Adaptogens for Anti-Aging: Do They Really Work?

Can plants alter aging? Are there natural substances that lengthen longevity or even reverse aging? Today top scientists are researching remedies that have been used for thousands of years. They’re called adaptogens. There’s evidence they may reduce anxiety and even extend life expectancy.

Adaptogens are mushrooms or herbs that might have health benefits. They are added to teas or crushed into powders you can mix into beverages. Do they work? Are there respected studies demonstrating their advantages? And what role do they play in the growing science of anti-aging?

How Adaptogens Help With The Stress Response And Aging

Although science has been examining ways to lengthen longevity for as long as there have been scientists, anti-aging is a relatively new field. Its focus is on extending not just life expectancy but our healthy, disease-free years – what is sometimes called “healthspan.” This branch of science is concerned with keeping people youthful for as long as possible – on the inside and the outside. There are few things that shorten lives as effectively as chronic stress. 

How we handle stress – and more importantly how our bodies handle it – has outsized implications for life expectancy. Whether caused by financial strain, family drama, or general anxiety, untreated stress has been linked to everything from cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes. Chronic stress also affects the skin, prematurely aging it while overwhelming and even counteracting anti-aging treatments. Because chronic stress is so damaging, it makes sense that researchers are taking a look at adaptogens. That’s because an adaptogen’s efficacy is derived from how it interacts with our body’s primary stress-driver – the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. 

HPA is responsible for fight-or-flight responses. When it constantly releases stress hormones like cortisol, it can have a debilitating effect. When the release of cortisol is triggered by genuine danger, it’s hugely beneficial. Cortisol amplifies adrenaline by keeping our blood sugar, heartbeat, and respiration elevated. This hormone is also involved with metabolism, blood pressure, and the normal sleep-wake cycle. 

Adaptogens can tamp down the stress response –– an anti-aging benefit because chronic stress reduces longevity. It’s believed that consuming adaptogens can keep your body in a neutral, steady state. This is known as homeostasis. Along with tamping down the way we react to stress, adaptogens can also help the body resist damage caused by other outside factors. They also work to restore normal functions faster following a stress reaction.

Before adding adaptogens or any longevity supplements to your daily diet, it’s important to check your baseline. You need to know if your hormones are in balance, if your heart health is where it should be, if there are inflammation markers in your blood along with a host of other concerns. How do you do that? Well, there’s a simple at-home blood test available from Kyla that delivers the insights you need at a price you can afford. Because while other companies charge hundreds of dollars for the same test, the at-home blood test from Kyla is just $99. It may be covered by your insurance. 

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History of Adaptogens 

Adaptogens were first described by Soviet scientist and physician Dr. Nikolai Lazarev in 1947.  Although he’d spent World War Two focused on performance-enhancing drugs that could deliver extra strength and speed to his country’s soldiers, as the war ended his attention turned to more “life enhancing” substances. He first examined the benefits of a plant commonly used in both Russian and Chinese traditional medicine. Schisandra chinensis or five-flavor fruit is often described as having all of the flavors within its purplish berries: sweet, salty, bitter, pungent, and sour. Seeds from the schisandra berry are lignans, which in recent studies have shown promise as both a preventative and as a treatment for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. When the schisandra’s berries and the seeds are ground up and used as an additive, they may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and may even have an antidepressant effect. 

Lazarev described Schisandra chinensis, ginseng, and several other plants as being adaptogens because they can enhance the human body and help it resist various adverse conditions (like stress, disease, family conflicts, and pollution). To be considered an adaptogen, they must maintain homeostasis while not interfering with the body’s normal function. 

A decade later, his work was built on by another Soviet scientist named Israel Brekhman. Often called the “father of adaptogens,” he was researching ginseng’s effects when he expanded adaptogen’s definition to include man-made pharmaceutical interventions that also help maintain homeostasis even under negative conditions. In fact, adaptogens don’t even need to be derived from plants – they can come from minerals or even animals so long as they perform the same function. Today over 70 plants are considered adaptogens, with numerous other substances also sharing the category.

Adaptogens may have anti-aging properties. If you’re curious about anti-aging, downloading the Kyla app will give you insights not only into this developing field but also how to reduce your own biological age and even begin to reverse aging. By joining the Kyla Anti-Aging program, you’ll be exposed to cutting edge insights about your health thanks to a combination of AI analytics and advanced testing.To discover the best ways to stay young on the inside and the outside, download the Kyla app and learn more about healthy aging.

Adaptogens And Anti-aging

So how do adaptogens help with aging? An article entitled “Plant Fortification of the Diet for Anti-Aging Effects…” notes that “Aging is an enigmatic and progressive biological process which undermines the normal functions of living organisms with time.” What is the source of healthy aging? What we eat plays an outsized role, as do the antioxidants we consume. 

