Ashwagandha & Adaptogens: History, Science, and How to Use Them Safely
a deep dive into the roots of resilience - from ayurveda to modern day
“Adaptogen” is being thrown around everywhere these days—on tincture bottles, smoothie powders, lattes, and supplement shelves.
The word is trending, the products are multiplying, and the promises? Wild.
But here’s what the wellness world is forgetting to tell you:
Adaptogens are not a Band-Aid you can slap on your stress and expect it to disappear. They’re not some natural version of an energy drink. You don’t take an adaptogen and suddenly feel like you just downed five Red Bulls. That’s not how they work.
Adaptogens help you adapt.
They support your body’s ability to recover, to regulate, and to return to its own natural balance—what we call homeostasis.
They work with your system, not against it.
Their job isn’t to overstimulate you into productivity; it’s to help you reclaim your energy over time by gently nudging your body back toward optimal function.
In the mainstream market, adaptogens are being packaged and sold as magical cure-alls—herbs that will fix anything and everything, no matter the issue. But herbs don’t work like that, and we do ourselves a disservice when we treat them like quick-fix pills.
This week, my goal is to help you understand what adaptogens actually are, how they work (still debated, but I’ll walk you through it), how to use them properly so they actually help you, and of course, cover a few of the most popular ones to give you the real lowdown. Make sure you’re upgraded to The Buffalo Herbalist Community so you don’t miss out on Friday’s post.
Today, we’ll start with the basics: the history of the adaptogen concept, how different herbal traditions have used these kinds of plants, and then we’ll talk a bit about Ashwagandha—because let’s be honest, she’s everywhere.
What Are Adaptogens, Really?
Adaptogens are biologically active substances that help the body resist a wide range of stressors—be they physical, emotional, environmental, or biological—without causing harm or imbalance.
Think of them as system balancers: they gently nudge the body back toward homeostasis, modulating rather than overriding its natural rhythms.
The term “adaptogen” was introduced in the late 1940s by Soviet toxicologist N.V. Lazarev, who was searching for substances that could enhance stamina, improve resistance to fatigue, and boost performance under pressure—without the crashes and side effects of synthetic stimulants. His work built on earlier wartime research into Schisandra chinensis, a berry traditionally used by Siberian hunters to reduce thirst, hunger, and exhaustion.
From there, Soviet scientists, particularly I.I. Brekhman and I.V. Dardymov, expanded the idea into a full-blown category of pharmacologically active herbs. They proposed three criteria:
The substance must increase the body’s nonspecific resistance to a broad range of stressors.
It must exert a normalizing effect, regardless of the direction of change.
It must be safe and cause minimal physiological disturbance.
That last point is key: adaptogens are not stimulants. They don’t override your stress system—they support it. Think of them as a gentle tutor for your HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal), helping you stay calm under pressure without dulling your edge.
Phytochemically, adaptogens are complex. Ginseng offers ginsenosides. Schisandra, lignans. Rhodiola, rosavins and salidrosides. These compounds influence stress mediators like cortisol, nitric oxide, and even neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
The result is often a better-regulated nervous system, steadier energy, and improved resilience over time.
How Different Herbal Traditions Understand Adaptogens
Long before the Soviets gave adaptogens their name and pharmacological profile, herbalists around the world were already working with these plants—just through different frameworks. Each system had its own language, its own logic. But the throughline? Herbs that build strength, restore energy, and help the body withstand the wear and tear of life.
Soviet & Russian Herbal Medicine: The Science of Survival
In the USSR, adaptogens weren’t boutique wellness tools—they were national assets. During and after WWII, Soviet researchers studied herbs like Schisandra, Eleutherococcus, and Rhodiola as performance enhancers for pilots, cosmonauts, soldiers, and factory workers. These were people operating under extreme stress, often with no margin for burnout.
Schisandra chinensis—called limonnik in Russian—was initially studied because of reports from Indigenous Nanai hunters in Siberia, who used the berries to reduce fatigue and hunger and sharpen their senses during long hunts. This ethnobotanical observation launched decades of state-sponsored adaptogen research, culminating in over 1000 clinical and pharmacological studies by the early 1980s.
