Health Hotline Magazine | October 2026

Adaptogens: Rooted in History, Grounded in Science In addition to adopting healthy lifestyle habits to manage stress, adaptogens are one of the best tools we have to shield our bodies from its negative effects. Adaptogens are plant-derived compounds that do exactly what they say: they help the body adapt to stress, including physiological, psychological, and environmental stress. They are both protective and restorative, buffering stress and supporting whole-body health. Many of them have been used in traditional healing systems around the world for thousands of years, and modern research has confirmed their health-promoting abilities. While each has its own unique modes of action, one thing adaptogens have in common is that they support balance in the body’s stress response system, the “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis,” or the HPA axis (i.e., the thing that drives our fight-or-flight response). Research has also found that adaptogens can affect gene expression, downregulating or upregulating specific genes connected to mood, chronic inflammation, metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative and cognitive impairment, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In short, all adaptogens support the body during times of stress via regulation of the HPA axis and influencing gene expression, but each one has its own specific benefits, from sleep to blood sugar support. Read on to discover which one(s) are right for you!

Ashwagandha: Relax, Unwind, & Find Tranquil Sleep

If you’re feeling depleted from stress from head to toe, look to ginseng. Both American and Asian ginseng are considered “true” ginsengs because they belong to the Panax genus; “Panax” is derived from Greek roots meaning “all-healing,” and indeed, ginseng does have Ginseng: Energize & Promote Whole Body Vitality

If stress has you wound up and desperately seeking sound sleep, then ashwagandha may be the adaptogen for you. This Ayurvedic herb has a history of more than 4,000 years of use in its native India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and roughly translates from Sanskrit to the

“smell and strength of a horse,” referring to the root’s distinctive smell and its ability to support strength, stamina, and fertility. These days, ashwagandha is often used for its calming, anti-anxiety, and sleep-promoting effects—even its botanical name, Withania somnifera , Latin for “sleep making,” alludes to its sleep supporting effects. A 2024 meta-analysis of five randomized-controlled trials found that ashwagandha (doses ranged from 500 to 1,000mg daily for six to 10 weeks) significantly reduced anxiety scores and improved sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep), sleep time, sleep efficiency, and self-reported sleep quality. Note: While ashwagandha has calming and sleep promoting effects, it is not sedating and typically does not cause drowsiness.

whole-body healing—and energizing— effects. Native to China, Korea, and the Eastern United States, ginseng has been shown to reduce cortisol, blood glucose, and triglycerides during times of chronic stress, as well as promote healthy vascular function. It also appears to support healthy immune function: One study found that 400mg of American ginseng, taken daily for four months, significantly reduced the number of colds subjects contracted, and in those subjects who caught a cold, ginseng reduced both the severity of symptoms and the duration. Finally, studies have found that 1-2 grams of ginseng daily improves fatigue in people with unexplained chronic fatigue and in postmenopausal women.

Purportedly used by the Vikings to enhance strength and stamina and used by the Inuit people for infections, fatigue, and mental and physical rejuvenation, rhodiola is native to arctic regions in Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia. Rooted in traditional use, modern science has found that rhodiola is one of the best adaptogens for mental fatigue and burnout. One placebo-controlled study, including 60 people between the ages of 20 and 55 years old with chronic fatigue, found that daily supplementation with 576 mg of standardized rhodiola extract exerted an “anti-fatigue effect that increases mental performance, particularly the ability to concentrate, and decreases cortisol response to awakening stress in burnout patients with fatigue syndrome.” Other research has confirmed rhodiola’s effect on improving mental fatigue and burnout symptoms (fatigue, apathy, mood changes, changes in eating and sleeping habits): A trial including 118 people experiencing burnout symptoms took 400mg of a standardized rhodiola extract daily for 12 weeks. Those taking the rhodiola had improvements in measures of fatigue, mental exhaustion, and “lack of joy,” with some benefits seen as early as week one, with continuing improvement over the course of the 12 weeks. Other research has shown that rhodiola supports mental performance during demanding situations, like heavy work or academic loads, or in high-stress jobs. Rhodiola: Fight Mental Fatigue & Beat Burnout

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