Are Adaptogen Supplements Worth the Price? I Tried One for 21 Days To Find Out

Health is confusing.

Reading about it as much as I do while living a very fitness-focused lifestyle, I find myself overwhelmed by all of the available supplements out there. Half of them are littered with buzzwords and the other half tell you what they don’t include (dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, etc.) before revealing their actual ingredients.

This has made me a relatively skeptical consumer.

But my levels of stress have been steadily increasing since March. I am excessively worrying, feeling unraveled throughout the day, and struggling to sleep. Sometimes I have too much energy before bed and other nights my mind is so cloudy I can barely process a thought.

According to recent research in the journal Sleep Medicine, I’m not alone. As the study explains, the combination of health concerns, social isolation, financial uncertainty, and changing work obligations during the pandemic are resulting in impaired sleep and focus.

Like most pandemic-related obstacles, I know the negative side effects. What I need is a solution.

I've already tried “natural” remedies recommended by experts. I exercise a lot. Eat clean. Drink plenty of water. The last 30 minutes of my day are spent away from screens. I even journal in the evenings. Nothing worked.

I decided it was time to get experimental.

The Power Of Adaptogens: A Thousand-Year Old Stress Reliever

I don’t usually buy-in to the popular wellness trends. However, after reading Beyond Coffee: A Sustainable Guide to Nootropics, Adaptogens, and Mushrooms, I learned there are plenty of safe, well-researched compounds out there with amazing health benefits.

One of these groups is adaptogens, or “naturally occurring compounds that humans have relied on for thousands of years to help regulate the nervous system.” You’ve probably heard of the more popular ones like maca, reishi, and ashwagandha.

Yes, they are buzzwordy in the wellness world — but these herbs and roots have long been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic healing traditions.

Adaptogens help your mind and body handle stress, with each one claiming to do something a little different. As Dr. Brenda Powell, co-medical director of the Center for Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute put it: “They’re meant to bring us back to the middle.”

Do Adaptogens Really Work?

Let's get this out of the way: there’s not much concrete scientific evidence on how adaptogens affect human health. From everything I’ve read, most doctors agree adaptogens are safe. But we don’t have clear findings proving adaptogens actually enhance well-being or cure ailments, and the mechanics of the body’s stress response system are somewhat of a mystery.

Still, I was interested in testing something new. I did quite a bit of research, focusing on three main categories before selecting an experimental supplement:

1. Ingredients

I only wanted a supplement with known ingredients. No propriety blends, artificial sweeteners, or natural flavoring.

2. Reviews

What are people saying on social media? How are the reviews on third-party distributors?

3. Cost Per Serving

Least important but still a factor.

I landed on SuperYou by Moon Juice, advertised as a daily stress management supplement.

I’ll admit, the marketer in me appreciated the aesthetics of their brand. Moon Juice clearly knows who its target audience is and does an incredible job reflecting the identity of a booming herbal wellness market.

SuperYou claims to clinically help reduce physical, mental, and emotional fatigue, boost energy and mood, protect from oxidative stress, and control stress-related weight gain.

I know these are pretty generic claims which have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Still, the four key ingredients in SuperYou are Amla, Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, and Shatavari, all of which are pretty widely used herbal remedies.

With that said, SuperYou seemed like a solid and safe adaptogen supplement to try for first-timers like myself.

So, here’s what happened after I tried SuperYou for twenty-one days.

The Experiment

Adding SuperYou to my morning routine was pretty seamless. I take vitamins in a fasted state and SuperYou didn’t cause any discomfort on an empty stomach — not a given with many supplements.

One bottle of SuperYou contains 60 capsules. The recommended serving size is two capsules, which means there are 30 servings in one bottle — my frugal self stuck with a single capsule per day to make the bottle last.

Throughout the first week, my mind felt noticeably calmer. I usually drink a coffee in the mornings and I didn’t have the usual urge to spike my system with caffeine. Part of this may have been because I was consciously thinking about taking a new supplement. Regardless, the outcomes looked promising.

After ten days, my stress didn’t melt away — but I was more level-headed and decisive. I also noticed my mental cloudiness start to clear up with an increased focus on my workouts and writing.

Quality of sleep didn’t improve much — granted, SuperYou isn’t advertised as a sleep supplement.

Three weeks into my daily adaptogen habit, I can honestly say I feel better. SuperYou hasn’t drastically changed my life. The shifts were mostly subtle in assisting daily stress management.

The Bottom Line: Adaptogens are Worth the Price

I am craving less coffee, more self-aware of stressful triggers and how to handle them, and less anxious. Again, this may partly be due to the fact that I was consciously aware of SuperYou’s addition into my routine.

Either way, SuperYou forced me to adjust my supplements and emphasize mental well-being. I’ve never considered mental health as something I needed to actively think about before the pandemic. Now, while taking SuperYou, it’s becoming a priority.

Obviously, this was a three-week trial so more time is needed to determine the long-term benefits of SuperYou. And while the research on many adaptogens is still growing, they are one of the most interesting compounds found in a variety of foods and plants.

Forking out cash for an adaptogen supplement might not be the answer — however, I am encouraged by the potential.

Final Thoughts

Let’s remember one thing: supplements should be a minor part of a healthy lifestyle.

Don’t take SuperYou and expect it to magically boost your mood. Ninety-nine percent of your wellness comes down to sleep, nutrition, and exercise — supplements exist as the final one percent.