Adaptogens for Resilience: The Balancing Wisdom of Maca & Licorice

November 03, 2025

For centuries, plants have formed the foundation of natural healing traditions, offering nourishment and resilience for both body and mind. Today, modern phytotherapy and neuroscience are rediscovering what ancient healers always knew — that certain botanicals have an extraordinary ability to support the nervous system, balance hormones, and restore harmony to our stress response.

The Modern Stress Landscape

In today’s world, “burnout” and “adrenal fatigue” are often used to describe what happens when we feel utterly depleted. While adrenal health is a whole other subject for another blog, let's talk about how physiologically, the adrenals themselves are not often "failing". Instead, what’s can be happening is a miscommunication between the brain and the adrenals — a disruption in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis.
It may not be that our glands are exhausted, but rather that the body’s stress rhythm has fallen out of sync.

To restore that rhythm, the body needs nourishment, rest, light, movement, and often — a little help from nature’s stress harmonisers: the adaptogens.

What Are Adaptogens?

Adaptogens are a special class of plants and fungi that help the body adapt to physical, emotional, and environmental stressors.
To earn this title, a botanical must meet three important criteria:

1. Be non-toxic and safe for long-term use.

2. Increase resistance to a broad range of stressors (physical, chemical, emotional).

3. Normalise physiological functions — whether they are too high or too low.

Not all herbs that “reduce stress” qualify as adaptogens. True adaptogens help the body restore homeostasis — its natural state of balance. Some are more stimulating and energising (like rhodiola or ginseng), others are calming and restorative (like ashwagandha or reishi). And a few, like maca and licorice, hero's in our Nourish Formulated blend   and Rest Easy Tisane, have a uniquely balancing nature, supporting both sides of the stress spectrum.

We often share this balancing nature as, when your energy / hormone balance is down Maca & Liquorice will lift you up. Vice versa - when your energy / hormone balance is hyped up / anxious, Maca & Liquorice will gently lower you down. It's a bit like receiving a tonic for calm enduring energy and nourishment - balance. 

 

The Science of Adaptogenic Support

Adaptogens are not meant to override fatigue or replace rest. They don’t mask symptoms — they retrain the stress system.
Modern research shows that adaptogens influence multiple pathways that regulate resilience, including:

• Mitochondrial bioenergetics (how our cells produce energy)

• Neuroendocrine balance (communication between brain and hormones)

• Immune modulation (supporting the body's immune system to boost or suppress responses)

• Antioxidant defences (chemical - antioxidants, scavengers that neutralise free radicals preventing them from causing damage)

• Gene expression related to stress adaptation

In short: adaptogens help the body remember how to find its rhythm again.

🌸 Maca — The Harmoniser of Energy and Hormones

Native to the high Andes of Peru, Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root with a long history as a source of strength, fertility, and vitality.
In modern botanical medicine, maca is classified as an adaptogen because of its remarkable ability to modulate hormones and the immune system — supporting balance and building foundations rather than pushing the body in one direction.

Research and traditional use highlight Maca’s benefits for:

• Hormonal balance and menopause support

• Reproductive and prostate health

• Mood and cognitive function

• Energy, stamina, and vitality

• Skin health and antioxidant protection

• Bone density and osteoporosis prevention

• Detoxification and liver support

Maca’s adaptogenic influence stems from its capacity to regulate the HPA axis and balance cortisol output — helping the body better respond to stress. It’s also rich in polyphenols and unique compounds called macaenes and macamides, which contribute to neuro-protection, antioxidant defence, and improved energy metabolism.

🍃 Liquorice — The Gentle Stabiliser

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), another key adaptogen in the Mayella Nourish Blend and Rest East Tisane, is both soothing and strengthening. Traditionally used to support digestion and respiratory health, licorice also acts as an adrenal tonic — gently prolonging the beneficial effects of cortisol while protecting the adrenal glands from burnout.

Liquorice helps to:

• Stabilise blood sugar and energy levels

• Soothe the nervous system and digestive tract

• Support adrenal function in times of fatigue

• Reduce inflammation and oxidative stress

• Modulate immune response and enhance resilience

It's naturally sweet, grounding energy complements earthy Maca beautifully — together, they nurture both strength and calm, helping the body to restore its natural rhythm under pressure.

Nourishing Your Stress Response Naturally

At Mayella, we see adaptogens not as a quick fix, but as allies in a holistic lifestyle. They work best when paired with nourishing whole foods, quality sleep, sunlight, hydration, and mindful movement.

Mayella Nourish Blend — Daily Support for Vitality & Balance

The Mayella Nourish Blend combines maca and licorice with other plant-based nutrients to support gentle energy, hormonal harmony, cellular nutrition and everyday resilience — helping you feel grounded, nourished, and balanced from within. 

Your body thrives when it receives gentle, consistent support from nature. Our Mayella Nourish Blend combines organic, nutrient-dense ingredients designed to nourish, detoxify, and harmonise your system — supporting energy, resilience, and overall wellbeing.

Key Ingredients & Benefits:

• Australian Alfalfa – alkalising, supports digestion, helps reduce appetite, and contributes to healthy weight management.

• Australian Barley Grass – a mineral-rich powerhouse that detoxifies and provides antioxidant protection.

• Australian Oat Grass – strengthens the nervous system, stimulates immunity, and acts as a blood cleanser.

• Australian Wheat Grass – promotes tissue repair, supports antibody production, boosts energy, and aids natural detoxification.

• Hawaiian Spirulina – anti-inflammatory, mineral-rich, and a highly digestible source of protein for energy and vitality.

• Peruvian Maca Root – adaptogenic, hormone-balancing, supports mood, mental clarity, stress resilience, and reproductive health.

• Licorice Root – a gentle adaptogen, calming and anti-inflammatory, supporting hormone balance and respiratory health.

Together, these ingredients create a daily tonic for vitality, hormonal harmony, and resilience, supporting your body to adapt, recover, and thrive. Whether used as part of your morning ritual or throughout the day, the Nourish Blend helps you maintain balance and energy naturally.

Sip, Soothe, and Restore with Rest Easy Tisane

While adaptogens like maca and licorice help support resilience during the day, evening rituals are just as important for balance and wellbeing. Our Rest Easy Tisane is crafted to support relaxation, digestion, and a sense of calm before sleep.

Key ingredients work synergistically:

• Chamomile Flowers – calming and anti-inflammatory, helping the body unwind while supporting repair and relaxation.

• Licorice Root – gentle hormone adaptogen and demulcent, complementing daytime adaptogenic support by soothing and harmonising the nervous system while you sleep at night. Perfect for daytime chill vibes!

• Spearmint – uplifting yet digestive-supportive, aiding comfort and clarity.

• Valerian – a natural GABA enhancer that supports calm, restful sleep and digestive ease.

• Sweet Orange Segments – providing vitamin C, beta-carotenes, and mild decongestant support, bringing gentle nourishment for the immune system.

Drinking this herbal tea is a mindful pause — a natural way to signal to your body that it’s time to rest and recalibrate, complementing the daytime benefits of adaptogens in the Nourish Blend.

✨ In Essence

Adaptogens like maca and licorice are nature’s way of saying: “You are built to adapt — let me help you remember how.”

By restoring communication between the brain, adrenals, and nervous system, these humble roots offer profound support for modern life — empowering your body to find balance in the face of stress. And to experience more cushion aka resilience when moving through the changing phases of life as with peri-menopause and menopause

Because wellness isn’t about doing more — it’s about feeling more balanced from within. Nourish to Flourish!

 

 

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