AMA #3: Adaptogens, Fasting & Fertility, Bluetooth/EMF Risks, Cognitive Load Limits & More

If you're interested in adaptogens at all, I highly recommend that you include at least 2-4 servings of dark leafy greens and/or cruciferous vegetables per day ... Excessively heating dark leafy greens or cruciferous vegetables can actually destroy the very nutrients and micronutrients that act in an adaptogenic way.

You would not want to buffer cortisol early in the day. In fact, cortisol peaking early in the day provides an anti-inflammatory, immune-supporting, focus and mood-supporting effect all day long. So, I would recommend that people take their first dose of ashwagandha of anywhere from 250-300 mg sometime in the early afternoon...

Buffering stress with ashwagandha, buffering cortisol in the afternoon and evening, can be very beneficial for you. But then I would say after about 30 days maximum, I would take at least 2-4 weeks off ... You don't want to chronically buffer cortisol; it's just not a good idea.

It's very healthy to have high levels of cortisol early in the day shortly after you wake up, and then that ought to taper off toward the afternoon and evening. However, if cortisol is chronically elevated throughout the day or if that peak in cortisol is arriving too late in the day, that is known to be associated with mental health and physical health issues...

The 3 supplements that can be very effective in buffering cortisol are ashwagandha, which I'll talk about first, lion's mane, and chaga.

There are a number of studies now including several excellent ones in humans that report that taking two doses of 300 mg of ashwagandha per day can vary dramatically buffer cortisol.

Taking 300 mg of ashwagandha twice a day led to enormous—I mean, just enormous—changes in serum cortisol ... This was dramatic reductions in stress as perceived by people—so, subjective stress—and cortisol level.

I recommend that you not take your ashwagandha prior to exercise because part of the adaptation response is triggered by increases in cortisol during exercise.

Do you need to cycle on and off lion's mane and chaga? I'm not aware of any data showing that you do. If, however, you're taking them every day, I recommend that you cycle off them after a period of 30 days or so.

Reactive oxygen species are types of reactions and molecules that occur in cells when cells get stressed and/or age, and antioxidants are the compounds that reduce those reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species are bad for cells because they tend to hinder the function of mitochondria, which are associated with energy production in those cells.

Dark leafy greens are known to contain a number of compounds in the form of vitamins and micronutrients that are very effective in reducing reactive oxygen species and inflammatory cytokines.

There are good data showing that 1000 mg... of lion's mane per day and/or... chaga mushroom at 500-1500 mg per day can act as adaptogens in, again, reducing cortisol but also in mainly reducing some of the anti-inflammatory cytokines that are known to circulate in high abundance when you're under a lot of psychological and/or physical stress.

The most common definition of an adaptogen is a compound that is typically a supplement or a drug, although it could be a behavior if you really think about it, that helps you adapt to and buffer stress.