If you've spent any time in the wellness world, you've heard the word adaptogen whispered like a spell. It's on smoothie menus and supplement labels, in podcasts and captions, usually wrapped in promises so big they start to sound like noise.
Adaptogens are plants, many with centuries of traditional use, thought to help the body meet stress and return to balance rather than pushing it up like a stimulant or down like a sedative. Nikolai Lazarev, a Soviet scientist, coined the word in 1947. Ashwagandha, rhodiola, eleuthero and shatavari are among the best known. The research is growing but still early.
So I want to talk about them a little differently - the way you'd explain something beautiful and strange to a friend over tea.
Where the Word Adaptogen Comes From
Bear with me, because this love story begins in a Soviet lab.
In 1947, a Soviet scientist named Nikolai Lazarev gave a name to something he was chasing: a substance that could help the body hold steady in the storm. The researchers who followed him hoped to make soldiers, athletes and workers more resilient without the crash of stimulants.
They went looking in the plants. Eleuthero and rhodiola, growing through Siberian winters. Schisandra, from the forests of the Russian Far East. Plants that had come through extreme conditions and, the thinking went, might pass some of that resilience along. Later, herbs cherished for thousands of years elsewhere, India's ashwagandha and shatavari among them, joined the list.
A fellow Soviet scientist, Israel Brekhman, shaped the idea into something elegant. An adaptogen, he proposed, should be safe, should help against many kinds of stress rather than just one, and should nudge the body toward balance whichever way it has drifted. Today, researchers mostly study that idea through the body's stress-response system: the conversation between the brain and the adrenal glands.
In theory, it's beautiful. Too wired? It calms. Too depleted? It restores. It meets you where you are.
To me, that's the loveliest part of the idea: a conversation between the plant and your body.
What Do Adaptogens Feel Like?
Here's the part that's hard to put on a label: adaptogens don't announce themselves. Caffeine arrives like a brass band. What people describe with adaptogens is more like dawn - so gradual you don't notice the shift until you realize you can see.
With ashwagandha, people often talk about small things, like a coworker's comment that didn't ruin the afternoon. With shatavari, a warmth and a quiet steadiness. With rhodiola, reaching the end of the day with something left - not much, but enough to be present for the evening.
The shifts are subtle, and in a world that loves the dramatic, subtle can feel like nothing. To me, subtle is where the magic lives.
Shatavari and Her Court
In Ayurveda, shatavari is often called the Queen of Herbs. Her name is usually translated as "she who possesses a hundred husbands," read less as a statement about romance than about vitality so abundant it could sustain a whole kingdom. She's one of Ayurveda's best-known rejuvenatives for women, traditionally used to nourish and replenish what depletion has taken.
Shatavari is the adaptogen in Élixir d'Extase. The research on her is growing, but it's still young. What drew us to her is what she stands for: nourishment that's deep, patient and cumulative. She keeps you company while you come back to yourself.
Ashwagandha has the most research behind her (a growing body of small human trials, many of them looking at stress and cortisol), and I adore her for that.
Rhodiola is the energizer. She's long been used in Siberia and Scandinavia for stamina, she was studied closely by Soviet researchers, and she's known for a lift without the jittery edge of stimulants.
What Adaptogens Aren't
Let's be real for a moment. Adaptogens can't fix a life that's asking too much of you. They're no replacement for sleep, for therapy, or for the hard conversations you've been putting off.
What they can be is a plant ally: a daily, gentle and very old form of support, meant to work with your body's own rhythm. A steady hand on your back.
The research is real and growing, though much of it is still early. And honestly, the science was never the whole story for me. What moves me is the idea underneath it - support that's slow, steady and kind, and a little more room for softness in a world that tends to reward hardness.
How to Start With Adaptogens
If you're new to adaptogens, my advice is simple: start small, and pay attention.
Choose one that calls to you, and check with your doctor first if you take medication or are pregnant or breastfeeding. Take it daily, in a form you actually enjoy, for at least a month. Then pay attention to the quiet shifts people describe.
An argument that didn't happen.
A morning that felt less like a battle.
An evening that felt like yours again.
We made Élixir d'Extase as a gentle way in: kanna extract and organic shatavari, damiana, rose, vanilla and Ceylon cinnamon, carried in raw, unfiltered honey from a regenerative farm in Upstate New York. Honey is the vehicle Ayurveda has trusted to carry herbs for thousands of years. Two teaspoons, off the spoon or stirred into warm water - that's the whole practice. The rest is ritual.
A gentle note on safety. Élixir d'Extase contains kanna, which acts on serotonin, so never combine it with SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs or any other serotonergic medication. Skip it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, and if you take any prescription medication, ask your doctor first.
You don't need to understand every mechanism to begin. Start the ritual, and let your body show you what it already knows. The secret sauce has always been within.
xo, Nana 🕊️
Frequently Asked Questions
Is shatavari an adaptogen?
Yes, it's usually counted among them. In Ayurveda, shatavari is a classic rasayana, or rejuvenative, best known as a traditional tonic for women.
How long do adaptogens take to work?
They're traditionally taken daily over weeks rather than as a single dose, and the shifts people describe tend to be gradual. Give one a month or so, and watch for quiet changes rather than dramatic ones.
Are adaptogens safe?
They're generally well tolerated, but they're not for everyone. Ashwagandha isn't recommended during pregnancy, and some adaptogens can interact with medication, so check with your doctor first if you take any or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.