Adaptogens and Mood 101

There seems to be new health and wellness buzzwords every single day, and it can be hard to keep up. 

The truth? Many of these buzzwords (read: superfood, all-natural, and clean beauty to name a few) are just made-up marketing terms designed to get you to buy, buy, buy. 

We don’t subscribe to that strategy here at Winged. We’re all about cutting the BS, and would never share information about anything related to your wellness if we didn’t wholeheartedly believe in it ourselves. 

That being said, today we want to discuss a wellness practice that our team has been SUPER jazzed about lately— adaptogens. Particularly, we want to focus on how adaptogens can help with our mood and mental wellbeing. The past year has been tough on us all, and we definitely could all use a little balance and TLC for our mood. There’s a lot to discuss on this topic, so let’s get into it! 

What are adaptogens? 

A collection of adaptogenic herbs and roots artfully displayed

The term “Adaptogens” simply refers to plants that have the ability to help your body adjust to stress. 

This category of herbal heroes contains Ashwagandha, Astragalus, goji berries, turmeric, and more. These plants have been widely used and celebrated globally for centuries. 

How do adaptogens help with mood? 

When our bodies are faced with a stressor, we go through what’s called general adaptation syndrome (GAS). There are three stages to this process: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Adaptogens can keep us operating in the resistance stage for longer, and keep us from shutting down and reaching the exhaustion stage. The result? Being able to soldier on through our days with our heads and our spirits high. 

Want a quick analogy to really solidify the process for you? Lots of people compare adaptogens with exercise. When you work out regularly, your body creates muscles and other ways to cope with the physical stressors of exercise. Adaptogens work similarly, helping your body adapt to the mental stressors you experience daily. 

For our mood, adaptogens can help us reach balance and adapt to stress, so that stressful situations don’t impact us as much as they used to. We can feel better and experience an elevated mood, despite the stressors at hand. 

How can I incorporate adaptogens into my wellness routine? 

Winged Chilled Out Powder with teapot and clock and tea

One of the reasons adaptogens are so great is because they are SO easy to fit into your daily routine in a creative (and often delicious) way. 

But, where do we begin in choosing the appropriate adaptogens for our unique experiences? We’re glad you asked! Here’s a cheat sheet of different adaptogens… 

That’s why we created Chilled Out, a fast-acting Blood Orange flavored adaptogenic powder that can be mixed into any drink. We’ve recently been loving mixing Chilled Out into teas and smoothies.

Try one of our favorite recipes: turmeric orange smoothie.

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 scoop Chilled Out 
  • Pinch black pepper
  • Your favorite sweetener, to taste

Blend and enjoy the relaxing and mood-boosting effects of adaptogens! 


Resources

Chesak, Jennifer. "12 Adaptogens For Stress And Hormonal Balance — And How To Use Them". Healthline, 2019, https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/smart-girls-guide-to-adaptogens#how-do-they-work.

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