Rhodiola is an adaptogen, and adaptogens are all the rage these days.
The idea with adaptogens is that they adapt to the needs of your body. The amazing thing about adaptogens is that one person with a completely different hormonal profile, than the next person could take the same herb and it can help them.
There are a lot of cases however, where this is not exactly true. Something to know about the herbs is that sometimes you have to try them and see how they work in your body and really pay attention for certain symptoms to come out.
Rhodiola is great for energy levels. It’s an adaptogen that helps the adrenal glands.
Adrenal fatigue is common in our world, because we’re always plugged in, we’re always going too hard, we’re exercising too much, we’re working too much, we’re eating too much or we’re partying too much.
It’s like a world of excesses. After a while of too much force and too much exertion in our lifestyles, our adrenal glands start to get a bit tired.
Our adrenal glands secrete our stress hormones. The stress hormones are not good in a certain sense because having too many of the stress hormones flooding our body can mess up our hormones and make us age faster.
However, we do need a certain amount of cortisol. It is one of our stress hormones in our body and is anti-inflammatory. It keeps us awake. If we get so burnt out that we no longer are producing much of it, that’s a problem too.
Rhodiola is pretty nifty, because it can push down elevated cortisol levels. If they’re too high, you can’t sleep at night. Rhodiola can also bring them up if they’re too low. If you’re a person that tends to be easily stressed, or constantly under stress, having low energy during the day, then Rhodiola could be helpful for you.
Here’s what to look out for:
- Rhodiola can make some people feel jittery. So we like to combine it with other herbs in formulas to balance it out and make sure that your body is getting what it needs.
- If you’re seeing it in a formulation or trying it alone, what you want to look out for is feeling too jittery and not being able to come down from that.
Overall, Rhodiola is great for energy, great for stress moderation, and great to repair tired adrenals. It is not so good if it makes you feel more jittery and anxious.
If you need help finding the perfect herbs for you, send us an email at info@junkjuicemagic.com and we will get you set up with the best option for you!
Lekomtseva Y, Zhukova I, Wacker A. Rhodiola rosea in Subjects with Prolonged or Chronic Fatigue Symptoms: Results of an Open-Label Clinical Trial. Complement Med Res. 2017;24(1):46-52. doi: 10.1159/000457918. Epub 2017 Feb 17. PMID: 28219059.
Meeusen R. Exercise, nutrition and the brain. Sports Med. 2014;44 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S47-S56. doi:10.1007/s40279-014-0150-5
In a world where we are always on the go and a lot of us have schedules that make us feel like we are surviving rather than thriving – you can imagine stress and overwhelm are at the forefront of health concerns.
We tend to minimize it but mental and emotional imbalances are a BIG DEAL. Not only do they mess with our outlook and ability to take action. They also affect our physical body. Stress and overwhelm are chronic for many, affecting quality of life and accelerated aging of body and mind.
Even though a certain level of stress hormones can be helpful to to stay focused and alert, too much cortisol and adrenaline for too long affect everything from our attitude to our digestion. It has serious implications for body and mind.
Seems crazy but stress can be at the root of illnesses like heart disease, asthma, obesity, diabetes, headaches, depression and other issues like hormonal imbalance.
While dietary and lifestyle behaviors remain the most important and influential factors to deal with stress in your life, several herbs are useful tools to calm our stresses. Here are 3 herbs that can help you ease stress:
1.Lavender
Lavender is a flowering plant belonging to the mint family. Many people use lavender to help calm the nerves and alleviate anxiety. People may use lavender in the following ways:
- making tea from the leaves
- using the oil in aromatherapy
- mixing the essential oil into a base oil for massage
- adding the oil or flowers to baths
- Chamomile is a flowering herb similar in appearance to a daisy. There are two types of chamomile that people can use medicinally: Roman chamomile and German chamomile.
Some people use chamomile in the following forms to help relieve stress and anxiety:
- tea
- extract
- tablet
- skin cream
- Valerian
Valerian or Valeriana officinalis is a plant native to Europe and Asia. For many centuries, people have used the root to help treat sleep problems, anxiety, and depression.
Valerian root is available in the following forms:
- tea
- tablet
- tincture
People have been using herbs for thousands of years to treat many health conditions.
As with prescription medications, some herbal products can cause side effects, though the ones above are unlikely to. Its usually worthwhile to start with milder natural remedies before hitting up big pharma. Those drugs are there if you need them, but there are milder, more balanced interventions that are effective and produce less side effects. As always, its better to see a qualified practitioner or herbalist to get the right mix for you.
Anderson, S., et al. (2016). Anxiety and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase mutation treated with s-adenosyl methionine and methylated b vitamins.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4898281/
Chamomile. (2016).
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/chamomile/ataglance.htm
Lavender. (2016).
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender/ataglance.htm
Valerian. (2016).