One factor in premature aging is the very breath of life. As the article explains, “Oxygen is an essential molecule that sustains human life on earth and is involved in the synthesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that pose certain health complications. The ROS are believed to be a significant factor in the progression of ageing. A robust lifestyle and healthy food, containing dietary antioxidants, are essential for improving the overall livelihood and decelerating the ageing process.” Along with the vitamins A,C,D,C and E, adaptogens are one of the dietary antioxidants that slow this process down and can even reverse aging. One reason these substances achieve this is that they “…reduce ROS production in the cells, thereby improving the life span of living organisms.”

Examining numerous natural herbs which have been used as medicinal remedies for millennia, researchers have discovered their anti-aging properties. Adaptogens that have been shown to reduce stress and slow aging include; ashwagandha; rhodiola schisandra, and adaptogenic mushrooms including cordyceps sinensis, lion’s mane, and reishi which may reduce the risk of injuries among hard-training athletes along with reducing stress-related markers. 

Studies suggest that cordyceps sinensis in conjunction with rhodiola or rhodiola rosea (rhodiola roses) reduce both stress responses and fatigue. However, most supplements containing adaptogenic mushrooms are expensive. There have also been some adverse side effects reported. Taking rhodiola or rhodiola rosea by itself can also deliver adaptogen effects. Taking it orally for longer than three months is not recommended. Some adaptogenic mushrooms have been linked to liver toxicity. 

Ashwagandha is commonly available as ashwagandha powder and ashwagandha tea. An evergreen shrub found in Africa, India, and parts of the Middle East, it has shown promise in treating anxiety. As a supplement it may even help reverse aging. Whether you consume it as ashwagandha powder or ashwagandha tea, make sure to research the source and purity of the product you use. As with all supplements, ashwagandha isn’t subjected to the same scrutiny about efficacy and safety as medication.

Whether the Siberian variety studied by Brekhman or the American version, ginseng is probably the most popular adaptogen additive – appearing in energy beverages, diet powders, and numerous other formulas. Studies suggest that it can boost your immune system along with reducing anxiety and promoting healthy aging. 

However, no supplement will ever promote healthy aging as much as lifestyle adjustments focused on diet, exercise, stress reduction, and sleep will. To ensure you are doing all you can to live the best life possible, enroll in Kyla’s Anti-Aging program. After downloading the app you’ll learn how your lifestyle can affect your life expectancy. You’ll be able to track vital health indicators like primary care and hormone levels. The app will even let you monitor your data conveniently while offering visual representations of your progress, 

The Kyla app health assessment is designed to identify health risks before they become life threatening. So download the Kyla app today and start living your best life now! 

Sources: 

1. Starkman, Evan. “Adaptogens: What to Know,” WebMD. July 2, 2023. https://www.webmd.com/balance/adaptogens-what-to-know
2. “What are adaptogens and should you be taking them?” UCLA Health. February 16, 2022. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/what-are-adaptogens-and-should-you-be-taking-them
3. Dhanjal, Daljeet Singh et al. “Plant Fortification of the Diet for Anti-Aging Effects: A Review.” Nutrients. September 30, 2020. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7601865/
4. Liao, Lian-ying.et al. “A preliminary review of studies on adaptogens: Comparison of their bioactivity in TCM with that of ginseng-like herbs used worldwide,”Chinese Medicine. November 16, 2018. https://cmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13020-018-0214-9
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6. Panossian, Alexander, and Patricia L. Gerbarg, “Thirteen Potential Use of Plant Adaptogens in Age-Related Disorders,” Complementary and Integrative Therapies for Mental Health and Aging. New York: Oxford Academic. March 1, 2016. https://academic.oup.com/book/24571/chapter-abstract/187827495?redirectedFrom=fulltext
7. Todorova, Velislava et al. “Plant Adaptogens-History and Future Perspectives.” Nutrients. August 20, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8398443/
8. Whelan, Corey. “What to Know About Schisandra,” Healthline. September 30, 2024. https://www.healthline.com/health/schisandra
9. Liu, Xiao-Xing et al. “Bibliometric Study of Adaptogens in Dermatology: Pharmacophylogeny, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Mechanisms.” Drug design, development and therapy. February 6, 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9912821/
10. “Dr. Israel Brekhman: “Father of Adaptogens” and His Energizing Adaptogen Blend in e+,” Isagenix Health. https://isagenixhealth.net/father-of-adaptogens-and-his-energizing-adaptogen-blend-in-e/
11. Kubala, Jillian, MS, RD. “What Are Adaptogenic Mushrooms? Benefits, Risks, and Types,” Healthline. March 19, 2021. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/adaptogenic-mushrooms
12. “Rhodiola: Uses, Side Effects, and More,” WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-883/rhodiola