By the 1970s, adaptogens like Rhodiola rosea were formally listed in Soviet pharmacopeia. These herbs were used to aid recovery from surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, infection, and emotional trauma. They were also used preventively—to keep people functioning at their best. In many ways, the Soviet concept of adaptogens echoed ancient ideas about longevity, vitality, and balance—but through the lens of performance science and biomedicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): Qi, Yin-Yang, and Tonics
In TCM, the adaptogenic concept aligns with what are known as qi tonics and superior herbs—plants that strengthen the body’s vital energy (qi), balance yin and yang, and protect against illness. These herbs aren’t used for acute symptoms. They’re used to support constitutional strength and resilience, particularly during aging, convalescence, or periods of emotional or physical depletion.
Take Panax ginseng, for example. In TCM, it's revered for its ability to tonify the lungs and spleen, calm the spirit, and restore energy in those with fatigue, breathlessness, or a cold, damp constitution.
Kampo (Japan’s traditional medical system) features similar formulas known as Hozai, used to treat fatigue, wasting disorders, and poor immunity. In modern Japan, many of these formulas are covered by national insurance and prescribed by physicians.
Where Western science speaks of homeostasis and HPA modulation, TCM speaks of restoring harmony—yin and yang, heat and cold, deficiency and excess. But the end goal is the same: a more balanced system, better equipped to respond to life’s demands.
Ayurveda: Rasayanas and the Restoration of Vital Energy
Ayurveda approaches health as a balance of three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—each representing elemental functions in the body. When this balance is disturbed, vitality weakens.
Enter the rasayanas: herbs and formulas designed to restore vitality, promote longevity, and build ojas—the essence of immunity, stability, and resilience.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is one of Ayurveda’s most powerful rasayanas. It’s used to calm Vata (air and space), ground the nervous system, and support the body’s ability to rest, recover, and adapt. But it’s not alone. Guduchi, Shatavari, Amalaki, and Tulsi all fall into this rejuvenative category, working across systems to rebuild strength, not just fight symptoms.
Rasayana therapy is holistic by nature. It's not just about taking an herb—it's about aligning your habits, diet, breath, and sleep with the seasons of life and the needs of your body. This whole-system perspective reflects the way adaptogens are best used: not as magic pills, but as plant allies woven into a broader strategy for health and resilience.
Greek, Unani, and Western Herbal Traditions: The Early Tonics
Even in pre-modern European and Middle Eastern traditions, we find plants with adaptogenic signatures—broad-spectrum tonics used to delay aging, boost immunity, and restore vitality. In Unani medicine, for example, Bryonia alba was revered for its anti-aging, protective, and restorative properties. And in early Greek texts, herbs like ginseng (referred to as panacea-like remedies) were valued not just for their acute effects, but for their ability to strengthen the whole body over time.
These traditions often spoke of vitality in terms of “humors,” “spirits,” or “vital forces”—different language, same concept. A system out of balance becomes vulnerable. A system supported, nourished, and fortified is one that can thrive.
Spotlight on Ashwagandha
Let’s talk about the queen of the adaptogen aisle: Ashwagandha. You’ve seen her. She’s in your friend’s mood gummies, your gym buddy’s pre-workout powder, and that influencer’s “daily wellness ritual.” But beyond the hype, what’s really going on with this root?
Ashwagandha—also known as Indian ginseng or winter cherry—has been used for over 3,000 years in Ayurvedic medicine as a rasayana, or rejuvenator. Traditionally, it was said to grant the strength of a horse (hence the name—ashwa means horse), and modern research is doing a lot to back that up.
Phytochemically, this root is stacked.
It contains a class of compounds called withanolides, along with alkaloids, flavonoids, and steroidal saponins. These aren’t just fancy terms—they’re responsible for a wide range of effects on your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.
Withanolide A and withaferin A in particular are showing serious neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory potential.
Here’s where it gets even more interesting: Ashwagandha’s adaptogenic effect isn’t just about “calming your anxiety.” It modulates the HPA axis (that’s your hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis) to help regulate cortisol and bring your stress response back into balance—not eliminate it.
That’s key.
Adaptogens aren’t sedatives or stimulants; they help you return to your baseline.
And Ashwagandha is especially good at this
Ashwagandha plant
What It Really Does (and How to Work With It)
Some of the most compelling research shows promise in:
Stress and Anxiety: Reducing cortisol levels and supporting mental resilience
Sleep: Helping with sleep onset and improving sleep quality (especially non-restorative sleep)
Cognitive Function: Possible protection against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s (though we still need long-term human trials)
Reproductive Health: Boosting sperm quality and testosterone in men, and improving sexual function in women
Physical Performance: Enhancing muscle recovery, strength, and VO₂ max—even in trained athletes
Inflammation and Immunity: Modulating immune response, with interesting data on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
Blood Sugar and Lipid Profiles: Modest effects seen in preclinical and early clinical studies
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But beyond the clinical headlines, herbalists have long recognized Ashwagandha as an immune amphoteric. That means it supports both low and overactive immune states—a rare and powerful thing. It can help restore immune function in chronic infections (think Lyme, Epstein-Barr, cancer recovery), while also being cautiously used in some cases of autoimmunity to tone down excess immune response.
