Although adaptogens are a fairly new term in the modern health conversation, they have been used for centuries by some of the greatest civilizations on earth. Prized in Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Amazonian medicine, these special herbs were instrumental in maintaining health, increasing vitality, and extending lifespan. 

What exactly are adaptogens? They are herbs like Reishi, Schizandra, Ashwaganda, Astragalus, and Chaga whose nutrient profiles contain natural compounds that help the human body adapt to and deal with stress. These herbs work with and ‘feed’ important glands such as the adrenals, thyroid, and pituitary to regulate our response to external stressors.  Schizandra, for example, can help with the body’s fight or flight response which helps control cortisol spikes that lead to adrenal fatigue and weight gain. 

Stress is the underlying cause of disease and death in America. Strictly speaking, heart disease and cancer are the top two killers (with medical error a close third). However, these two diseases are often the direct result of chronic, uncontrolled stress. Stress can be either physical or emotional and the key to staying healthy is being able to adapt to these stresses. If our body is unable to adapt to stress, the result is the formation of disease.

What is most important to remember about stress is that it is not just the big stresses that affect our health but also the many tiny stresses we experience each day. Checking our cell phone constantly for example stresses our body because it is a new external stimuli that we have not yet adapted to as a society. All of our technology and exposure to WIFI signals are brand new stresses never before experience by a human body until this generation. Special techniques to deal with stress can be found in the book, The Beauty Diet. 

By consuming adaptogenic herbs we can give our body hormone assistance in dealing with stress. By working with our HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) our nervous system can increase intelligence and response to external stressors. Instead of experiencing reoccurring stress our mind and body ‘adapt’ so that we now have a natural resistance to them. 

Just like our body naturally adapts to a particular exercise or workout, our ability to adapt to the new modern stresses of daily life are made easier with the use of adaptogenic herbs. These herbs have grown in difficult and challenging circumstances and have developed unique compounds to handle these conditions. When we consume these compounds our body assimilates these compounds to enhance our immunity, stress response, and even mental attitude toward difficulty. 

Our health and longevity is measured by how well we adapt to stress. 

All living organisms are challenged by their environments and their ability to thrive depends on how well they adapt to stress. As human beings living in a technologically complex world, we are now experiencing new forms of stress never seen before. Our health and our future will depend upon on how we deal with these new realities and using adaptogenic herbs will certainly play a pivotal role in how successful we are.

We can easily introduce adaptogens into our diet with the development of Jing Soda, which is a perfect delivery system for herbal nutrition. Jing Soda adds adaptogenic herbs and immune supporting herbs into a delicious, organic, and natural formula. These extracted ‘superherbs’ can be consumed in a cold beverage which opens the door for kids to happily consume them! Kids are not big fan of hot teas but a healthy and delicious cold soda is a great way to get these herbs into your child’s body. Let’s take a look at the top adaptogenic herbs found in Jing Sodas.

The Super Berry Soda contains the premier herb Schizandra, also know as the five flavored fruit. This herb has been used for hundreds of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Schizandra helps our body lock in fluids on a cellular level which helps every aspect of our health. It functions as a liver detoxifier and helps to produce glutathione, an antioxidant made by the liver. It has also been researched for the ability to reduce inflammation and boost immune function. It helps us adapt to stress and assists in hormone balancing which make it an ideal herb to consume on a regular basis. It works as a tonic herb which means your body doesn’t develop a resistance to it like other medicinal herbs. Starting to consume Schizandra Berry at a young age sets your child up for success and can even be consumed while pregnant!

Astragalus is heavily researched for its DNA protective qualities as well as its adaptogenic properties. The health of our DNA depends the length of our telomeres and the enzyme telomerase helps those telomeres from shortening. Astragalus helps our body produce telomerase that makes our DNA strong and youthful. The saponins in Astragalus help our body resist the effects of stress and keep our body balanced. The roots of this bush can assist blood flow, increase T fighter cell production, and regulate stress hormones. Used as the main ingredient in the Vanilla Cream Jing Soda, this root also helps to build core immunity and for that reason is considered one of the premier adaptogens in the world.

One of the most studied herb in the world is the tree mushroom Reishi. Reishi is rich in beta-glucans, long chain sugar compounds that help to teach our immune system intelligence. Making our immune system smarter is key for improving long term health and fighting off diseases like cancer. The triterpenes in Reishi have been studied for their anti-cancer properties. It has also shown to reduce blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol, and balance hormones. If there was one herb to consume for your whole life, Reishi would be it. It is also safer than food, making it ideal for your child’s health, which is why it is the star adaptogen in the Jing Reishi Cola and Reishi Cherry Cola.

Chaga is an adaptogenic mushroom that grows on birch trees in the northern hemisphere. It contains all the anti-stress benefits of the adaptogens mentioned above plus a wide spectrum of minerals like zinc, copper, magnesium, and B and D vitamins. One unique property of Chaga is the amount of melanin it contains which helps our skin health and pigmentation. This is a must-have herb for people who live in the southern hemisphere and are exposed to excessive amounts of sunlight. By helping our body produce cytokines Chaga greatly enhances our immune system and ability to fight off stress and disease. It has a naturally delicious flavor and is the star herb in the Jing Root Beer Cream Soda.

The takeaway is that we are now experiencing new and different stresses within our modern technologically-driven lifestyle. We need a simple way to take advantage of centuries-old adaptogenic herbs that help us deal with this stress to avoid premature aging and disease. Instead of brewing complex and time-consuming teas, Jing Soda allows us to create a delicious cold drink in less than 2 minutes and get all the high-powered nutrients we need to deal with the modern world and its stresses!