Adaptogens in Pregnancy: Benefits, Safety, and What to Know
If you've spent any time in wellness spaces over the past few years, you've probably come across adaptogens. And if you're pregnant, you've probably wondered whether they're something you can keep using—or start using—right now.
In fact, you may have Googled "adaptogens pregnancy" and ended up here.
Adaptogens in pregnancy is a topic that comes up a lot, but it's also a topic where the research is still catching up, and we don't have enough scientific evidence to know if adaptogens are safe or unsafe during pregnancy.
Here's what you need to know about adaptogens during pregnancy to help you understand where we are with the science, so you can make informed decisions for your body and your baby.
Table of Contents
What Are Adaptogens?
Adaptogens are a category of plants and mushrooms that support your body's ability to handle stress by helping your nervous system regulate itself better.
They work through the HPA axis, which stands for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This is your body's built-in stress management system. When you encounter stress, whether it's physical, emotional, or hormonal, your HPA axis triggers the release of hormones like cortisol to help you cope.
The problem is that in modern life, this system often gets chronically overactivated. Cortisol stays elevated long after the stressor has passed, and over time, that leads to exhaustion, anxiety, disrupted sleep, and a general feeling of being worn down.
Adaptogens help bring that system back into balance. They work with your body's existing rhythms to smooth out the response, and that's what makes them different from a stimulant or a sedative. They adapt to what your body needs, which is where the name comes from!
Some of the most well-known adaptogens include ashwagandha, rhodiola, reishi, holy basil, and maca.
Why Adaptogens Are Tempting During Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be exhausting, so, understandably, many women look for tools to help them feel better.
Adaptogens fit that need almost perfectly. They were designed to do exactly what pregnant women are desperate for: support the nervous system, calm the stress hormone response, and sustain energy without the crash that comes from caffeine or sugar.
There are plenty of studies that document the natural and beneficial processes that come with using adaptogens. But the question is whether adaptogen supplements are safe to use during pregnancy.
Are Adaptogens Safe for Pregnancy?
Unfortunately, the research on adaptogens and pregnancy is extremely limited.
There simply aren't enough large-scale, long-term studies on pregnant women to make confident, blanket statements about safety for adaptogens.
That doesn't automatically mean that adaptogens are dangerous, but it does mean that we don't yet have the data to say they're safe either.
During pregnancy, your body is in a very specific, very intentional state of hormonal and immunological change. Estrogen and progesterone are surging, your immune system is actively recalibrating to protect the baby while still functioning well enough to protect you, and cortisol levels change.
Any substance that interacts with these systems, even subtly, is worth being careful about during pregnancy.
There is a 2022 rat study that looked at the effects of reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) on pregnant rats with induced gestational diabetes. The rats given reishi showed improved blood sugar regulation, better liver function markers, and reduced oxidative stress. Their babies also measured larger and healthier than the babies in the diabetic group that didn't receive reishi.
It's promising, but it's one animal study.
So, again, we simply don't know enough about adaptogens during pregnancy yet to confidently claim any positive or negative effects.
Reishi and Pregnancy
There's a longstanding anecdotal tradition, especially in Asia, of women taking reishi during pregnancy and reporting that their babies were unusually calm and settled after birth.
These babies have earned the informal name "reishi babies."
It's not a clinical finding, and there are no large trials backing it up.
But it keeps showing up in the conversations of women and practitioners who work closely with pregnancy nutrition, and patterns like that are worth noticing even before the research catches up.
None of this makes it a blanket recommendation. If you're considering any adaptogen during pregnancy, reishi is likely the one with the most reasonable case, but only in small amounts, and only in conversation with your healthcare provider.
How to Support Immune Function, Blood Sugar Balance + More During Pregnancy
Because of the lack of scientific research, adaptogens are largely off the table during pregnancy for many women. But the things they're known for, including stress resilience, steady energy, and immune support, aren't. You can get a lot of that through food:
Eat enough protein
This is the single most underestimated thing you can do during pregnancy. Protein supports fetal growth, helps stabilize blood sugar, and keeps your energy from crashing between meals. Most pregnant women need significantly more than they're getting.
Here are a few helpful protein guidelines for pregnancy.
Build balanced plates
Every meal should have protein, healthy fat, and fiber-rich carbohydrates together. This combination is what keeps your blood sugar steady, which affects your energy, your mood, and how well your immune system is functioning.
If you're not sure where to start, you'll find this pregnancy nutrition calculator helpful.
Don't skip seafood
Seafood is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available during pregnancy. Omega-3s support brain development, and fish is a strong source of iodine and protein. The fear around seafood is largely overblown when you know which fish to choose and how to prepare them.
Learn more about seafood and shellfish safety during pregnancy + how to eat it.
Drink bone broth
Bone broth is one of the easiest ways to get collagen, minerals, and glycine into your diet without a big meal. It supports gut health, joint comfort, and immune function. My article on the benefits of drinking bone broth goes deeper into why it's worth adding to your routine!
Pay attention to iron
Low iron is one of the most common and most overlooked causes of fatigue during pregnancy, and it quietly affects your energy, your mood, and even your baby's development. If you're running on empty no matter what you do, this might be worth looking into.
Adaptogens for Postpartum
Once your hormones have settled back toward baseline after birth, adaptogens can become a very useful tool to restore normal physiological functioning.
A few that work particularly well in this context:
Ashwagandha supports the nervous system and helps reduce anxiety and improve sleep.
Rhodiola (low dose) builds mental stamina and stress resilience.
Holy basil (tulsi) is calming and grounding, and it has the added benefit of helping stabilize blood sugar.
Reishi (low dose) gently supports immune function and nervous system calm.
But keep in mind that more is not better here. Adaptogens work best when they're used strategically, which means short-term and at appropriate doses.
This is where working with a practitioner who understands both your hormonal picture and your nutritional needs makes a tangible difference.
FAQs
What adaptogens are safe during pregnancy?
The straightforward answer is that none have been proven safe during pregnancy through the kind of rigorous, large-scale human research we'd need to make that claim with confidence. Some, like reishi, have more promising early research than others, but even those haven't cleared the bar yet.
Until that research catches up, the safest approach is to hold off on adaptogens during pregnancy and focus on supporting your body through nutrition instead.
Is lion's mane safe when pregnant?
There's no robust research specifically on lion's mane and pregnancy, so there's no way to guarantee its safety at this point. As a daily supplement during pregnancy, it's best to skip it until we know more.
Is ashwagandha safe when pregnant?
Most practitioners and health authorities recommend avoiding ashwagandha during pregnancy. It's one of the better postpartum adaptogens once hormones have stabilized, but during pregnancy, it's usually better to set it aside.
Is mushroom coffee ok to drink when pregnant?
This depends on both the caffeine content and which mushrooms are in it. Most mushroom coffees still contain caffeine, and the general recommendation during pregnancy is to keep caffeine intake under 200mg per day.
Beyond that, many mushroom coffees include medicinal mushrooms like reishi, lion's mane, or chaga in concentrated extract form. There's unfortunately a lack of safety data on mushroom adaptogens during pregnancy, so we can't say for sure whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks.
If you enjoy mushroom coffee, check the caffeine content and ingredient list, and run it by your provider. A cup here and there may be okay, depending on your coffee brand.
Get Support with Pregnancy & Postpartum Nutrition
Figuring out what to take (and what to skip!) during pregnancy and postpartum is a lot to navigate on your own.
As a certified prenatal nutritionist, I help women build a clear, personalized plan for both seasons of life, so you're not guessing or relying on generic advice.
Learn more about my pregnancy and postpartum nutrition services!
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