While I generally try to consume a healthy diet, I fully subscribe to the theory of taking daily supplements to boost vitamins and nutrients. So when I recently heard about adaptogens, I started checking out if this was something to add to my weekly vitamin box.

Used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years, adaptogens are herbal ingredients that help the body handle stress and balance hormones. They adapt as needed to return the body into harmony or homeostasis, naturally. Adaptogens can make your commute more bearable, your partner more desirable and your outlook more sunny. Sounds interesting, right?

Adaptogens balance our adrenals helping regulate sleep cycles and energy, which means a morning caffeine hit and required afternoon sugar surge could become a thing of the past. When our adrenals work as they should and don’t consistently operate in a high state of stress, the function of our immune system, blood sugar, hormones and blood pressure are also improved.

Adaptogens, like vitamins, need some time to take effect. Often in powder form, adaptogens are easy to add to a glass of water, cup of tea, smoothie or soup. So while you won’t find that a dose one day means you can eliminate your extra shot latte the next morning, once the right balance is achieved, usually in a couple months, daily usage can be discontinued.

If you are feeling stressed out, having sleep issues or feel overly reliant on your caffeine habit, adaptogens may be worth considering. Variants like ginseng and chlorella may be familiar to you, while others like ashwagandha, chirayta and rhodiola may be new. With many full-body benefits and also strong synergies when taken together, it’s probably helpful if you have a consultation with a health professional to determine what’s right for you initially. From there, you’ll be able to work out if you need individual herbs like those from Sun Potion or can take a pre-mixed combination, like those from Moon Juice.

Couldn’t we all use a bit of help to keep things in balance?