Nurturing Life With The Balance of Adaptogens and the Lord

We explore how adaptogens help the body return to balance under stress while we center on prayer and Scripture to build real resilience. Practical ways to choose, take, and source these herbs pair with biblical examples of adaptability and grounded hope.

• definition of adaptogens and why balance matters
• how cortisol regulation supports energy, mood and focus
• key herbs: ashwagandha, American and Asian ginseng, eleuthero, rhodiola
• forms and dosing: tea, capsules, tinctures, quality and sourcing
• pairing natural remedies with prayer, Scripture and community support
• biblical models of adaptation: Joseph, Ruth, Paul, Abraham, Israelites
• simple daily practices to reduce stress and build resilience

Transcript

Welcome back and life updates

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Hey there, you're tuned into another episode of All Things Skin, Wellness, and Faith, a podcast where you'll learn simple ways to implement skin care and wellness techniques from a holistic approach. On this podcast, we'll explore practical ways to address skin health and overall holistic spiritual well-being while deepening your faith. I'm your host, Natasha Dez, a licensed holistic aesthetician, day spa owner, and a faithful believer and follower of Christ. And it's time to get ready to get encouraged and empowered as we dive into all things skin, wellness, and faith. Hello and welcome back to this week's episode of All Things Skin, Wellness and Faith. Natasha Diaz here, your lovely esthetician and wellness consultant, coming back with another wellness episode for you today. Today we are just having a little discussion, conversation, talking about adaptogens. And I know that you guys have probably missed me for a couple weeks, a couple episodes. Um, I've been really in homeschooling, you know, just really homeschooling the kiddos, getting adjusted to that. And I myself have been adapting to what it is like to be a mom, a teacher, a wife, all the things. So, again, please excuse me for the little break that I've taken, but I'm back now. I've missed you guys, I've missed doing this podcast. It is one of my joys, and um, I'm happy to be back today. So, yeah, today we're just gonna jump into a little conversation, just talk a little bit about adaptogens because uh, pretty much what they are, they're plants and they're mushrooms and different plant-based ingredients that help your body respond to stress, anxiety, fatigue, and they're really good for your overall well-being. And it's something that you can put in place of, you know, just going to like prescription medications for anxiety and things of that, things like that. Um, if you know me, you know that I am more of the natural girl. I don't really believe in the use of prescription medications unless it's for something that's short term or absolutely necessary. And what I've learned over my years in the land of wellness is that it really is necessary. There can be some times, don't quote me on that specifically, but from my point of view and in my lifestyle, there are very rare times that you will find me dealing with um OT OTCs. So, yeah, let's talk about adaptogens. Adaptogens, like I said, are plants and mushrooms that help the body to deal with stress and anxiety. And in a situation where you can be adapting to different situations in your life, adaptogens do just that, they help your body to adapt. You can take adaptogens by adding them to your food, your beverages. You can take them in tinctures, you can take them at teas. There are a variety of different ways that you can include these into your lifestyle. Generally, what adaptogens do is they bring your body back to a steady balance by managing both physical and mental stresses. Now, there are three different qualities in plants that a plant must have in order to be an adaptogen. First thing is that an adaptogen is non-toxic when taken in small in small doses. A few key things I want you to know that it really helps your body to cope with stress and a natural, um, non-chemical, reactive, non, you know, over-the-counter prescription medicine type of way, and that's what I really like about it. It allows the body to return to balance and it allows your body to be in this in the place of um homeostasis per se. Adaptogens do work, and they work in a way that with your body's natural chemicals that they can regulate your stressors and your thing and different part different stressors within your mental state without having any type of chemical dependency. They can make you feel a little bit sleepy. I've never really experienced sleepiness for the most part. I have to say it's a state of relaxation, which is much different from sleepiness. Now, like I said, the goal of taking adaptogens is to return your body back to its natural balanced state. The herbal action in adaptogens increases and decreases chemical reactions within your body. So, for example, if you find yourself stressed out, if your cortisol is pretty much elevated, then an adaptogen will respond by reducing the cortisol levels. If you experience chronic fatigue with low cortisol levels, then an adaptogen will increase the levels of your cortisol in your body. So it's doing just that. It's regulating those systems, regulating those things within your body. Now, adaptogens are also regulated by the U.S., the food and drug, the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration. While some adaptogens like Ashwagonda and Asian Jinxing have a number of studies on them and their varied actions, supplements are not generally regulated by the FDA or do not have FDA approval. For me, that's not a big deal, but I find that you know it's just a little bit of information I should have put in there for those of you that might have questions in that area. Regulation by the FDA really honestly doesn't make or break what I put into my body because I do a lot of research on it, and sometimes things that are not regulated by the FDA are actually good for you, and things that are regulated by the FDA are really not. So you kind of have to, you know, go over that with your health care provider, do your own research, so