Adaptogens and cycling.

ma70

Well-known member
Do adaptogens need to be cycled? I've been using Rhodiola, Bacopa, and Ashwagandha (well they're all in Adrenosurge....) and I love this stuff. I'm about to hit the 8 week mark soon and I'm wondering if I should stop using them.
 
Everything needs to be circled l cycled eventually, my man, everything.
 
If you want to wait on the end of the cycle take it 4 more weeks and then take 4 off
 
I have never cycled my adaptogens. I've been taking ashwagandha and rhodiola for years as a daily.
 
kisaj said:
I have never cycled my adaptogens. I've been taking ashwagandha and rhodiola for years as a daily.
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Interesting. I guess it might be a rhetorical question...but has the effectiveness stayed the same? How much do you dose daily?
 
Very much so. The few times I have been without for a few days due to waiting for a shipment, I notice the all day energy being absent and find myself craving caffeine to power through the afternoons.

Dose is dependent on the brand. I have been capping my own for awhile now, so right around 250mg 3.2% rosavin/ 2% salidroside 2 x daily.
 
kisaj said:
I have never cycled my adaptogens. I've been taking ashwagandha and rhodiola for years as a daily.
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That doesn't mean you should, man. A personal choice is a personal choice but when a personal choice is not the best one it's not wise to recommend for others to partake.

And I think you know me well enough to understand I'm not calling you out.

OP, let's take a little metaphorical walk lol.

Adaptogens such as Rhodiola and Ash are serotonergic, which means they increase serotonin. In fact, their adaptogenic properties are largely due to this MOA. Rhodiola also interacts with GABA receptors etc. This is important to know because elevated levels of serotonin or anything for that matter will cause down regulation of other important neurotransmitters, hormones, vitamins, hell, even fats.

Staying on topic with Rhodiola and Ash specifically. Dopamine and serotonin are antagonistic, meaning that if you have a constant rise in serotonin you will effectively lower dopamine. Dopamine is important for all sorts of roles in the body, one very important one being stimulating LH release, which stimulates the interstitial cells to make testosterone.

If you take something continually without cycling it, you never give your body a chance to restore homeostasis, which can cause a cascade of effects you don't necessarily want. The body operates in a dynamic state trying to stay completely balanced and operating with as little variance as possible. Everything in the body interacts with another part, hormone, neurotransmitter etc, which is why you should cycle EVERYTHING multivitamins, fish oils, supplements, so on and so forth

Moral of the story, everything should be cycled, everything, including foods ;)
 
Spaniard said:
That doesn't mean you should, man. A personal choice is a personal choice but when a personal choice is not the best one it's not wise to recommend for others to partake.

And I think you know me well enough to understand I'm not calling you out.
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I did not take it that way, but thanks for clarifying. :)

For the record, I am not recommending anything. I stated that I do not cycle them, that is all.
 
In ayurveda ashwagandha is used daily in chyawanprash. Best bet is to try cycling and see if it makes a difference for you.
 
Anyone else get in a bad mood when taking bacopa for a while? I'm assuming due to it decreasing dopamine -http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21129470
 
I would definitely cycle, not necessarily saying you have to, but its probably in your best interest to cycle all supplements.
 
ma70 said:
Do adaptogens need to be cycled? I've been using Rhodiola, Bacopa, and Ashwagandha (well they're all in Adrenosurge....) and I love this stuff. I'm about to hit the 8 week mark soon and I'm wondering if I should stop using them.
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Not in 8 weeks, Rhodiola doesn't need to be cycled (ever), you can tread Rhodia like food. The only adaptogen that needs to be cycled per se is panax ginseng. Ashwangandha is more like a ginseng, so should be cycled. Rhodiola is more like Maca. The difference is the ginsengs do not give the user what they need from it, they act the same with everyone. For instance, bacopa increase memory, signals etc. its going to do that or not do it, Rhodiola can calm you down if your hyper or give your energy if your too calm. Rhodiola also won't burn out ur adrenals like panax can.

A
 
Chuck Diesel said:
Not in 8 weeks, Rhodiola doesn't need to be cycled (ever), you can tread Rhodia like food. The only adaptogen that needs to be cycled per se is panax ginseng. Ashwangandha is more like a ginseng, so should be cycled. Rhodiola is more like Maca. The difference is the ginsengs do not give the user what they need from it, they act the same with everyone. For instance, bacopa increase memory, signals etc. its going to do that or not do it, Rhodiola can calm you down if your hyper or give your energy if your too calm. Rhodiola also won't burn out ur adrenals like panax can.

A
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+1 to the need to cycle panax ginseng:
P. ginseng improves aspects of mental health and social functioning after 4 weeks of therapy, although these differences attenuate with continued use.

After 4 weeks of therapy, higher scores in social functioning (P. ginseng 54.9+/-4.6 vs. placebo 49.2+/-6.5; p = 0.014), mental health (P. ginseng 52.2+/-7.7 vs. placebo 47.2+/-7.3; p = 0.075), and the mental component summary (P. ginseng 51.3+/-7.4 vs. placebo 44.3+/-8.3; p = 0.019) scales were observed in patients randomized to P. ginseng; these differences did not persist to the 8-week time point.
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As for ashwagandha, I've seen studies that dosed ashwagandha daily for up to 6 months, with that said, I cycle off of it every few months for a few weeks just to play it safe.

With regards to bacopa, it takes time to really work in regards to memory, with better results after 8-12 weeks than after 4 weeks. A lot of studies tend to last 3 months.

Personally, my general rule of thumb for these sort of things is to take a particular adaptogen for as long as the longest relevant study lasts, and then take some time off, typically ~4 weeks. It may not be necessary, but it's probably safer in the long-run (years down the road).
 
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