Mushrooms, adaptogens, and herbal remedies of all sorts are gaining in popularity. The use of botanicals for wellness purposes may seem like the latest new health trend, but it has a rich legacy dating back thousands of years. As humans have evolved and innovated, so has our understanding and use of herbal remedies.
The oldest written evidence of botanicals being used is approximately 50000 years old. It was discovered on a Sumerian clay slab that included 12 recipes for drug preparation, listing over 250 different plants as ingredients. Archeological studies have also shown that herbal medicine practices date as far back as 60,000 years ago in Iraq and 8,000 years ago in China.
Traditional Chinese medicine is something commonly referenced in botanical health circles because China in particular has one of the world’s oldest medical systems. Chinese herbal formulas are typically made with herbs in combination with others instead of individually. The belief is that each herb serves a different purpose in helping the body achieve harmony. And the blends work synergistically to enhance the function, making it more effective than single herb remedies.
Although TCM is widely recognized, the use of botanicals to promote a healthy lifestyle is not limited to any one culture or region. Countries with ancient civilizations like India, South America, and Egypt are still using them. They have also been embraced by European countries, as well as in North America and Australia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60% of the world’s population relies on herbal medicine and about 80% of the population in developing countries nearly depend on it fully.
According to the WHO, trade in medicinal plants, herbal raw materials, and herbal drugs is growing annually at a rate of about 15%. Botanicals have seen a resurgence in popularity because many believe that all-natural products are safe, less expensive, and more accessible. As always, consult with a doctor before starting any herbal supplement or making changes to your diet.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3358962/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3887317/
https://www.britannica.com/science/traditional-Chinese-medicine/Herbal-therapy
One of the easiest things to do when you have a jam packed schedule is forget to take care of yourself. Especially now with our work from home modality, when there’s a busy day at work, sometimes you even forget to eat! Now, I’m not saying this should be normal, because it shouldn’t be. We should be making that time to eat, time to sleep, and time to take care of ourselves.
So how do you stay healthy with a busy schedule? Well, first of all let’s set some realistic goals. It’s always so tempting to jump in trying to start a crazy routine, going to the gym 7 days a week, eating exclusively foods with high nutrients, and going cold turkey on all bad habits, butttt that’s not very sustainable now is it?
Let’s start small.
Your day is busy right? So, let’s start out by creating a plan. I’m sure you already have a place where you keep your schedule, and it might look a bit packed to the brim, but we can make it work. Start fresh on a new week and add 3 daily goals, while making sure to balance your work and home life as much as possible.
Now that we have some goals set, we need to fit sleep into your schedule. Keep your sleeping goals to around 7-8 per night if possible. Put away your phone before bed, step away from all blue lights and electronics. Ensure your home is at a comfortable temperature and maybe even try some meditative techniques to help increase your relaxation. Studies show that there’s a strong link between your quality of sleep and the health of your mitochondria. If you have a healthier mitochondria then you’ll produce the hormones that repair your body during sleep and influence your body’s sleep/wake cycle.
The next thing we need to work on is maintaining a healthy diet. Take a look at what you’re currently choosing to put into your body. Maybe start swapping out some of your current processed snacks for something less processed or swap them out for some raw fruit and veggies; you can even add some nut butter! Follow qualified nutritionists and dietitians on social media for meal plan inspo. Meal prep in the beginning of the week to make your life that much easier. Just make sure you’re taking care of your body and feeding it all the nutrients needed to fuel your busy life!
Keep your energy levels up. Energize yourself with some exercise! It’s a bit ironic, but adding 20-40 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity can do a lot for an energy boost! This could be as easy as a slightly faster paced walk. You could even take your next work call or listen to your next meeting at the same time! This could even help you control your stress levels which consume a huge amount of energy.
Some other quick things you can do is omit alcohol, drink the necessary amount of water, and eat foods for energy. Foods with a low glycemic index whose sugars are absorbed slowly may help you avoid the lag of energy, this would be foods like whole grains, high fiber vegetables, nuts, etc.
Need an extra energy kick? Try JUNK JUICE, specifically SUPERNATURAL
Our signature blend, Supernatural is designed to hit all your pain points so that you can reach your highest heights. Inspired by the ambitious, type A personality, this blend calms anxiety, reduces stress, enhances focus and clarity, and boosts productivity. The kicker? It also has beautifying side effects. Our customers report the disappearance of bloat and under eye circles, in addition to a healthy “glow”. If you want to be the best version of yourself, inside and out, this one is for you.
Choose this formula if you:
- you feel like there are not enough minutes in a day
- feel you need more “oomph” and/or have a dip in energy in the afternoon
- lack clarity and have trouble focusing
- experience anxiety, mood issues or are consistently tense
- you handle stress poorly and react easily to stressors
- you feel you look puffy, old or “haggard”
https://www.health.harvard.edu/energy-and-fatigue/9-tips-to-boost-your-energy-naturally
https://www.mitoq.com/journal/how-does-sleep-affect-mitochondria
https://www.mitoq.com/journal/how-to-find-energy-to-exercise-if-youre-a-busy-parent
