By Anna Cave Bigley & Hilary Metcalfe
We’ve been studying adaptogens for more than fifteen years. At first, it was pure curiosity, these mysterious herbs used for centuries in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, which scientists in the mid-20th century began to document in lab conditions for their effects on stress, energy, and endurance. We remember being fascinated by how these plants seemed to help the body hold its balance against pressure. And we couldn’t help but wonder: could they hold answers for women like us?
Over time, curiosity became necessity.
For me, Anna, adaptogens first entered my life during a chapter when my career was moving faster than my body could keep up. I was constantly on the road: airports, hotels, client presentations, late-night work sprints after crossing time zones. My skin reacted to the constant disruption; my focus was patchy; my energy was thin.
For me, Hilary, the journey looked different. Adaptogens weren’t about airports and deadlines, they were about hormones, pain, and exhaustion. For years, I lived with the relentless weight of endometriosis: painful cycles, unpredictable energy, the constant sense that my body was betraying me. I went searching for answers beyond conventional prescriptions, and that search led me back to these plants.
When motherhood entered the picture for both of us, everything we had studied and experimented with came into sharper focus. The broken nights of postpartum. The raw physical recovery that doesn’t come with a manual. The unrelenting pace of raising children while also building a company from scratch. Burnout levels of cortisol weren’t a line in a textbook anymore. It was in our skin, hormones, digestion, sleep and moods. And in that state, adaptogens weren’t just interesting. They were survival.
That’s why, for us they’re a foundation. They’re the thread connecting our scientific curiosity with our personal healing journeys. And they’re the reason our products exist at all, because we kept asking ourselves: what’s the best way to actually use these herbs every day?
That question is what led us to create adaptogenic skincare and our therapeutic infusions. Teas that make adaptogens easy, bioavailable, and woven into daily rituals, a morning reset, an evening anchor, a cycle companion. We didn’t just want to study adaptogens; we wanted to live with them, in ways that felt natural, effective, and restorative.
What Are Adaptogens
First, what are adaptogens, really?
In simple terms: they’re plants that help us cope with stress more effectively. But the longer answer is worth telling.
The word adaptogen was coined in 1947 by Russian scientist Nikolai Lazarev. Two decades later, Brekhman and Dardymov published the criteria still used today: an adaptogen must be non-toxic at normal doses, it must increase the body’s resistance to a wide range of stressors (physical, emotional, environmental), and it must work by restoring balance, not by overstimulating or sedating.
This is why adaptogens are so different from caffeine, alcohol, or pharmaceuticals. Stimulants rev you up. Sedatives pull you down. Adaptogens don’t push or pull. They recalibrate.
Most of the time, they do this by acting on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, the central stress-response system, and the sympathoadrenal system, which controls the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
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If cortisol is chronically high (as it often is in today’s world), adaptogens help to reduce and balance it.
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If energy is depleted and cortisol is crashing low, adaptogens can help the body restore a healthier rhythm.
This is what makes them “normalisers” or “metabolic regulators.” They don’t erase stress. They teach the body how to respond more efficiently to it.
And the science is catching up to what traditional medicine systems already knew. A 2010 review in Phytomedicine concluded that adaptogens “exert an anti-fatigue effect that increases mental work capacity against a background of stress and fatigue.” In other words: they don’t numb us. They make us more resilient.
Stress: The Silent Disruptor
To understand why adaptogens matter so much, you have to understand stress.
Cortisol, our main stress hormone, isn’t bad in itself. In short bursts, it sharpens focus, fuels memory, and mobilises energy. But when stress is constant, which it is for most of us, cortisol becomes corrosive.
The science is sobering:
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The World Health Organization estimates that up to 90% of illness is stress-related.
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The American Psychological Association reports that 76% of adults experience physical or emotional symptoms of stress on a regular basis.
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For women, the burden is heavier. Stress compounds hormonal transitions like puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause, often amplifying their symptoms.
And stress doesn’t just sit in the mind. It shows up everywhere:
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Skin: Stress increases oil production and inflammation, worsening acne and eczema, while breaking down collagen and accelerating visible ageing.
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Hormones: Cortisol disrupts ovulation and progesterone production, shortens luteal phases, and worsens PMS and perimenopausal swings.
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Gut: Stress slows digestion and alters the gut microbiome (Mayer et al., Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2015).
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Immunity: Chronic cortisol suppresses immune surveillance, leaving the body vulnerable to infections and slower recovery.
