Winning at cauliflower crust pizza one day and burning stew the next? One dropperful. Googling “foreign object nasal obstruction” while checking appointment availability with your local pedi? Two dropperfuls.
Though the details are different for each of us, there’s no question that being an adult comes with challenges. And while certain aspects are funny, being chronically stressed and tired is NOT.
A couple of years ago, I wrote about Dr. James Wilson’s at-home test for assessing adrenal fatigue and shared that my desire to “do it all” had led to burnout.
I’d taken on too much – homeschooling, homesteading, writing, cooking, creating, etc. – and although I loved it all I found I wasn’t bouncing back from stressful experiences like I used to. I was easily frustrated and overwhelmed by little things . . . and little things seemed to be popping up everywhere.
After implementing these fifteen tips for helping the adrenals thrive, I started feeling SO. MUCH. BETTER. It wasn’t a one-time fix, though. In order to experience joy and resilience in the middle of modern life’s daily stresses, ongoing support is essential.
If life sometimes feels like trying to hold onto a firehose that is going full-blast, think of adaptogens as weights that help support and ground the body through it all. These herbs can be taken as capsules, but they’re better absorbed in tea or tincture form.
I’ve already shared with you my happy adrenal tea recipe that incorporates stress-busting adaptogens, so you might be thinking, “Hey now, remember how things can feel overwhelming when you’re already stressed? Why not just one easy recipe???”
I hear you. I’m all about skipping steps wherever possible, too.
The answer is that there are lots of ways to support the adrenals, so I’ve shared the ways that felt doable to me during different parts of my healing process.
First was the vitamin C and Himalayan salt adrenal tonic. It requires no planning and can be mixed together in seconds. Next was the happy adrenal tea, because the nourishing herbs complement the adrenal tonic and it only requires a little planning.
Last is the adrenal tincture because it takes the longest to make. As you’ll see, though, it’s totally worth it.
As mentioned in my happy adrenal tea recipe, teas extract the nutrients found in herbs using water, while tinctures extract them using alcohol or glycerin. While this may seem at first to just be based on preference, there’s more to it than that.
Teas draw out many of the nutrients found in herbs – flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals, for example – but there are some that are left behind.
Alcohol and glycerin extract the “hard to get” compounds such as alkaloids, which are often considered to have highly therapeutic value. In fact, they’ve been the subject of pharmaceutical research in the development of medicines. (1) Roots, barks and some seeds – many of which are in this tincture – contain valuable compounds that can only be extracted with alcohol/glycerin.
Elixirs sound a bit mysterious and enchanting, but they’re actually just tinctures mixed with honey to make them more enjoyable.
Some adaptogens, like eleuthero, can be taken for long periods of time. However, many herbalists recommend rotating the adaptogens used every couple of months.
I personally prefer to take this blend for a month, then rotate it with other adaptogenic herbal tinctures such as reishi, cordyceps, maca, rhodiola, and/or a ginseng such as Panax ginseng or sustainably harvested American ginseng.
