Adaptogens have taken the health industry by a storm, and for good reason too. If you’ve just come across the term or are looking into effective adaptogens, or even if you stumbled here by accident, well, lucky for you, because we’ve put together everything that you need to know about adaptogens! Here are our answers to some of your questions:
What Are Adaptogens?
Adaptogens are naturally occurring substances, such as herbs and mushrooms, that help your body “adapt” to stress. Even though the term has been recently popularized, they have existed and been used for healthcare and medicine for centuries. Consider them as natural supplements to help your body deal with stressors, both internal and external. Whether the stress is physical, like fatigue, or mental, like anxiety, adaptogens strengthen our body to deal with it by keeping our body’s functioning and response in a balanced state. Adaptogens help to maintain focus, stabilize mood, decrease stress and strengthen our body’s natural immunity. So, from running a marathon to studying for an upcoming test, or even getting through the day, every day, adaptogens can positively improve your quality of life.(1)
How Do They Work?
In a state of stress, our body goes into overdrive. This overdrive is usually hormonally driven. In the short term, this can affect our productivity and function in dealing with the stressor, and in the long run, it can adversely affect the normal functioning of various organ systems in our body, in particular, the cardiovascular system.
Adaptogens exert their effects through various mechanisms that include stimulation of the CNS, protection against cell death, promoting glucose uptake by skeletal muscle cells, as well as antioxidant properties.(2)
According to Hans Selye’s theory of General Adaptation Syndrome, our body’s response to threat or stress occurs in three stages: stage of alarm, stage of resistance, and stage of exhaustion. Through their interaction with the Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis (HPA), the areas in the brain controlling the production and release of stress hormones such as cortisol, adaptogens regulate the stage of resistance and prevent the body from going into overdrive and reaching the stage of exhaustion. Instead, they help the body adapt to stress by reaching a state of heterostasis, which enables your body to maintain optimal functioning in both stress and relaxation.(3)
Adaptogens also have an antitoxin effect. They improve the body’s resistance to various noxious substances including microbes and chemicals such as benzene, phosphorus, and acetone, etc.(4)
Which Adaptogens Should I Take?
As a general rule, adaptogens help increase your tolerance to stress by decreasing fatigability, improving focus, and elevating mood. However, different adaptogens have various specific effects.
Conclusion
Adaptogens are fairly versatile substances that “adapt” well and offer benefits in various ways. As opposed to traditional allopathic medication, these are organically occurring supplements that help boost the body’s functioning without additional side effects. Depending on your preference and what you’re looking for, adaptogens can be incorporated into your diet in various ways. Matcha, for example, you can have in a drink, or incorporate it into your meal. Now that you know your adaptogens, it’s time to start taking them!
References
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References
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Castro-Barquero, S., Lamuela-Raventós, R. M., Doménech, M., & Estruch, R. (2018). Relationship between Mediterranean dietary polyphenol intake and obesity. Nutrients, 10(10), 1523.
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Left, right, front centre – wherever you look, you’ll see matcha-flavoured everything! From ice-cream, bubble tea, soufflé, Shibuya toast, it seems as though the world is completely obsessed with matcha.
Who could blame anyone? Aromatic like you’ve woken up in a tea farm, intense like your first love, a sweet after-taste to set you in a merry mood; this special tea comes with a myriad of benefits too.
A Matcha A Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Antioxidants - a buzz word you see everywhere when it comes to nutrition and health, and matcha is power-packed with them!
Antioxidants are what you hunt for when you want to stay looking like the model-material you already are because of its anti-ageing properties. What’s more is that antioxidants may help fight off chronic diseases and infections.
So, remember your daily dose of matcha for that youthfulness and strong body!
BURN, baby, BURN!
If your #2020goals are all about losing weight, then consider matcha a staple in your diet!
With it already being almost calorie-free, matcha has natural thermogenic properties that boost metabolism and promotes fat burn. Now I got your attention! It tastes great with almost anything and it may help with weight loss – that’s what we call a double win!
Start your mornings with a cup of matcha and you’ll be energized to pull through the day even with the most mundane of commutes.
No More Bullsh*t
As the old adage goes - love your greens!
There is no doubt that natural greens help your body detoxify. Every day, we consume and even breathe in many chemicals that may be detrimental to our health in the long run as a result of our ever-evolving yet pollution-filled world. Chlorophyll found in matcha helps rid the body of these harmful toxins.
Bonus Point!
Matcha is also rich in many other vitamins and minerals that are essential to a healthy body. End your day with a soothing cup of warm matcha and you’ll be guaranteed to detoxify from the nonsense of life too!
You’d be sitting here for hours on end if we had to list down every single benefit matcha has to offer. But then again, things are often best enjoyed as experiences instead of words, so allow us tickle your fancy with our wide array of irresistible matcha beverages.
Come on down to Oh Cha Matcha (opening on March 16th, 2020) and be ready for your matcha fix!
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Reference: https://matchasource.com/health-benefits-of-matcha-tea/