How Adaptogens Work
Adaptogens operate on multiple levels at once. Here’s where it gets geeky:
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HPA Axis Modulation: They recalibrate the release of cortisol, preventing “stress overdrive.”
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Neurotransmitter Regulation: They influence serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine pathways, supporting mood, focus, and cognitive flexibility.
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Mitochondrial Function: They improve oxygen utilisation and energy metabolism inside the cell, making us less vulnerable to fatigue.
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Anti-inflammatory Action: They downregulate pro-inflammatory signalling like NF-κB and COX-2, dampening the chronic inflammation that links stress to disease.
This is why researchers sometimes call adaptogens “metabolic regulators.” They don’t just target a symptom. They help the body’s entire system of stress response function more efficiently.
Our Favourite Adaptogens, And How We Use Them
Adaptogens aren’t just labels on a supplement jar to us, they’ve become part of the rhythm of how we cope, recover, and show up every day. They live where life actually happens: on the kitchen counter where mornings begin in a rush, in the carry-on bag when travel throws our bodies off track, and beside the bathroom sink where evening rituals finally slow everything down.
Over time, certain herbs have proven themselves indispensable. They weren’t trendy add-ons but lifelines, the ones that carried us through postpartum brain fog when nothing felt steady, through the rollercoaster of hormonal upheaval, through 12-hour work days that blurred into nights, and through those moments of stress that don’t feel “big” on their own but build up like static in the background.
These are the adaptogens that earned their place: the plants we turn to again and again, not out of habit, but because they work.
Tulsi (Holy Basil): The Evening Reset
Tulsi is our nervous system’s exhale. Once toddlers are asleep and the house finally quiets, I brew a cup of Mama Recover Herbata. There’s something in the ritual itself, the heat of the mug, the earthy-peppery aroma… Within half an hour, I feel tension soften, and sleep arrive more gently.
On days when my cycle feels heavier, I swap in our Gentle Period Blend, which leans on tulsi’s antispasmodic magic to calm cramps and take the edge off irritability.
Tulsi has been called the Queen of Herbs in Ayurveda, and modern science agrees: studies show it lowers cortisol, improves sleep quality, and boosts resilience (Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2017).
How we use it:
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Drink The Gentle Period Blend iced during luteal days, tulsi stays potent even cold.
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Mist Face & Space with tulsi on your pillow before bed to layer calm into sleep.
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Brew a strong pot of Mama Recover Herbata, chill it, then add orange slices, apple, pomegranate seeds, and fresh mint.
Gotu Kola: Skin, Focus, and the Pause Button
For both of us, gotu kola is one of those quiet heroes we didn’t appreciate until we built it into our skincare. You might know it as Centella asiatica, in Ayurveda it’s called Brahmi, revered as a brain tonic, while in K-beauty it’s beloved for calming sensitive skin. For us, it’s both.
Gotu kola is packed with triterpenoid saponins like asiaticoside and madecassoside, which boost collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and speed up repair. That’s why it’s such a star in our Reviving Face Mist. When we spritz it mid-day, after hours in front of screens, or when stress is literally written on our faces, it’s not just refreshing. It’s delivering one of the most powerful skin adaptogens directly where stress shows up.
But gotu kola isn’t only for the skin. Traditionally, it’s also been used as a nootropic, improving focus, memory, and calm. We feel that too. A mist while switching between tasks, or in the middle of a frazzled afternoon, isn’t just skincare.
Our favourite ways to use it:
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Keep Face & Space Mist on your desk and spritz between tasks — it sharpens focus while calming skin.
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Mist on bare skin before layering The Active Nutrient Serum, gotu kola improves barrier absorption.
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Use mid-travel (airports, planes, long drives), one spritz keeps both skin and mind from feeling stale.
Rhodiola Rosea: The Morning Clarity
For me, Anna, rhodiola became a lifeline in postpartum. Coffee only left me wired and then crashing, exactly what my nervous system didn’t need. Rhodiola was different. I started adding a few drops of tincture to my morning water, paired with omega-3s for absorption, and within half an hour the fog lifted. I could focus, write investor decks, and actually feel sharp without the buzz-and-burnout cycle.
Science explains it: rhodiola improves mitochondrial efficiency (your cells’ energy factories), reduces fatigue, and sharpens cognition. A 2022 Molecules Study found participants on rhodiola had significantly less fatigue and better concentration under stress. Its salidrosides and rosavins also protect skin from oxidative stress.