on and so forth. Now, there are several types of adaptogens. Some of the common adaptogens include American ginseng, another one is ashwagando, which is one of my favorites, Asian ginseng, which is also known as Panax Jinseng, Aluferol, which is basically that's a type of ginseng as well. And also, I always hack this one up. You have to excuse me. Rhodi Rhodiola Rosea is another one. Now, each of these adaptogens they work a little bit differently, they have um different key benefits to them. The American Jinsaig offers immune system support, um, it works on the immune modulators, and that helps also to reduce inflammation, to reduce pain. It's also anti-inflammatory. In addition, this type of jinxig combats stress and boosts your nervous system, which improves your body's, which basically you can say it improves how your body responds to stimuli, basically works on your fight, your fight or flight response. Some studies suggest that American Ginsa can reset the dopamine levels and also regulate your mood. Ashwagandha, like I said, which is another one of my favorite ones. I take this regularly, I take this as a tea. I sometimes use it in the tincture as well, but I find this to be very effective. It has a positive effect on the endocrine and the nervous system, the immune and the cardiovascular systems by basically regulating your metabolism and helping you to relax by calming the how your brain responds to stress. Excuse me. Ashwagandha also offers protection for your cells as an antioxidant, and it also reduces swelling, which is another anti-inflammatory reaction, um, an anti-inflammatory reaction. Um, Asian ginseng, which is also known as Pan X ginseng, I used to take this a lot um long ago for energy, and I recently just found out that it was an adaptogen. When I did my research on this to dig into this a little bit deeper, I was not aware that some of these, the ginseng specifically, were adaptogens. So that was a little bit surprising to me. But doing my research on the American ginseng, this type of ginseng, what I found out really helps to relieve both mental and physical fatigue. Ginseng can what I also found out was that ginseng, well, not what I found out, because I knew this part that ginseng can improve your energy and your performance during stressful, but let me back that up. I'm sorry. I knew that ginseng could increase your energy, but what I didn't know is that it would increase your performance level during stressful activities. So that was very beneficial for me. Allupro is similar to ginseng and it relieves stress and fatigue. This adaptogen helps boost your immune function as an immune modulator. And then this last one, I'm definitely gonna do some research and help myself to train a little bit better on the pronunciation, so just bear with me. Vodeola, Vosea, alleviate symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, and depression. That's a really good one because we have so many prescription drugs out there that are working on our mental state, and those I really feel are actually doing more harm than good. They can cause chemical dependency, they really, you know, mess around with a lot of chemicals in the brain. And I just feel like if we have something natural that we can use that the Lord has provided to us for his own, you know, things that grow off the earth, why go and use a man-made chemical that would have, you know, whatever potential side effects? So roleola roch is a good one for depression, and that you know, we can all go through bouts of that from time to time. So it's definitely good to have something that we can take that's more natural. It helps improve performance during stress, stress, excuse me, it helps improve performance during stressful situations like at work, or also like different um physical activities that we're doing. Now, another question you may ask is how do I take adaptogens? Adaptogens do come from plants, so you can actually take them in several different ways. One way you can take them is in food or beverages, another way you can take them is in capsules, and then one of my favorite ways because it's potent, and I don't really I can't say I don't really like capsules. Um, sometimes I don't like to swallow a lot of pills, although I do take a lot of supplements, but sometimes I feel like with capsules that it takes longer to take effect, and then sometimes you always don't have the time to you know drink tea, nor do you want to drink tea because it can make all the time because it can make you urinate a lot. So, what is the best form that I would say for some well, the majority of adaptogens, I would say to tincture it. I make a lot of tinctures with a lot of different herbs, and what a tincture is tincture is is basically a concentrated fluid extract that comes from a plant. It's either vegetable glycerin or alcohol-based. A lot of the times, I'll be honest with you, I've never really used an alcohol-based tincture that I've made just because I don't particularly care for the consumption of alcohol. However, I have taken some that you can buy like Whole Foods or the local house store because the alcohol ratio is a little bit different than the one the way you would use it if I've like made it myself. Now, drinking adaptogens and tea is good. Um, it can be good at night. But then I said, you know, there's a whole running to the bathroom thing. And while I love, love, love teas, one thing I don't like is having, you know, to interrupt my sleep to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. But definitely you can drink it in it's in a tea form. Drinking a cup of tea is a great way to pause and reduce stress because of the warmth of the tea. That can also be calming and that can also elevate the adaptogenic um effects of the plant that you're taking in. Um, plants can be dried and they can be ground up, steeped in hot water the same way you would steep your favorite tea. That's basically what a tea is, anyways. There are several different types of tea blends on the market. Some of them use adaptogens as the main ingredient. You know, that's definitely something you can look into me. Me personally, being an herbalist, being a wellness consultant, I