Adaptogens & Ancestry: Are These Herbs for You?

We’ve all seen the buzzwords.

Maca for hormones. Ashwagandha for stress. Ginseng for energy.

Toss in a scoop, blend into a latte, and suddenly your smoothie’s wearing a cape.

But behind the marketing glow of adaptogens is a deeper question worth asking: Who are these herbs actually for? And does your ancestry influence how your body responds to them?

Because when it comes to herbal medicine, history matters, and so does your biology.

First, What Is an Adaptogen?

Adaptogens are a class of herbs (and a few mushrooms) that help the body adapt to stress, physical, emotional, or environmental. They work by supporting the HPA axis (your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system), which controls the release of cortisol and your broader stress response.

But they don’t just push your system in one direction. The beauty of adaptogens is in their balancing effect: they nudge your body toward homeostasis, supporting what’s depleted and calming what’s overactive.

Some well-known adaptogens include:

• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) – calming, hormone-supportive

• Maca (Lepidium meyenii) – energising, hormone-modulating

• Panax ginseng – stimulating and restorative

• Rhodiola rosea – resilience-boosting, cognitive-supportive

• Holy basil (Tulsi) – calming, immune-supportive

These herbs have been used for centuries in systems like Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Indigenous Andean practices, not as trendy powders, but as deeply contextual plant allies.

Which brings us to the big question:

Does Your Ancestry Affect How These Herbs Work?

In short, yes. And it’s both cultural and biological.

Historical Exposure

For thousands of years, people consumed local herbs, roots, and mushrooms that adapted to their regional environments. Those plants became part of the food, medicine, and seasonal rhythms of the people living there.

Over time, our bodies co-evolved with these plants. Just like certain populations are more likely to digest dairy or metabolise alcohol differently (thanks, genes), we may also respond more predictably to herbs we’ve had historical exposure to.

That doesn’t mean someone of European ancestry can’t benefit from ashwagandha, but it does mean we might tolerate or metabolise certain herbs differently based on our inherited enzyme pathways, gut microbiome patterns, and metabolic traits.

Gene Variations Matter

Some adaptogens work by influencing stress hormones, neurotransmitters, or metabolic enzymes, so gene variants in those systems can change how you respond.

For example:

• People with slow COMT variants may already have trouble clearing stress hormones or estrogen, certain herbs that increase dopamine or hormonal activity might make them feel wired instead of balanced.

• People with variations in CYP enzymes may metabolise plant compounds more slowly, intensifying their effects (or causing side effects).

• People with high baseline cortisol might need different support than someone who’s flattened out.

It’s not about good or bad, it’s about fit.

A Few Quick Examples

Ashwagandha

Origin: India

Used traditionally in Ayurveda to nourish depleted systems, support fertility, and ease anxiety.

Best for: Those with low cortisol, fatigue, anxiety, or stress-related hormone imbalance.

Caution: May not suit people with overactive thyroid or those who feel agitated on calming herbs (often COMT-related).

Maca

Origin: Peru (Andes Mountains)

Used by Indigenous populations as both food and medicine, especially for stamina, fertility, and hormonal strength in high altitudes.

Best for: Hormone transition (e.g. perimenopause), endurance, libido.

Caution: Can be too stimulating or hormonal for some, especially if taken daily in high doses without traditional preparation (which includes boiling or fermenting).

Ginseng (Panax)

Origin: China, Korea, Siberia

Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for vitality, chi support, mental clarity, and aging resilience.

Best for: Mental fatigue, immune depletion, cold constitutions.

Caution: Too stimulating for some, may not suit people with high blood pressure, anxiety, or insomnia tendencies.

How Do You Know What’s Right for You?

Start with your story – What symptoms are you experiencing? What’s your stress load, your energy pattern, your hormone rhythm?

Consider your ancestry – You don’t need to be rigid, but knowing your roots can help. Did your grandparents cook with certain herbs? Was your heritage climate hot, cold, mountainous, coastal?

Look at your genes – If you’ve done DNA testing, you might already know if you’re a slow metaboliser or sensitive to hormonal shifts.

Try one at a time – Start low, go slow. Herbs are powerful. You’ll often feel the shift in a week.

Cycle them – Most adaptogens work best in 6–8 week blocks. Our bodies don’t need constant nudging, they need support that respects their rhythm.

The Bottom Line

Context is Everything.

Adaptogens are not a quick fix, and they’re not one-size-fits-all.

What supports one person’s nervous system might overload another’s. What lifts you up in winter might overstimulate you in summer.

That’s why ancestral context, personal history, and even your gene expression all matter.

These herbs come from long traditions of thoughtful, seasonal, intentional use. And when we reconnect with that spirit, when the herb matches the person, not the trend, we reconnect with ourselves.

Want to see where the science comes from? For the extra curious, the references are here.