Excerpt From Medicinal: The Human Body Series – Volume I: The Gut
"Adaptogens help us maintain homeostasis, allowing for energy mobilization in acute stress without the damaging effects of prolonged cortisol elevation, which we explored in Chapter 1. (...)
I wanted something delicious that could support my intense training, improve oxygen uptake, and extend my time-to-exhaustion, while also giving me the mental endurance I need as a writer, teacher, and artist.
There are many products that use adaptogens, but few taste good, and fewer still respect the way the nervous system actually works. I’ve always preferred my medicine to be delicious — so cacao became the foundation.
Cacao is not technically an adaptogen, but it behaves like one. It’s a vasodilator rich in magnesium, antioxidants, and flavanols that enhance nitric oxide availability, circulation, and mitochondrial efficiency. It also contains theobromine and gentle neuromodulators that support focus without tipping the nervous system into overactivation.
Around this base, I chose a family of plants and fungi — cordyceps, maca, lion’s mane, reishi, mucuna, and L-theanine — each with a distinct role in regulating internal dynamics (how your brain, nerves, metabolism, and muscles communicate and adapt over time).
Some enhance oxygen utilization, some sharpen cognitive function, some stabilize stress responses, and others support mitochondrial energy and immune resilience. Together, they create a regulated, energized baseline — a state where you can train, think, and create with more coherence and less friction.
This blend was born from that search: a morning ritual that supports endurance and brain health through plants and fungi used for thousands of years, guided by modern science and lived experience.
The part that still fascinates me most about adaptogens is their bidirectional regulation.
Adaptogens don’t simply push the body in one direction — they try to restore balance, and to do that they can act in two directions at once. A few examples:
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Ashwagandha can lower anxiety in stressed individuals but increase energy in those with fatigue.
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Rhodiola improves focus and stamina during burnout yet calms the nervous system under acute anxiety.
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Eleuthero — Siberian ginseng — can enhance performance under exertion but won’t overstimulate like caffeine.
This intelligent responsiveness is rare in pharmacology and reflects a systems-based action on the neuroendocrine–immune networks rather than a symptom-by-symptom approach."
I hope you enjoy this delicious formula. Grab yours here.
Here's to more health, and wise choices every day.
Tomás