Found: The Best Adaptogens For Instant Anxiety Relief

These super plants with their balancing effect can help battle stress-related problems such as anxiety. When picking the right adaptogen to help with your anxiety, it's important to look to the ones with overall calming benefits that support your nervous system, help ground you, and make you more resilient to exposure to stress overall. I've listed a few of my favorites below, and you can read a lot more about these and other adaptogens, mushrooms, and superfoods in my just-released book, Super Powders. Although you may notice some immediate effects when ingesting adaptogens, they need to be consumed on the regular (daily) over a period of time (4-6 weeks) to really start noticing changes in your mood, energy and wellbeing. Sticking with it is the only way to know if it’s truly working. Always ask your doctor or health care provider if pregnant, nursing, on any medications, or have a diagnosis before adding any new herbs, including the adaptogens listed below:

Studies have found1 that this ayurvedic root helps reduce cortisol secretion and can lead to a noticeable less-stressed-out feeling. It's an overall stress-busting adaptogen with calming benefits that can help improve sleep quality and mental calmness as well as boost your productivity. And most importantly, consistent use (at least a month) has been found to lower anxiety 2in people who usually experience it! This root does have a bitter taste, so take ashwagandha in a capsule or add it to your homemade chocolate treat to balance the flavors.

This amazing mushroom has been found to have depression- 3and anxiety-lowering abilities4. It also contains nerve growth factors5, which help protect and regenerate brain tissue and can help improve the feeling of brain fog. Lion's mane mushroom has been used in Chinese medicine and in Japan for centuries and got its name because of its hairy appearance. I like to drink it as a mushroom coffee or add to a cup of broth.

Mucuna pruriens is often referred to as the dopa bean! This adaptogen contains L-dopa, a precursor to dopamine6, the pleasure and motivation hormone. It's a great stress buster, mood booster, and motivator and can help decrease anxiety. As a neurotransmitter, dopamine's job is to calm the nervous system. Mucuna pruriens has a subtle pleasant taste and as a powder it can easily be added to your morning smoothie or matcha latté.

This chocolate spread, from my book, Super Powders, combines two of my favorite anxiety-alleviating adaptogens. It's great on toast, drizzled over a bowl of fresh berries or oatmeal, over ice cream, or, of course, straight out of the jar. It may remind you of a certain European chocolate spread, but this version is free of nasty oils and processed sugar and loaded with good fats, calcium, minerals, and antioxidants.

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