Adaptiv: From survival to thriving

Two years ago I did something my accountant wasn’t thrilled about: I ordered a product from the US, paid ridiculous shipping costs, waited weeks, and when they finally arrived? I celebrated like I’d won the lottery.

Those capsules? Adaptiv Capsules.

And why did I do this? Because my brain… works differently.

Call it neuro-spicy. Call it high-sensitivity with a system. Because that’s what it is. I don’t have chaos in my head — quite the opposite. I have lists. Structures. Systems that work perfectly. Until someone from the outside shakes them up.

Then everything falls apart.

The supermarket on a Saturday? DEFCON 1. An unexpected phone call? Code red. Plans that change last-minute without preparation time? Buffering… buffering… my brain freezes like a Windows 95 computer that needs to reboot before I can do anything useful again.

Constantly feeling like you’re “too much”? Check.

And then Adaptiv came along.

Not as a magic pill that fixes everything. Not as “take this and you’re cured” nonsense.

But as that one friend who comes and stands beside you during a meltdown and says: “Hey. Breathe. I’m here. We’ve got this together.”

Those capsules didn’t give me a new personality. They gave me space. Space between the trigger and my reaction. Space to choose how I respond. Space to simply exist without my nervous system thinking we need to be in survival mode constantly.

And now — FINALLY — Adaptiv is coming to Europe.

With a formula that isn’t the same as the US version, but even better. Yep, you read that right. The European version is an upgrade.

Why the EU version is superior

Okay, science time — but in a way that you’ll actually understand without a PhD.

The American version contains Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin®), also known as Kanna. Fine ingredient, does its job, no complaints. But European regulations said “nope” to Sceletium. And instead of choosing a half-assed alternative, doTERRA went with saffron extract.

And here’s where it gets really interesting. Because while Sceletium has only been studied in four clinical studies with a total of 117 patients, saffron extract has more than fifteen clinical trials behind its name with over a thousand participants. That’s not just a difference — that’s the difference between “we think this works” and “we damn well know this works.”

Sceletium works primarily on your serotonin system. One neurotransmitter, one mechanism. Saffron extract, on the other hand? It takes a multi-target approach. It doesn’t just modulate serotonin, but also dopamine, noradrenaline, and GABA. It’s like upgrading from a bicycle to a car — you still get where you’re going, but with so many more possibilities and comfort.

What makes it even more interesting is that the saffron extract in the European Adaptiv is standardized to three percent crocins. Those are the active compounds responsible for all the magical things saffron extract does. It’s EFSA approved, has centuries of safe consumption behind it, and is proven effective for both stress and anxiety reduction. Translation: The EU didn’t get the “budget version” — we got the upgraded premium edition.

What’s actually in that capsule? (The nerd-out section)

Okay, now it gets interesting. Because Adaptiv Capsules are not a random mix of “calming herbs” someone found on Pinterest.

This is next-level formulation. And yes, I’m going to walk you through the science, but in a way that you’ll get it (and maybe even find it fascinating).

The gut-brain axis

You already know this: 90% of your serotonin is made in your gut.

Read that again.

Your “happy hormone”? It’s not made in your brain. It’s produced in your belly.

Your gut and your brain are constantly messaging each other — like two best friends chatting all day long. What happens in your gut determines how you feel. And vice versa.

Stress? Wrecks your gut. Wrecked gut? Makes you more sensitive to stress.

Vicious cycle?

This is why Adaptiv doesn’t just work on your brain, but also on your gut microbiome. Because if you only target your brain but your gut is a mess? Then you’re trying to water a plant while the roots are dead.

The ingredients: your stress-support dream team

Let’s go through the lineup:

1. Ahiflower Oil — The Omega overachiever

This plant-based omega is not your basic fish oil. Ahiflower oil delivers a rare combination of omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids in a form your body can actually use well. What makes it unique is its bioavailability — how well your body can absorb and utilize it.

The two primary fatty acids in it are stearidonic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. You don’t need to memorize those names, but what you do need to know is what they do. At a clinically researched dosage, Ahiflower has been shown to support a healthy inflammatory response and promote a calm mood, emotional balance, and stress resilience when used daily.

A randomized clinical trial looked specifically at the effects on fatty acid levels in people. This study found something remarkable: Ahiflower meaningfully increases EPA levels — and that matters. EPA is found both in your blood plasma and inside your cells. This fatty acid plays a crucial role in maintaining cell membrane health and facilitating communication between brain cells. It can also influence the function of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which are essential for mood regulation.

The stearidonic acid in Ahiflower effectively converts to EPA. And here’s where it gets interesting: research shows that Ahiflower increases EPA levels more effectively than consuming flaxseed. That’s not a small difference — that’s performing significantly better in how it actually helps your body.

