Title : 7 Ancient Herbs That DECREASE Stress and INCREASE Energy Without Side-Effects
link : 7 Ancient Herbs That DECREASE Stress and INCREASE Energy Without Side-Effects
7 Ancient Herbs That DECREASE Stress and INCREASE Energy Without Side-Effects
In India and China, soldiers have used adaptogens for centuries to handle the stress of combat, recover faster, and increase their energy. Today, you can use adaptogens for – you guessed it – their adaptogenic properties: they help your body adapt to biological and psychological stress by making it easier for you to balance your hormonal systems. Some adaptogens can also help with common symptoms of living in the modern world, including fatigue, impotence, and infertility.
Even though these herbs have worked for thousands of years, scientific research is only beginning to reveal to the West the potential that adaptogens have to upgrade your stress response and energy levels.
Think of it like this. If you’ve ever driven a sports car, when you step on the gas, it very quickly moves forward, and when you let off, it slows down quickly. In contrast, in your grandmother’s car, you can pin the accelerator to the floor, but you have to wait two seconds for the car to lurch forward. When you release the gas, it kind of coasts.
Your adrenals are the same way. You want them to make stress hormones quickly when needed, then to stop making the hormones as soon as you’re done. That’s what adaptogens do – they make your adrenals react more quickly, so you spend less time and energy making stress hormones.
This article will walk you through seven adaptogens I’ve used for more than a decade, and dig into some of that research to help you decide if adaptogens are right for you. You don’t have to take all of these, or any of them for that matter. Different ones work for different people. That’s why we have functional medicine docs, Ayurveda, herbalists, and even shamanic practitioners who work with herbs.
Panax Ginseng
Panax ginseng, pictured above, is probably the most well-known adaptogen. Traditional Chinese Medicine has used ginseng for a wide variety of treatments, especially in preventative practices and as a performance enhancer and immune booster. You may have also heard that it enhances libido, although that aspect is way over-marketed.
There are more than a dozen forms of panax ginseng. Only five of them are used medicinally, and two very popular ones are Korean red ginseng and white ginseng. There’s science to back up claims about this root that resembles two legs of a human. Studies show that ginseng is effective when used to improve cognition and focus, increase overall sense of well-being, and can even improve the quality of erections in men suffering from erectile dysfunction [1, 2, 3, 4].
The improvement in cognition is most likely a result of a decrease in fatigue (kinda like coffee!). In studies where individuals were not already experiencing fatigue, they did not see an increase in cognition.
There’s also some evidence that ginseng can lower blood glucose levels, although it doesn’t appear to have any effect on people that don’t have an existing condition like diabetes or hypertension, for example.[5, 6] Large human studies are lacking though and there’s conflicting results in the studies that do exist.
There’s also conflicting evidence when it comes to using ginseng as a mood-booster, with ginseng having the same effects on mood as the placebo.[7] Other studies, however, do show that in healthy people, ginseng does have a mood-boosting effect and can increase calm and improve memory and performance.[8]
To sum it up, ginseng:
- decreases fatigue
- balances blood glucose levels
- improves erectile dysfunction
- boosts your mood
One annoying thing is that most studies don’t use the same forms or the same preparations of ginseng, so it’s hard to know if you’re getting the right stuff, or even if there’s anything besides sawdust in your capsules. Real ginseng is expensive and fake stuff is all over the place. I’ve used panax ginseng occasionally as an energy booster but not daily most of the time.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha, which translates to ‘smell of horse,’ is used in Ayurvedic practices for all kinds of things, most notably for reducing stress. (Remember that stress comes from exercise, diet, infection, fear of stuff, and even your mother-in-law…and your body doesn’t care about the source.)
Several human studies show that ashwagandha decreases anxiety, stress, c-reactive protein and cortisol.[9, 10, 11] The decrease in cortisol is worth talking about, especially when you compare the effects of ashwagandha to those of other stress-reducing supplements. Studies show ashwagandha decreased stress 14.5-27.9% in healthy but stressed people.[9] (note: if you check email or Facebook, at least part of your body is stressed…you’re human.)
Ashwagandha may also be effective when used synergistically with alcohol to reduce stress and anxiety, although I think you’re better off skipping the alcohol or at least choosing a clean one and mitigating its harmful effects when you’re stressed.
Another cool thing about ashwagandha is that it shows promise in improving memory formation. This could be important in research for treating Alzheimer’s patients.[13] More large human studies are needed to show how and why this might be effective, but there is research to suggest that Alzheimer’s could reverse the effects of neurological toxins associated with neurodegenerative diseases.[14, 15]
Source :
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