POWER PLANTS

Touted as stress-busting miracle plants, adaptogens are creating a lot of hype. Should we believe it? Cautiously, yes.

- Robyn MacLarty

If you haven't heard of them before, you'd be forgiven for thinking 'adaptogens' are the name of a race of mutated humans in a dystopian sci-fi movie, or a new and terrifying category of viruses. And while they are not that, their names are often so difficult to pronounce – ashwagandha, rhodiola or schisandra – that they might as well belong to an alien species.

Yet these names are set to become as familiar to the health-curious as the words 'antioxidant' or 'prebiotic'. Why? Because some properties of these natural substances have been found to reduce stress, improve immune function, and boost physical and mental performance.

It's easy for the sceptics among us to dismiss the health claims made by most supplement producers, who operate in a regulatory grey area. Supplements are not subject to the same burden of proof when it comes to health claims as medicines are, and while manufacturers cannot make unsubstantiated claims (for example, claiming that a particular type of mushroom cures cancer), they can get away with claiming that certain substances 'support' our health without having to provide iron-clad proof.

Adaptogens, however, may just be the real deal when it comes to the buzz.

I first sat up and took notice when Dr Stacy Sims, a US sports nutrition scientist with a focus on female athletes, started to promote them. Dr Sims is an Olympian, academic and dyed-in-the-wool scientist, who prides herself on being impartial.