That’s why we infused rhodiola into our Prebiotic Face & Body Cream. Stress doesn’t just live in the mind, it shows up on the skin as redness, breakouts, dullness. Every morning I layer it on after serum. It’s become as routine as brushing my teeth: a shield for both skin and mind.
Favourite ways we use it:
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Rhodiola tincture in water, paired with omega-3s, on foggy mornings.
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Prebiotic Face & Body Cream every morning for stressed skin resilience.
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Keep the cream in your bag to reapply before/after flights, rhodiola helps skin recover from travel stress.
Ashwagandha: The Night-Time Ally
Ashwagandha isn’t in our range (yet!), but it’s been in our personal routines for years.
For both of us, it’s been a hormonal ally. After endometriosis flares or irregular cycles, ashwagandha helps restore rhythm, steadiness, and energy.
Clinical trials back this up: a 2012 study in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine found ashwagandha reduced cortisol by up to 30% and significantly improved stress resilience.
Favourite ways we use it, evenings for calm and sleep:
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300–600mg of standardised extract before bed (often with magnesium).
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With warm milk or oat milk before bed, a modern twist on the Ayurvedic ritual.
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Use in adaptogenic “moon milk” with cinnamon and honey, a bedtime comfort that feels indulgent.
Ginseng: Stamina Without the Crash
There are weeks in founder life when stamina is everything: fundraising marathons, long-haul flights, school runs, and twelve-hour days of back-to-back calls. Those are ginseng weeks.
Unlike caffeine, which sends you soaring and then crashing, ginseng steadies. A 2010 Psychopharmacology study found Panax ginseng improved working memory and calmness even under heavy mental load. That’s exactly how it feels: subtle, sustained stamina that carries you through, without fraying the edges.
Favourite ways we use it (not for whilst breastfeeding):
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200–400mg extract on long-haul travel days.
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Take before a big pitch or presentation, it sharpens focus under pressure.
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Pair with a high-protein breakfast on heavy work days to sustain energy. Here’s one of our fave hormone-friendly recipes – healthy fats and protein pancakes - by Hil.
Stress Isn’t Going Away
It’s in our deadlines, our hormones, our skin, our sleep. And the truth is, willpower and caffeine don’t make us more resilient. They just drag us (and our hormones) through another day. What actually changes the game is teaching the body how to adapt. That’s exactly what adaptogens do.
This is why you need them in your routine: because cortisol is silently eroding your energy, your skin barrier, your cycles, your focus. Because your body wasn’t designed to live at this relentless pace without allies. Adaptogens are those allies, plants clinically shown to recalibrate stress responses, restore hormonal balance, boost mitochondrial energy, protect the skin barrier, and help the nervous system exhale.
That’s why we created The SABI infusions and skincare. Teas that turn a nightly wind-down into a nervous-system reset. Formulas that layer rhodiola, tulsi, and gotu kola directly into your skin barrier, shielding it from the daily toll of stress. Rituals that don’t ask for extra time in your day, they transform the moments you already have. Your morning cream. Your evening tea. A mist between calls.
You don’t need adaptogens someday. You need them now, to protect your energy, your skin, your hormones, your clarity, in the middle of the chaos you’re living today. Resilience is built by ritual, sip by sip, layer by layer.
HORMONAL & PROUD
Created as a brand to help women navigate the toughest moments in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum - and practically every stage of life, the SABI aims to change the narrative around our hormones from one of taboo, embarrassment and loneliness, to awareness and even pride. Much more than a wellness brand, SABI offers a carefully crafted line of products to carry you through your hormonal journey; a set of rituals, supportive tools, and ancient herbal remedies that have been tested time and again by women and now, backed by medicine. SABI is a blend of science and nature conceived by women who have experienced the joys and deep implications of bringing a child into the world, the pains of a heavy and difficult period, miscarriage and difficulty conceiving
Here is an invitation to get to know your body and its cycles better and to really understand what is going on inside. Learn to use your hormonal cycle to your advantage no matter your stage of life, and know that you can always support and balance your hormone levels. Look for the right sources of information, know that there is help, and know that you’re supported.
DISCLAIMER
The SABI blog and articles are not meant to instruct or advise on medical or health conditions, but to inform. The information and opinions presented here do not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals for your unique situation.
REFERENCES
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https://humanshiftpaper.com/stories/adaptogens-adatogenic-herbs/
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464623002955
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https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/stress
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https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2022/concerned-future-inflation
