Myth or Fact: There Are Plant Medicines That Harmonize Our Days
V Borrowman
If it were true, would you want them?
It’s true!
To be clear, no herbs can magically whip you up and out of a stressful office or out of a relationship that makes you curdle inside. Instead, they help us adapt for our best possible outcome.
That’s why I say harmonize. Everything comes together more easily and with flow.
Let’s say that there are a lot of discordant feelings in your day. Not enough sleep, feeling like rushing or behind all the time, small upsets feel jagged, a co-worker is making days harder than they need to be…anything else to add? Or there is one big discordant feeling in your day. It might be a job you’re over, a relationship that is wearing you down, or what’s yours? If herbs can’t make them go away, what can they do?
Adaptogens are one group of herbs that can help bring harmony to our day to day by
improving sleep quality
calming the feelings of threat so the big things can be handled with ease, and the small things aren’t so stressful (if you ever hear about the stress hormones cortisol, it’s here that cortisol levels can be harmonized to a lower level here)
helping us bounce back faster and with more resilience after stress
nurturing our immune system so we don’t get even more run down
Harmony. Things feel less harsh and effortful and more in ease and flow.
Maybe the most important thing these herbs can do is give us the strength and resilience to make necessary changes if possible. The mental any physical energy to make healthier choices for true long term health.
When is best to use adaptogens? As you are entering, in the middle of, or recovering from a period of stress.
Are all adaptogen herbs the same? They all have some similarities like helping lower the volume on our stressors, but there is one (or ones!) out there that are better suited for for you and others for me. A guide is coming soon!
I see the word adaptogen used a lot these days. Is it always true? Nope! It’s a word that people love to throw around without understanding, but there is a small number of researched plants that are confirmed to be adaptogens. A full list of these plants is at the end of this post.
Can I take adaptogens all the time? In herbalism, the goal is to support us through a time of healing to a space of health and balance if possible. We want the body to be able to rely on itself, be resilient by itself. We also don’t want to treat adaptogens like free energy because they are not. We need to make space in our lives to rest, to nourish. Adaptogens help us get to that safe place.
The rule of 6 is a good one to follow with adaptogens.
6 days on, one day off
6 weeks on, one week off (this is most recommended)
6 months on, one month off
How do adaptogens do all of this? These plants all have their own chemistry that allows them to work with our bodies for healthy outcomes. Gynostemma has gypensosides, and ashwagahnda has withanosides. But these are isolated extracts. In truth these plants usually work more effectively when taken at least in part in their whole form as the whole plant contributes to the benefits.
We can confidently say that traditional medicine systems have been using many of these plants for literally thousands of years. Modern research that began in the 60s in the former USSR continues today all over the world, still surprising researchers daily.
So back to my original question. Is it fact? Are there plants that can bring greater harmony to our lives?Yes!
But are these adaptogenic plants magical and will solve all your problems instantly? That is myth. But I’m so glad it is! The message of these plants is that you CAN move through this. You ARE deserving of feeling better. And it IS possible.
Interested in a little research of your own? Here is a breakdown of what an adaptogen must be capable of (from Sovereignty Herbs )
The herb helps the body cope with stress.
It’s non-toxic and causes no negative side effects (with correct dosing).
Both single and prolonged use of the herb produces stimulating effects.
Consuming the herb normalizes the body’s functioning.