_Wait, no caffeine?

A incredibly common sentiment amongst caffeine drinkers is the blasphemous idea of wasting their precious time on a tisane (or herbal tea) when they could be getting the necessary pep that a caffeinated tea has to offer. I am very familiar with the strong held belief for I used to be one of those people! Work, school, family, extra-curriculars…who has time to engage in uncaffeinated activity?!

When my caffeine-or-die attitude began to result in upset stomachs, irritability, headaches and insomnia, I decided it was time to give adaptogens a serious go. Adaptogens have been around since the dawn of time, they are popular in ancient cultures and are finally starting to make a name for themselves in the West. These herbs embody chemical properties that offer benefits such as increased energy and mental alertness, not to mention they are also known to assist the body in its ability to deal with stressors that result in anxiety and other emotional traumas. Sound too good to be true? Then let’s sprinkle on the notion that all of these benefits are a result of adaptogens’ ability to balance hormones, resulting in a positive impact on immunity, digestion, mood and sexual health.

Adaptogens are found in many of our teas and both of our tisanes. They are of course best utilized by the body when they are unprocessed and best for the environment when they are organically grown (many of ours are also grown in biodiverse environments – win!). When my husband and I were undecided as to whether or not to start a family, a friend gave us the advice that if we were even at all curious, we should simply give it a try. That suggestion may have been a bit too nonchalant for childrearing (albeit one of the best decisions we ever made), but it seems aptly appropriate here. You just won’t know how great adaptogens are until you give them a try, and they just might be the gamechanger you are looking for.

written by Meg Williams