As someone who hadn’t heard of adaptogens before, this book was as interesting as it was informative. The author does a good job in the beginning of bringing the readers up to speed on the who, what, and why should we care? This section is fairly short, doing its job without taking much of the reader’s time. The next section is the directory in which each adaptogen is discussed on a page all its own. The layout itself of these pages is aesthetically pleasing as well as organized and even accompanied by a lovely photo of the adaptogen. This section is followed by recipes. Like the directory, these pages are orderly and beautiful. They provide you with all the information needed to make the recipe, with detailed ingredients, instructions, and purpose. Most of the food looks appetizing too!

As someone new to the subject, this book appears like a great resource. Those familiar with the subject may feel different.

Although I enjoyed this book, it did take me a bit to become invested. I loved the description of the various plants and herbs and the explanation behind their uses. I will most likely be referencing this book in the future!

This book presents a delightful A-to-Z of the world of adaptogens. I found it to be very enlightening and useful, filled with plants and herbs we're familiar with and also those we wouldn't have considered being consumable (pearl powder, anyone?). It covers some history behind the usage of each adaptogen, the beneficial properties and very importantly, the contraindications/safety memos to note. It's a beautiful book with photographs of the corresponding adaptogens on each page.

The first half of the book goes through an introduction of adaptogens and then lists alphabetically each adaptogen by their Latin names. You'll be inspired like me to see the amazing benefits the adaptogens have to offer which leads you to wonder how to incorporate these in your daily meals. Enter the second half of the book where you'll find a variety of recipes for drinks, soups and desserts.

This book is especially for you if you're health-conscious and looking to natural consumption to boost your health but really it's for anyone who is curious as well as that's how I came by it. It's definitely one you want to have in your kitchen but it would also be a beautiful coffee table book. Highly recommend!

The first thing that caught my eyes in this book was the photography and visuals. Such a stunning beautiful book I can only imagine how the physical copy must look like.

The second thing that interested me was the subject matter: adaptogens. This book provides a great place to start learning about herbs, roots & medicinal plants to help your body function better. As a person who recently started focusing my health and wellness, I’m always looking for different resources to help improve my life and I’m glad I came across this book.

While I don’t agree with everything that was mentioned in this book, I was made aware of new pieces of information that did catch my interest. And will hopefully be implementing them into my daily routine once I have done some more research on it.


Thanks, NetGalley & publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am always interested in improving my health, especially increasing energy and better managing stress. I was so excited to see this book and appreciate that it is written by a Registered Dietitian! This was an informative book yet also simple and not overwhelming. It reviews a variety of adaptogens and their health benefits and is followed by the loveliest recipes. The book was also beautiful - each page had the most gorgeous photographs. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley, for a digital ARC!

Nice list of herbs. The illustration was also quite good. But... it would have been nice to know how to use those herbs instead of 2tsp/ 3 drops of oil. Like how to pick them, dry them, prepare them for consumption. More science backed information would have been even better.

This book is absolutely stunning the pictures and descriptions are amazing! I have always been interested in learning more about adaptogens and it s so hard to know what information is correct. However, this book really breaks down and explains each one and i feel like it was incredibly well presented and laid out. It also gives suggestions on the best way to supplement them into your diet. If you are interested in adaptogens this is a great find and the presentation makes it a fantastic conversation piece to be enjoyed!

I received this book from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an honest review.
#Adaptogens
#NetGalley

When I saw this book was available it felt like it was fate; I had actually been learning a small bit about Adaptogens (before I know exactly the term). I had a discussion with a neighbour with Chaga, Lions Main and Turkey Tail. He was quick knowledgeable; and it peaked my interest. This book was absolutely a good insight to these things, and what they do. Not only that, the pictures are beautiful! Maybe your interest is like mine and your curiosity is peaked then I would definitely recommend this for a first look into this world of Adaptogens and Superfoods!

I am a little bit torn how to rate this book. I would like to go 3.5 stars. The photos are AMAZING, especially of the drinks and anything blue or purple. Everything glows!
I see the best format for this book would be oversized coffee table book, but I did review it via Netgalley in digital format. I have not yet had the opportunity try try most of the recipes, so am rating this based on text presented and images. I can not vouch for the results or taste.
Many of the measurements are given in metric form.

The history, benefits, safety or warnings and doseage given are all minimal and brief.
I call it a good jumping off point, for the reader to use to research further.
The author does seems to know her topic well.

