of herbal medicine base their philosophy on keeping the body as healthy as possible by preventing illness through beneficial herbs and herb-based supplements, rather than modern medicine which treats diseases and conditions as they manifest.
Many common modern pharmaceuticals used today and medications have roots in herbal medicine and herbs through isolating active ingredients in herbs that are scientifically proven to have healing properties.
For example, ephedra is an herb that has been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for centuries. Ephedrine, the active ingredient in ephedra, is used in medications today to treat common respiratory conditions such as asthma. (Source)
In many parts of the world, adaptogens (or traditional herbal medicine) is a preferred method of treating illness, injury and disease as opposed to modern pharmaceuticals. In developing countries such as Chile, India and Columbia over 50 percent of the population uses herbal remedies – in China, more than 40 percent of health care received consists of traditional medicine. (Source)
Although herbal medicine may be dismissed by skeptics as having no scientific medicinal value, various clinical trials have established that adaptogens do have remarkable effects when it comes to combating fatigue, depression, and stress. Adaptogens also…
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