It’s also deeply nourishing to the endocrine system. Herbalists often reach for Ashwagandha when working with hypothyroidism, particularly subclinical types. In some clinical cases, it’s even helped enhance T4-to-T3 conversion, supporting the body in making more active thyroid hormone. It’s also used for mood swings tied to hormonal fluctuations, and as a general tonic for those depleted from overwork, burnout, or convalescence.
This is not a latte sprinkle herb. This is a root medicine—and like all root medicine, it works slowly and deeply. Ashwagandha needs time to help the body remember how to function well again. Most people need to take it consistently for at least a month or six weeks before noticing substantial shifts.
As I mentioned at the start of this article: adaptogens aren’t a band-aid. They’re a loving friend helping you return to your normal. It’s not about stimulating energy or masking stress—it’s about rebuilding your body’s capacity to meet life with resilience.
Of course, because this root is potent, it’s not right for everyone. It interacts with the thyroid, nervous system, immune system, and even liver enzymes (hello CYP pathways). So if you’re dealing with hyperthyroidism, autoimmunity, or are on sedatives or SSRIs, this is one to run by a practitioner who understands the herb inside and out.
Ashwagandha is powerful medicine. Respect the root, understand what it’s doing, and let it support your adaptation—not override your body’s signals
By Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Monograph: Ashwagandha
Latin name: Withania somnifera
Common names: Indian ginseng, Indian winter cherry
Family: Solanaceae
Parts used: Root (primarily), leaf
Tissue States: Tension, depression, deficiency, atrophy
Energetics: Warm, drying, and nutritive
Actions:
Adaptogen, nervine, tonic, aphrodisiac, alterative, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, anxiolytic, bitter, immunomodulator, sedative
Preparations & Dosage:
Tincture: Dried root (1:5, 50% alcohol), 30–40 drops up to 3x daily
Decoction: Simmer dried root, 1 tsp per cup water, 1 cup daily
Contraindications:
Not recommended during pregnancy. Avoid in cases of hyperthyroidism, hemochromatosis (excess iron), or known sensitivity to nightshades. The fresh root is more toxic and should not be used internally.
In Closing: Let the Hype Give Way to Wisdom
Ashwagandha might be trending, but her power goes far beyond the branding. What we’re seeing today is the rediscovery of an ancient ally—one that deserves more than surface-level use.
This week is about getting to know these plants beyond the marketing. So, if this intro sparked something in you—whether it’s curiosity, caution, or inspiration—stick around.
On Friday, in The Buffalo Herbalist Community, we’ll dive into some of the most popular adaptogens being used today: Rhodiola, Eleuthero, Schisandra, Tulsi, Reishi, and more. I’ll walk you through what each one is best for, how to differentiate them, and how to begin working with them in ways that are both respectful and effective.
Subscribe or upgrade to The Buffalo Herbalist Community to keep learning, and as always—bring your questions. Let’s keep these plants rooted in wisdom, not just wellness trends.
If you’d like to support this publication in other ways, you can buy me a coffee - nothing is expected, everything deeply appreciated.
Until Friday,
-Agy
Bibliography:
Todorova, V., et al. (2021). Plant Adaptogens—History and Future Perspectives. Nutrients, 13(8), 2861.
Panossian, A. G., et al. (2020). Evolution of the adaptogenic concept from traditional use to medical systems. Medicinal Research Reviews, 41(1), 630–703.
Mikulska, P., Malinowska, M., Ignacyk, M., Szustowski, P., Nowak, J., Pesta, K., Szeląg, M., Szklanny, D., Judasz, E., Kaczmarek, G., Ejiohuo, O. P., Paczkowska-Walendowska, M., Gościniak, A., & Cielecka-Piontek, J. (2023). Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)—Current Research on the Health-Promoting Activities: A Narrative Review. Pharmaceutics, 15(4), 1057. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15041057
Maier, K. (2021). Energetic Herbalism. Chelsea Green Publishing.
Beautiful work, thanks.
Ashwagandha kicks my appetite up….dang it!