A term from herbal and traditional medicine for substances claimed to help the body resist stress and restore balance, applied to plants such as ginseng, rhodiola, and ashwagandha. The concept originated in mid-twentieth-century Soviet research seeking compounds that would improve resilience without the side effects of stimulants. Modern food and supplement marketers have embraced the label for teas, tonics, and functional beverages, though scientific evidence for the claimed normalizing effects remains thin and inconsistent by pharmaceutical standards. Regulators treat adaptogen products as foods or supplements rather than medicines, which limits the health claims that can legally appear on labels. Consumers drawn to the idea should know that the term describes a traditional category, not a proven pharmacological mechanism, and that quality and dosage vary widely between products.