Are you a candidate for adaptogenic herbs or stress management?

"I'm so tired."

"Why are you tired?" I ask.

"Just everything. Everyone seems to need me all the time. My children, my husband, my boss. I work all the time and I sleep so badly. I drink lots of coffee, just to get me through the day. I wish I could cut stress out of my life, but right now I just can't!"

I have this conversation often in the reflexology clinic. Usually mothers, single or not, who are working one to two high stress jobs, taking care of children, and doing all the house work and errands to boot! But let's not discount the men. It seems like everyone is stressed these days. So how do we effectively manage that stress? And should we use adaptogenic herbs as a coping mechanism?

What are adaptogens and what do they do?

'Adaptogen' is a growing buzz word, sparked by the interest in ginseng and its ability to energize the body, even when you think you're maxed out. Adaptogenic herbs affect the H-P-A Axis (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis). This is the part of the limbic system of the brain that looks at your current situation, compares it to a past situation, and then decides if you're in danger. The H-P-A is your overprotective tiger mother, ripping into action the moment she smells trouble. Adaptogens raise the bar to the point at which we can experience stress. Examples include herbs such as Ashwagandha, Tulsi Basil, and Goji Berries.

As protective of your well being this H-P-A may be, sometimes it gets confused or over-stressed. An e-mail can send one person straight into the throes of anxiety, while a driver cutting off another may only elicit a shrug. We all have variant triggers.

This is the point where we need to be careful. If you're overworking yourself when you could be cutting out stress, or replacing less than wonderful habits with stimulants, such as coffee or sugar, then think again if adaptogens are your new game plan. Using adaptogens as a stimulant in order to further burn the candle at both ends can lead to, well, burnout.

For example, think of the guy who works 12 hours a day, stubbornly works out on the weekends, and stays up late watching tv in order to 'wind down'. Using an herb like ginseng may not be the best route. It would only enable harmful behavior.

On the flip side, the single mother with a five year old, working two jobs and is on her feet all day and wants nothing more than a good night's sleep to feel prepared for the morning might benefit from ashwagandha, a more nourishing and relaxing adaptogen.

Fatigue can come from many different places, here's a few tips for discovering its possible routes (roots!) into your life:

Create a flow chart to see what's using your energy. See what you can mitigate or cut out completely.
Examine your diet by writing down the food you eat each day. You might be losing energy to too many carbs or too little fats and proteins.
Write down a list of your health concerns. Parasites, poor sleep hygiene (watching tv til midnight while eating snacks and then trying to sleep), pain, allergies, and other notable illnesses can all contribute to energy loss and fatigue.

Now I'll go into more depth. I've created an energy flow chart below to help you understand #1. Explanations for #'s 2 and 3 will come in later posts, so stay tuned!

Here's an example of an energy flow chart that I made for myself. My energy level is in the middle, and the lines lead to the areas where I spend my energy, or where I see my energy 'leaking out'. I've listed my poor food habits (for all to see, yikes!), and the area that cause me stress or great time loss in the areas of school, my home life, and my business.

Understanding where your energy is going is the first step. I don't use a lot of energy cooking anymore since I'm so busy, so I've instead started compensating by using coffee and sugary foods in the morning to get me through the day, and then a beer or warming glass of wine at night (sometimes with a bit of chocolate!) to help me relax.

So you see, you may not be spending energy somewhere, but you may be using poor substitutes to replace good habits. This is going to look very different for each of you, but be encouraged that there is no shaming here, and so many times we just do what we gotta do in order to get through the day. And that is so fine!

There are some things you can't replace. Like your job, or your housecleaning schedule., but there are other ways of managing the stress caused by those situations. Be aware that you may not be able to change every and all situations daily, but every little bit helps in the grand scheme of things.

Once you've figured out what your energy is going into, then you can decide what you can cut loose, what you can make better, and what you can replace.

You'll have your own flow chart by now, so decide on one branch to work with at first, one that you think is manageable for you right now. It can even be a seemingly simple one. I'll use examples from my chart to demonstrate.

Cut Loose (personal scheduling): Implement self-schedule. Result: Happier clients with optimal session times and less neck bending over the phone.

Make Better (riding on curvy mountain roads): Keep ginger chews in the car to combat nausea.

Replace (chocolate): Chocolate cravings can be an indication of magnesium deficiency. Solution: supplement with magnesium or eat more dark leafy greens, but use dark cocoa powder in smoothies for antioxidant benefits Result: Lowering glycemic load on body.

So here's your formula:

Action (what you're acting upon): the action that you'll take Result: the result you expect to see, or the result you do see.

When you know the cause, you can then assign healthy 'antidotes' to help you cope.

Still thinking about adaptogenic herbs that can help you hobble along on your stressful path? Here's a few of my favorite herbs that I use in my teas/preparations to help deal with my weekly traveling stress!

Name Secondary Action

*Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Relaxing, Nourishing

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) Generative and Hormonal Tonic

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) Immune Tonic

Holy (Tulsi) Basil (Ocimum sanctum) Harmonizes Emotions

*Ashwagandha is a highly prized Indian Ayurvedic herb that is meant to be prepared with a fat for better absorption. I generally prepare it the traditional way, which is to boil 1/8-1/4 tsp Ashwagandha powder in a cup of milk, and then I add honey. You'll want to drink this one at night, as it can make you very sleepy. But you can also roll the powder into a peanut butter ball, or make a bath of adaptogen treats.

Holy Basil is a sweet and spicy aromatic herb that works really great in the afternoon when you're thinking about grabbing another cuppa joe. Be careful if you have Type I diabetes. It's great to help focus and clear the mind (especially as a tincture) and helps relax the area around the heart and shoulders.

These all work well as tinctures or teas. Some people don't have time to make a cup of tea during the day, but making a special 'tea time' in the evening to connect with the plants and a relaxing aroma can become an important 5 minute relaxation ritual!

So, have I overwhelmed you yet? I hope not! Keep in mind that you may not make a change today, or even next week. This may be just one of those little seeds that you put in the garden for a rainy day. When the environment is right, it'll sprout.

Did you make a flow chart? Are you just plain not interested at all? Do you feel empowered with a new tool now? Let me know in the comments below!