I love adaptogenic herbs
Maybe you need them, too. From Adaptogenic Herbs: List, Effectiveness, and Health Benefits :
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That's where I started, but I've never gotten along with Ginseng. The taste creeps me out, and considering DH is an herbalist, I've gotten many piping hot cups of swamp water. But I can't take ginseng. I never tried Schisandra, as I was lowcarbing with increased intensity and didn't have liver or blood sugar issues. However, early on, I tried arctic root, and it really seemed to help me move into winter, as the people in the plant's native areas have done for centuries. Their effects will work best when the body is supported in healing with all the ways it needs. They can't do it by themselves. But they still do wonderful things for me. I've discovered three that really help me, and there's many more to explore.
Pro tips: Don't plan on tea unless you actually like the taste. Funnily enough, the Shankhapushpi smells like it would be horrible tea, which it is. It doesn't even dissolve. Like cinnamon, it needs to be muddled into some kind of carrier. The package suggested water, fruit juice, or milk for a shot glass approach. I had gotten the least-messed-with version, which is powder which came in a bag and needs a measuring spoon to accurately dispense. I don't drink milk, but I put it in my morning yogurt/whey protein smoothie, which worked. And it even made the smoothie taste better. Some kind of exotic undertone crept in, and livened up something that needs it :) Dairy and this herb have magical effects on each other. And, perhaps, on me :) Source well, dose well. I've always had good results with the NOW and Wild Harvest brands. I prefer to go online if I don't have a health food store which has rotating stock and some sense of good companies to deal with. Fakery and carelessness is rampant in the supplement industry, and many people give up on things that would actually help them, if they were good quality. Shankhapushpi was only readily available online in bags of ground herb, so I checked the back of the photos online and saw batch numbers, manufacturing and best buy dates. That's rather professional, as was the organic certification with an accreditation number. Of course, these can be faked, but scam artists wouldn't bother with what seems like an obscure herb with no marketing. L-theanine is readily available in capsules, or powder. Bulk powder is cheaper, but you might need a reliable way of weighing grams. Either ground herb or a distilled ingredient might have guidelines like 1/4 teaspoon twice a day, which takes the guesswork out, but it might not dissolve in your favorite beverage, or enhance it. That part is a gamble :) Keep track. The effect is usually subtle. I think I got a such-a-surge from my Shankhapushpi because I was feeling well, except in the department this herb was said to address. Had this been the first thing I tried, any good effects would not have been able to activate. Settle on an herb, don't do anything else different for a month, note any shifts in mood or performance. It's a little thing that can be a big help. |
Five months in: I'm still in love. I think I can commit.
Just shifted to my third herb, for the autumn, arctic root. I had morning glory (still my favorite!) with the spring, and then a trial of schisandra berry, which seems to have intense anti-oxidant activity in its favor. I don't think they have a singular effect, in that if I was sick and took any, it's not a magic pill that erases years of hamburger buns. But I think the adaptogenic effects are real, and actually work best to kick off supported body systems. I've been taking Ashwaganda for stress since the beginning. It always helped... a little. But as I fixed deeper and deeper problems, this simple herb -- which contains the same neurotransmitter as green tea, but in greater quantity -- worked better, until I simply got a tub of L-theanine and got serious with it. This brought my cortisol resistance under far better control, and it started to function better. For years, it would activate like a booster rocket and get me through the many constant and immediate stress-filled emergencies. The sicker I got, the more I needed, the worse it got. But when I went carnivore and put things into remission, it helped a lot. But then, stress increased for all of us to a level where I haven't been well since February of 2020 :help: Until now. I got into deeper study of these herbs and their results, and discovered a lot of studies make no notes about following the discovered wisdom of how to use them. But there's knowledgeable people out there, and I've found that following their advice gives me the best results. Herbs are misunderstood this way. They taste funny and we have to make a cup of swamp water and drink it, twice a day. Which has led to recipe books which also enhance the effects of the herbs. Like morning glory root and dairy is delicious. So far, hot chocolate smoothie takes all comers and still tastes great. That has become my coffee sub/breakfast/hormone kickstart every morning now. Mountain mornings are cool enough that way :) This is how, after five months of bed rest, I began the rebuilt program: five months ago. With careful testing of cortisol resistance that appeared with any exertion. Yesterday, I took a walk. For an hour. And had a good time. Yesterday, I took a rest day, and as best I can, I'll take a rest day after errands today. Last week was solid errands and normally that would have given me another round of body distress I have to slowly get better from. This week, I have leftover energy and went for a long walk. Something is working better. And it all started with these herbs (along with everything else I discover about my autoimmune management.) |
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