The first portion of the book gives overview of adaptogens and Ayurveda. The next portion looks at some specific ingredients and their benefits for use in wellness. The ingredients are arranged alphabetically but there are symbols so that you can look for ingredients for a specific need. The last section of the book contains ingredients that can be made using the ingredients discussed and what they treat.

From the very first page, the photos that accompany the writing are beautiful. The colors are so vibrant, really inviting, and draw you right into the pages of the book, making you want to know more about the content.

Petitto does a good job of setting the stage for newbies who aren’t yet in-the-know about adaptogens and the background of their usage (for those wondering, adaptogens are mushroom and plant powders that have been used throughout history as herbal remedies). Adaptogens are said to work on the adrenal glands to reduce cortisol (stress hormone) and, as their name implies, ~adapt~ to your body’s needs to best support physical and mental balance. Balance and equilibrium come up a lot in the introduction. I will be the first to admit that I’m a skeptic when it comes to the practical use of substances such as these (essential oils, herbal supplements, and so on) but I am very open to trying them and hopeful that they work! I felt that reading this book would give me some helpful and informative background information on the use of adaptogens and their many applications in today’s world.

I might’ve liked a little introduction from the author herself about her role in the wellness community. She begins sharing anecdotes about being a mother and her favorite books, personal touches which I really enjoyed and helped the book feel more intimate than just reading a list of plant extracts and their potential properties. I think her personal asides would’ve been even more powerful if we started off knowing a little bit about her and how she came to learn about adaptogens/begin using them herself.

After the introduction to adaptogens in general, each adaptogen is presented on its own page with a beautiful photograph, text divided into history, benefits, safety, icons of general areas of support (e.g. digestion, immune support, etc.), and a quick-reference list of positive side effects. I enjoyed reading the history behind the name and usage of each adaptogen in the history section. I thought it was a really nice addition to have the “Safety” section on each adaptogen’s page (e.g. this adaptogen is not safe for women who are pregnant/breastfeeding because it lowers blood sugar). I’m sure the disclaimer is required, but I still think it is worth mentioning as a positive note. I liked the inclusion of the icons so that you could quickly see the general areas that a specific adaptogen supports - the icons along with the quick list of major positive side effects act as a helpful little “TL;DR” for those looking for an adaptogen for a specific need but don’t want to re-read all of the content.

After introducing the reader to each adaptogen and its history and properties, the book switches gears and provides recipes that incorporate the adaptogens. I thought this was such a great idea! Throughout the “history” blurbs, different adaptogens were noted to be eaten in soups and such in different cultures, and I think that providing recipes was such a smart way to help people begin to use the adaptogens in their everyday lives. I also loved the descriptive names of the recipes (e.g. “focus-on-this-pesto” and “energy boost chia pudding” - so cute, and helpful so you know what the main benefit of the recipe is!

Unfortunately, this was a better idea in concept than in execution. I have to say that some of these recipes would be a hard sell for me - for example, I adore chai tea, but the glow chai tea recipe in here calls for a majority of ingredients I’ve never heard of, let alone seen at my local grocery store. Maybe that’s ignorant of me - maybe it’s assumed that all of these adaptogens will have to be purchased in a less-mainstream fashion, but by including recipes that include so many ingredients that aren’t exactly readily available, I believe it makes people less likely to try them. It also means that the financial investment of an individual to try to these recipes would be much higher. Not everyone interested in including adaptogens into their lives is capable of purchasing chaga mushroom powder, pearl powder, maca, rhodiola, AND coconut nectar just to make 1 serving of tea. That’s a lot of work for a cup of tea, not even including the 30 minutes of simmering on the stovetop. I just think it’s something to be aware of - the heart of including the recipes is in the right place, but if you’re looking for user-friendly recipes to start you off, this book may not be the place to find them.

On a final note, while there is a paltry works cited of 10 articles supporting claims of a few of the effects of some of the adaptogens referenced in the book, but I would’ve loved more references to more research studies, or at least one explanation per adaptogen of why they do what they are reported to do (e.g. what proof is there that baobab lowers/controls blood pressure?). Inclusion of more explanations and evidence would have really improved my view of the claims made in this book. Perhaps the fact is just that the people who are going to buy this book and believe in the information held within will do so regardless of proof, but I think that’s a little naive.