like to do these things on my own because then I know exactly how much of what is going into it. I can be sure things like the purity, how pure it is, how old are these teas, how long have they been, you know, um dried and dehydrated, how much of each ingredient is in there, but not everyone is in the position that I am. And sometimes, you know, you just want to go and have your own teabag ready to go. So, whatever product you're using, definitely take some time to, you know, just put a little a little research in it and see what you're ingesting. Now, why should we take adaptogens? I think I've already gone into that, but adaptogens basically support the body, so like I said, support the way your body handles stress and it regulates the systems within the body. Some people consume adaptogens for different reasons, but like I mentioned to you before, some of them may be anxiety, fatigue, trauma, stress, and also to boost and to regulate the systems of your body, the immune system, so on and so forth. Now, adaptogens are awesome because, like I said, it's a really good natural way to regulate the systems of your body without the use of prescription drugs or chemicals, and adaptation is very important. I mean, even if we're looking at like from a biblical point of view, there's a lot of situations even in life now, and even in life in the bot in the Bible, you can see for many different people where we have to adapt to different situations. And I think the correlation between the Bible and all and the adaptogens, I think they kind of work hand in hand. These adaptogens are often, I don't want it to be depicted as stress. Along with prayer, along with seeking the Lord, I think adaptogens can be very beneficial as we look at different situations that we're dealing in our life. Everything I speak to you guys about, like I said, is always from, you know, a scientific or a more secular, natural side. And then also, like I said, I've repeated this many times that I also tie in the biblical value of it as well. And in life, we're often having problems, we're often going through different situations where we may find ourselves in stressful situations and things of that nature. We always want to go and seek the Lord first, of course. We always want to go for that time of prayer, meditation. We always want to be in our word. And then there are things that we can do alongside that to help, you know, regulate some of the stresses of life. Whether that's talking to your friend, your pastor, your mother, your father, whoever it may be. Going to the Lord in prayer allows you to allow him to direct direct you to the resources that he would help have you use to help with those things. So we never want to place anything ahead of the Lord, but we can place some things alongside with the Lord as he directs. Now, if you're looking in the Bible, there are many different examples of adaptability in the Bible. We have many different people, um, characters in the Bible that had to adapt to different situations. And as we're talking about adaptogens and adapting, I think it only makes sense to talk about and to go over some of those situations and how they, you know, kind of respond to things that we may be going through today. If we look at Genesis 50, 20 and we look at the story of Joseph, Joseph, despite being sold into slavery, Joseph adapted to each new situation, using his ability to interpret his dreams and manage resources to save his family from Egypt from Egypt and from famine. A change he ultimately saw as God's intention for good. Now, if we look at Genesis 15, 50, I'm sorry, not 15, 5020, it reads, You intended, you intended to harm, but God intended it to accomplish, accomplish what is now being done, saving many lives. Pretty much in that situation, another variation of that reads, what God would what the enemy intended for good, God intended, I'm sorry, with the enemy intended for bad, God intended for good. So there was a level of adaptation that had to go on, you know, with Joseph. And if you know the story of Joseph, you know that there was a lot of different situations, you know, that he had to go through with his brothers and you know, with his family, and things that he had to adapt and adhere to. By the leading of the Lord, he was able to do that. We also have the story of Ruth. Ruth after her husband's death. Ruth adapted by leaving her homeland to follow her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem. She embraced a new culture, a new faith, declaring, Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. That story you can find that specific scripture in Ruth 116. But it's just another level of adversity, of things that an adjustment and an adaptation had to take, you know, had to take forth in. Then we have the apostle Paul, who also gives us an example. The Apostle Paul exemplifies adaptability in his missionary journeys. He's faced, he faced numerous hardships, but he adapted his approach to different audiences to spread the gospel, stating, I have become all things to all people. You can find that in script, you can find that in the scripture in 1 Corinthians 9 and 22 and Philippians 4, 12, and 13. He also adds, I know how to live humbly and I know how I know how to live humbly and how to abound. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. And I love that scripture in Philippians because that scripture, I think, people sometimes take it a little bit out of context. They take it more so, how do I say this? They take it more so for like um, what do I want to say? Almost like a prosperity gospel type of teaching. But what that scripture really depicts is that I know how to live in all situations, I know how to adapt to all situations because of the Christ that lives in me. So what he's really saying is not that, you know, that God will give me everything, but what he's really saying is that, you know, whether I have nothing or I have everything, I know how to live with both because the Christ in both situations, because the Christ in me allows me to adapt to those different situations. We also have a major patriarch, which is Abraham, the father of faith. Abraham actually showed, excuse me, Abraham actually