By Dr. Sarika Arora, MD
If you’re feeling constantly drained, exhausted, and overwhelmed, you may be experiencing a condition called “Adrenal Fatigue” in which your adrenal glands are overworked due to chronic stress. If left untreated, Adrenal Fatigue can lead to a variety of physical and emotional symptoms that will get worse over time, no matter how much you sleep. Understanding how to support your adrenal health begins with recognizing the type and severity of symptoms you’re experiencing.
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How do you know if you have adrenal fatigue?
Natural supplements and herbs for adrenal support
How do you know if you have adrenal fatigue?
Stress, whether physical, emotional, or environmental, can trigger a variety of symptoms in the body. While it’s normal to feel tired after a long day, feeling constantly fatigued without a clear cause may be a sign of adrenal fatigue. Common symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Ongoing sleep disturbances
- Inability to cope with stress physically or emotionally
- Jumpiness and anxiety
- Mood changes (depression)
- Digestive issues
- Lowered immunity (you catch colds and flu viruses easily)
- Body aches
- Low libido
- Light headedness
- Low blood pressure
- Weight gain and belly fat
- Hair loss
Natural supplements and herbs for adrenal support
When you’re under chronic stress, your adrenal glands are working overtime to produce hormones like cortisol, which help your body cope with stress. However, if stress becomes chronic, the adrenals can become depleted, leading to imbalances. While caffeine or sugar may provide temporary relief, these quick fixes can ultimately worsen the problem, leaving you feeling even more drained.
Fortunately, research shows that certain vitamins, minerals, herbs, and plant-based compounds can help nourish and support adrenal function. These natural substances either replenish adrenal reserves, support cortisol production, or help restore balance to the body’s stress response.
Let’s take a closer look at these compounds and how natural adrenal supplements can help.
The best supplements for adrenal support
Vitamin C:
The adrenal glands require Vitamin C to produce stress hormones and maintain their balance. When you are under chronic stress, Vitamin C can become depleted. Vitamin C is water soluble and is not stored in the body, so replenishing your supply daily through a high quality multivitamin supplement is an important step to keep the adrenals and all your tissues nourished.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid):
Vitamins in the B complex family improve cellular energy. Certain B vitamins, including Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) provide targeted support to the adrenals. As studies show, B5 supports balanced cortisol production and helps reduce levels of excess cortisol triggered during stress events.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine):
An overactive stress response can disrupt the nervous system and neurotransmitter production, often leading to depressed mood, jumpiness and anxious feelings. Vitamin B6 helps restore equilibrium to your nervous system by supporting the manufacture of key neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
Vitamin E:
A powerful antioxidant, vitamin E supports hormone production and stress recovery by protecting adrenal tissue from free radical damage that impairs function.
Calcium:
The mineral calcium acts like a shock absorber for the adrenals during times of stress by assisting in restoring calm to the body after the stressor has passed.
Magnesium:
Magnesium supports balanced blood glucose metabolism and neurotransmitter production, helping stabilize mood and increase feelings of calm. Most of us don’t get anywhere near enough magnesium in our diets. Chronic stress further depletes magnesium, leaving you at much higher risk of deficiency. Studies show daily magnesium supplementation can improve sleep and promote relaxation.
Trace minerals:
Adrenal imbalances can trigger and/or worsen other problems, like low thyroid function. Zinc, manganese, selenium, and iodine are trace minerals needed to keep your entire endocrine system humming along and your hormones balanced. It’s important to supplement with these trace minerals since it’s difficult to get enough through diet alone.
Nature has a few other tricks up her sleeve to help us deal with our stress, whether it’s physical, emotional, or environmental. Here are some adaptogenic substances which are especially useful for maintaining a healthy stress response and keeping you calm and focused.
Astragalus root
This staple of herbal medicine enhances the body’s natural ability to adapt to stress, bolstering the immune system so that you stay well. Astragalus root even helps maintain normal blood sugar levels and alleviates insulin resistance.
Cordyceps
This wild fungus, found in the high altitude Tibetan Plateau, is part of the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach to adrenal health. Cordyceps helps support physical stamina, energy levels and immune health during times of stress. Cordyceps also assists in balancing the body’s inflammatory response and helps stabilize blood sugars.
Eleuthoro
Formerly called Siberian ginseng, Eleuthoro acts to limit excess cortisol in your system by inhibiting the cortisol-boosting enzyme C-Jun N-terminal kinase. Through this action, Eleuthoro helps to shorten recovery from acute stress, decrease stress-related fatigue, improve stamina, and regulate blood sugar.
L-theanine
An amino acid found in green tea, L-theanine helps the brain enter a more relaxed state, lowering stress hormone levels. In one study, participants given L-theanine one hour before undertaking a stressful task reported lower levels of stress while performing the task. Through saliva testing, researchers even detected lower levels of stress hormones after the stressful task for up to three hours later.
Rhodiola rosea
Also known as “golden root,” Rhodiola is an adaptogenic herb that helps protect against stress-related fatigue and “burnout”, encouraging a balanced response to stress throughout the body. Rhodiola increases mental clarity and offers immune and blood sugar support. Studies show that added benefits of Rhodiola are its antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.
Passion flower
This wildflower from South America is a calming herbal agent shown to reduce excess cortisol levels. Passion flower is also believed to bind to GABA receptors to ease restlessness and improve mood and sleep.
Phosphatidylserine
This phospholipid is an important blocking agent that protects against the harmful effects of cortisol at the cellular level. Phosphatidylserine is also important for brain health, helping with focus and mental clarity.
The best supplements for adrenal fatigue
In an ideal world, we’d get all the nutrients we need to restore adrenal health from a well-balanced diet. However, adaptogenic herbs aren’t typically part of everyday foods, and no matter how well we eat, a stressful day can really burn through all our nutrient stockpiles. The best supplements for adrenal fatigue are those formulated to address fatigue and stress symptoms by delivering key nutrients in therapeutic amounts.
Adaptisol™
A blend of herbs that help protect your body from the negative side effects of stress & excess cortisol.
Adaptisol is formulated with the adaptogenic herbs astragulus, eleuthero, cordyceps and rhodioloa to address symptoms of adrenal fatigue and restore energy levels. Adaptisol aids the body’s natural ability to adapt to stress, enhances mental clarity, and supports healthy immune function.
Adaptogens help to protect the body from the effects of excess cortisol and prevent cortisol overproduction in the first place. Adaptisol is designed for women whose symptoms cluster around the “tired” end of the adrenal spectrum, including extreme fatigue, brain fog, lack of focus, mood changes and weight gain.
Serinisol™
Made with plants like Passion Flower & minerals like magnesium to restore calm and improve sleep.
Serinisol is formulated with minerals and natural adaptogenic compounds to restore your calm and ease sleep disruptions. When stress is ongoing, cortisol does not return to normal levels as intended and instead can stay high for long periods. This will affect your body negatively, leading to symptoms like anxiety, sleeplessness and impaired memory.
Ingredients in Serinsol, including magnesium, L-theanine and passion flower specifically aid in the reduction of excess cortisol and help to promote relaxation, ease racing thoughts and improve sleep.Serinisol is best for stress symptoms that leave you feeling “wired” and restless.