Overall, I thought the book was well-formatted, clear and approachable in its descriptions of each adaptogen, and filled with beautiful visuals. Due to lack of inclusion of evidence and user-unfriendliness of the recipes (the two major reasons that have solidified my choices to a. not buy this book and b. not purchase adaptogens or use them in the recipes suggested), I’ve rated this book 3 stars.

"Adaptogens" is a short book about herbs, foods, and supplements that help your body deal with stress when taken over time. The author started by briefly describing what an adaptogen is, then there's a directory of adaptogen profiles. Each profile gave the common and scientific name, a brief history of its use, the health benefits, any safety concerns, and dosing information (though this was sometimes merely a recommendation to ask your doctor). There were about 40 full adaptogen profiles plus about 10 brief superfood/powder profiles. The author also included some recipes for drinks, soups, spreads, and more using combinations of these adaptogens. The book doesn't actually include a lot of information as one page of each profile or recipe is simply a full-color picture of the herb or recipe. But it might be good for a beginner who would be overwhelmed by more information. I'd recommend this book to those who don't know about adaptogens who are specifically interested in these herbs rather than medicinal herbs in general.

BEAUTIFUL BOOK! I have always been interested in learning more about adaptogens and it seems like there is so much out there that I am never really sure what is correct. However, this book breaks down each one and talks about the importance of them. It also gives suggestions on the best way to supplement them into your diet. So great for stressful times like this. Thank you so much Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group.

I love this book about adaptogens. The design and photographs are very well done, and the content is organized nicely. The book contains quite a few adaptogens. A lot of those I never heard about, but there are some that I know and have used before.

Each adaptogen contains information about benefits, safety, and dosage. I like the icons that hold information about benefits. There are also impressive recipes included at the back of the book.

It is suitable for beginners and those who need a beautiful reference book about adaptogens.

This is a lovely coffee table sort of book about adaptogens, full of pretty stock photos but a little scarce on helpful information. Each adaptogen gets one full page photo (often showing the herb more as a work of art than actually identifying it) and then very basic information is provided about some of what it helps. The second half of the book is recipes of drinks, soups, sauces and desserts made with some of the adaptogens.

I am a big advocate of adaptogens, which are herbs that help the immune system work better (instead of just revving it up) and that help fight physical and mental stress. I take cycles of ashwaghandha often when my immune system needs a boost, and am obviously a big fan of elderberries (I've written a book on foraging and using elderberries), which is also included here, among others. My favorite book on the topic is Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by Winston and Maimes, though it is highly academic and you feel like you deserve college credit upon completing it. This one is the opposite -- very pretty and light, but lacking in the detail and studies that really teach you about the topic.

I would have loved much more information about how to use the herbs. For instance, I've been hoping to start incorporating burdock root as a regular part of our diet here since we can easily forage it. It grows all over (it's the plant with the big rhubarb-looking leaves and the burrs that inspired velcro) and the root is widely used in cooking. The book gives a little bit of interesting info that I didn't know, like that it supposedly restores healthy bacteria after antibiotics kill off the good ones and that it helps with arthritis, but there's not nearly enough information about this. There is no mention about how common it is all over and no information on making your own tincture or gathering the roots yourself. Under dosage, it just says that it varies widely depending on use. In another instance, I was happy to find a listing for turkey tail mushroom as my husband gathered some for me last month to help me get my immune system strong again after fighting a tough illness that I am still recovering from but I haven't taken it yet because I hadn't done enough research. The book says not to gather it in the wild but not why (it's not endangered, and it's pretty easy to correctly ID) and for dosage it says to consult my physician. Basically, the book gives enough information for me to put things on a list and go look them up fully somewhere else.

This is still a nice book to flip through and learn about the ways that plants can help us.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

I am really excited to add this gorgeous book on Adaptogens to my collection! I plan to buy a hardbound copy upon its release to use as a reference on my bookshelf. The photographs and descriptions of the herbs are gorgeous. Though I have been working with an herbalist for awhile now, the descriptions of the adaptogens are both clear and easy enough for a beginner, and detailed and valuable enough for experts. I learned new things about my two favorite adaptogens that I already take, Eluthro and Astragalus, and also got some great new ideas. This book is especially useful right now in the time of COVID-19 and is very science-based and straightforward. It also contains every warning you might need to read about interactions and precautions and is much more detailed and accurate than what you might find when frantically googlilng Web MD before taking a supplement. I recommend it to anyone interested in herbalism and alternative health. I really cannot overstate the usefulness and beauty of this book!