showed adaptability by leaving his homeland to follow God's command to journey to an unknown land. Now that is a big one because to just up and leave everything, I know God calls people to do that even today, now in many situations, but I also know that a lot of people are resistant and reluctant to that. And Abraham was really, he was really like it says in the Bible, the father of faith. He demonstrated his faith and he trusted God's guidance. You can look more into that if you're not familiar with that story in Genesis 12, 1 through 4. But it just really speaks a lot to how when God called him to do something, he was obedient to that call. He adapted to the situation and he acted on it immediately. Even another situation, the Israelites in the real wilderness, even though if you know the Bible and you know the Israelites, they were always back and forth, back and forth throughout the entire whole Old Testament. But the Israelites had to constantly adapt to new challenges, all the way back from the beginning of the Old Testament, all the way up into the end. It was always, you know, an ebb and flow, Bob, up and down situation for them. The Israelites always had to constantly adapt to new challenges and divine instructions as they journeyed through the wilderness, learning to rely on God daily for provision like manna. You can find that in Exodus 16. The themes of adapt, there are different themes of adaptation in the Bible. The different themes that I've noticed as I've read and studied the Bible is one to always trust in God's plan. Adaptability is often rooted in a deep trust in God, a deep trust that God is in control and that he can use differ difficult situations for good. And that is pretty much that's a season that I that I'm in right now. A season of just really trusting and surrendering and just knowing that God will always come through for you. As the Bible says, in many different areas, you can trust lean and rely on him. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. The Lord will never leave and forsake you. There's just so many. And reliance on God's guidance is important. The Bible teaches that adapting to change is a process that requires reliance on God's strength and reliance on God's grace. Another one I want to reflect on is spiritual transformation. The New Testament emphasizes that believers are called to a spiritual transformation, becoming new creations in Christ, according to 2 Corinthians 5 and 17. And then another one we want to focus on is the unchanging nature of God. While individuals and circumstances change, the Bible presents God as constant, unchanging and the source of stability. And you'll see that in Malachi 3 and 6. Pretty much what I want you guys to get out of this is that learning to adapt to situations is going to be a constant within our lives. If you are a Christian, if you are a believer, even if you're not, adapting to different situations is always going to be a key role in your life. Now, to depend on adaptogens alone is not the sole way to do things. But when you combine God, his creation, the adaptogens, meditation and prayer, the three can really combine together to help you to navigate some of these things in life, some of these challenges in life, and help you to walk victoriously to what God has called you into. And he does have a victorious life plan for each and every one of us. So I am going to wrap it up right there for now. But I just want you to be encouraged, encouraged by the adaptagens, the plans, and be encouraged by all the stories of the different, you know, characters in the Bible that had to adapt to different situations. And just to know that, you know, just like it says in the Bible, with God, we can do all things. So I'm just gonna thank you for lending me your ears today. I'm gonna pray us out really quickly, and I pray that you know you tune in for more episodes. If you want to know more about adaptogens, I'm actually going to dig into this deeper this upcoming week. I'll be posting on my social media. There are so many different recipes, so many different um ways that you can incorporate adaptogens. I don't want to make this podcast too too long, but if you follow me on my social media, I'm on Instagram, and everything I post on Instagram is on Facebook Facebook, and then also I have a blog post that I'll be doing too. The blog post is on my website. I will tie that in as well. I'll be linking the blog post to my social media. I'm not um exactly sure if I will get around to emailing it out to everyone, but you can look for more information on Adaptogens through my um my social media, and then you can also do research on your own, but definitely take use of the natural remedies that you have, you know, to help you in different areas. And as time goes on, you know, we will definitely explore more herbal remedies. For right now, I was just really led to adaptogens because it's something that I've utilized in the past and I'm utilizing right now, and it's just proven to just give me so much so much help, and I want to share that with you guys as well. So, all right, guys, let's close out in prayer. Father God, I just thank you, Lord God, for allowing me to have this platform to just come before your sons, your daughters, Lord God, to give them the information that you see fit for me to give to give to them. As we go forth on our journeys in life, Lord God, I pray, Lord God, that you would be with each and every one of us. I pray, pray blessings and favor to each and every person that is on this underneath the sound of my voice. I pray whatever situation that they are dealing with right now, that you help them to adapt accordingly. And most importantly, Lord, that you help them to trust, lean, and rely on you and lean not on their own understanding. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. All right, guys, thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. Again, please uh share the show with a friend. Please, you know, leave a five-star review. Help me get this podcast out there. And uh, yeah, just thank you so much again for lending me your ears, and thank you so much for being a support. As always, be blessed and be a blessing. Bye.