In my last blog post in this series, I shared ways to help overcome Adrenal Fatigue with nutrition. I’ve had a lot of trouble with cutting myself off caffeine and sugar. When you don’t have energy and are having cravings that is what you reach for to get that pick me up even if it is just for an hour. Who knows what I’m talking about? I couldn’t just break that cycle with nutrition alone. What has helped me to break the cycle and finally start sleeping a full night and having energy again is Adrenal Fatigue supplements.

Supplements in General

I’m really picky about the supplements I take though since I’m a cancer survivor. I’m scared to death it will come back. So I have to make sure they are pure and plant-based and they are what they say they are.

There are so many things out there that isn’t what it says it is, or filled with toxins like heavy metals, or fillers. This is typically what you will find at Walmart or your local drug store. I read how one of the leading drug stores paid a hefty lawsuit for selling a supplement filled with sawdust. Yeah really. So be very careful and do your research before deciding what to put in your body.

The first group of adrenal fatigue supplements I’m going to talk about are actually adaptogenic herbs. These are a unique group of healing plants. They help to balance, restore, and protect your body. This unique group works differently than other plants.

They adapt to what your body needs, rather than doing a specific action to every person. This also means there is no build up of tolerance. If you are too high it will allow you to lower, if you are too low it allows you to raise up. It wants to balance what your body needs.

Meet 7 Key Adrenal Fatigue Supplements-Adaptogens

1. Ginseng
2. Ashwaganda
3. Holy Basil
4. Licorice Root
5. Rhodiola Rosea
6. Schizandra
7. Reishi Mushroom

1.) Ginseng

This root is the most common of all of the adaptogenic herbs. Ginseng has a small amount of stimulant that can help revitalize you and wake you up when you need it. It is known for helping the body to more efficient in metabolizing stored energy and helps to improve your endurance.

Ginseng contains a high level of antioxidants and is the perfect agent to help you deal with stress and repair damage done to the body by both hormonal imbalance and free radicals that can cause cancer. It is also very good at repairing oxidative stress. And I said on Day 2 stress is a big cause of Adrenal Fatigue.

2.) Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha has shown to have a positive effect on the nervous system, which is very closely linked to your brain and mental health. It is also a relaxing and soothing herb, which is going to have a positive effect on your anxiety and stress.  It can help with mental energy levels.  Your energy is not just physical, but mental as well. When it is balancing out your nervous system it reduces stress, then without the stress, you have more energy to get through the day, and maintain focus and productivity.

3.) Holy Basil

This plant is best known for helping to lower stress levels. When you are under stress your cordisol levels will rise, melatonin levels will tank (which causes you to not sleep well) and over time will wreck havoc on your adrenals and knock your hormones out of balance. Adrenal Fatigue is thought to be caused by chronic stress. Holy Basil is thought to be the number one anti-aging herb today because of it’s stress reducing abiities.

4.) Licorice Root

Like many of the herbs on this list, licorice root has the ability to foster a major increase in energy by boosting the immune system and protecting many organs against damage that can be caused by cortisol. When the hormone cortisol is under control it is easier to achieve control over your emotional state, and it helps to improve metabolic functions.

5.) Rhodiola

In the last few decades, dozens of studies have been done on rhodiola. Since the 1960’s, it’s been well documented that rhodiola has some very useful effects on depression, anxiety, and other disturbances of the emotions. At one point, it was used to effectively treat the stress that was experienced by pilots and astronauts.

6.) Schizandra

Schizandra is actually a plant with medicinal berries that you can eat as food. One thing it is known for is balancing hormones naturally.  This, in turn, allows you to deal with stress easier. It also helps give you lasting energy so you can have the stamina needed for the whole day.

7.) Reishi Mushroom

There are a few classes of mushroom that are excellent and powerful antioxidants, and reishi mushrooms are one of the strongest. This is largely due to their extreme concentration of nutrition, and their ability to boost immune functions. These mushrooms have been linked to decreased tumor activity in research.

Nutritionists have been suggesting the addition of certain mushrooms to the diet for decades for their positive influence on depression and hormonal imbalances in people. This particular mushroom is bitter and a little tough, but you can find it in a supplement form. This is in my Probiotic.

Additional Adrenal Fatigue Supplements

Some other supplements that are not adaptogenic herbs, but are suggested for Adrenal fatigue are B12, B5, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3 and a Probiotic. I actually get these supplements included in what I’m already taking since I want it to be in a plant form not chemically derived in a lab.

B12 is in my probiotic (ProBio IQ) . It has a strain of bacteria that helps our bodies synthesize our own B12 instead of adding it. Lack of B12 can cause anemia. B12 comes from dirt, so if you’re washing your veggies as you should, you won’t get enough on your own. Vitamin C I get in my green drink which also has some of the adaptogens I already talked about. The Schizandra, Ashwaganda, and Rhodiola are all in my green drink.

Probiotics

Now let’s talk about probiotics. If you followed my live videos a few weeks about digestive health you have probably heard me talk about the importance of probiotics. Probiotics are much more important—and versatile—than most people realize. Check out my ultimate blog post Everything You Want to Know About Probiotics where you will learn everything about probiotics including foods that are natural probiotics.

In addition to playing a vital role in our immune system and digestive and intestinal tract, probiotics are increasingly being studied for their role in other body functions, including mood and circulatory health. Daily supplementation with probiotics is slowly being seen as the norm for people who want to enjoy a consistently healthy lifestyle.

What changed everything for me…

I take 3 Adrenal Fatigue supplements that contain these adaptogens and plants that have literally changed my life. Two are mixed together as a drink and the other is a probiotic I take before bed). I get all these from a company called Solle Naturals. Once I had seen success I had to start sharing this with those around me. They have seen success too! Here are some of their products below.

All of their supplements are derived from whole plants. They are Non-GMO, No Msg, No soy, No dairy, No nuts, No gluten, and absolutely no artificial anything. They are really reasonably priced and ship quickly like Amazon Prime without the monthly membership fee. If you are interested just take the health assessment below. I will personally help you figure out what you need because again there is no one product for everyone and I can even hook you up with a gift card for your purchase.

Here are the links to the rest of the series on Adrenal Fatigue

#1 Adrenal Fatigue,  Stress, Weight Loss  and Leaving Beachbody

#2 5 Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms You May Not Realize You Have

#3 Adrenal Fatigue Diet Changes for a Better Quality of Life

#4 8 Adrenal Fatigue Supplements that Changed My Life

#5 How to Treat Adrenal Fatigue with Self Care

Here is a recording of a Facebook Live I did on this blog in case you would rather listen than read (also feel free to connect with me on Facebook here: Shannah Scherer Holt