But it doesn’t stop at your brain. A preclinical model found that Ahiflower intake supported the balance of the gut microbiome. When we think back to that crucial gut-brain connection, between microbiome and stress resilience, the picture starts to become complete. Ahiflower may support a healthy gut microbiome and thereby, indirectly, your emotional and stress resilience as well.

This is why Ahiflower is a fundamental component of the stress support strategy in Adaptiv. It helps your body stay in balance, even when modern challenges come at you. It supports both brain function and emotional resilience — not through one simple path, but by nourishing multiple systems simultaneously.

2. GABA — Your Brain’s Brake Pedal

GABA stands for gamma-aminobutyric acid, and it’s one of the most important calming neurotransmitters in your brain. You can think of it as your brain’s brake pedal. When stress, stimulation, or emotional overload starts ramping things up and your system goes into overdrive, GABA steps in to slow things down. It helps quiet mental chatter, ease tension, and support emotional balance.

Now, it’s interesting that your body produces GABA on its own, but you can also supplement it. Adaptiv Capsules contain one hundred milligrams of GABA, and that’s not just an arbitrary number. This dosage can promote a sense of calm without that annoying drowsiness you sometimes get from calming agents. It encourages more stable emotional responses to stress, helps ease occasional feelings of nervousness or mental tension, and can even contribute to better rest and sleep quality.

A randomized clinical trial reported specifically on this dosage. The research showed that taking one hundred milligrams of GABA in supplement form helped ease self-reported stress induced by a difficult, demanding mental task. But they went beyond just asking people how they felt. They also monitored brain activity during the study.

What did they find? Those in the GABA group experienced reduced alpha and beta band brain activity. That sounds technical, but it simply means they were in a more relaxed state. Their brains literally showed they were calmer — not just in how they felt, but in measurable electrical activity.

The end result is that GABA promotes feelings of calm, relaxation, and mental clarity. And all without turning you into a zombie or losing your focus. You’re just… calmer. More centered. Less “EVERYTHING IS TOO MUCH.”

3. Saffron Extract — The European Upgrade

Ah yes, our star of the show. The ingredient that makes the EU version not just different, but better.

Saffron extract is not just an herb you stir through your risotto. It’s one of the most researched botanical agents for mood support, and the science behind it is impressive. The extract in Adaptiv is standardized to three percent crocins — those are the active compounds responsible for all the therapeutic effects.

What makes saffron extract so special is the way it works. Where many supplements target a single system in your body, saffron extract takes a broader approach. It doesn’t just modulate serotonin, but also dopamine and norepinephrine — three crucial neurotransmitters that together determine how you feel, how you respond to stress, and how stable your emotions are.

But it doesn’t stop at your brain. Saffron extract also has a direct impact on your gut-brain axis. It helps maintain a healthy inflammatory response in your gut and shifts your gut microbiome toward a healthier balance. This is exactly why it fits so well in a holistic approach to stress and emotional wellbeing — the kind of approach I always advocate in GOOD. Because you can’t support your brain and ignore your gut. Everything is connected.

Clinical studies show that saffron extract reduces stress and nervousness by slowing down the rate at which your cortisol levels rise. That means your body gets more time before it shoots into that fight-or-flight mode. And for someone like me, whose system quickly thinks “ALARM! EVERYTHING IS A THREAT!”, that extra buffer is worth its weight in gold.

4. Lavender Essential Oil — The Multi-Tool wonder ingredient

Lavender is called the “Swiss Army knife of essential oils” for a reason. It’s one of the most researched essential oils in the world, with dozens of studies looking at its effects on stress, anxiety, and sleep. Adaptiv Capsules contain eighty milligrams of lavender essential oil — about two drops — which is the clinically researched dosage.

The magic of lavender lies in two primary compounds: linalool and linalyl acetate. Linalool is the star that’s getting more and more recognition for its versatile activity on the central nervous system. It reduces nervousness, elevates mood, and promotes restful sleep. And the beautiful thing is that it does this through multiple systems simultaneously — not through a single mechanism, but through a complex interplay across various physiological pathways.

Linalool modulates various neurotransmitters, interacts with serotonin receptors, and influences pathways that use norepinephrine to regulate all kinds of physiological and behavioral functions. It also works within the hypothalamic-pituitary axis — that’s the system that controls our stress response. And as if that weren’t enough, it also acts on GABA targets in the nervous system. There’s even emerging science suggesting it may work on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and NMDA receptors, both involved in how our nervous system functions and how resilient we are against stress.

This is why I always say that essential oils are not simple “aromatherapy.” They have a multi-target, multi-mechanism action that you simply don’t get from a single synthetic ingredient. Linalool’s partner in crime, linalyl acetate, also modulates neurotransmitters like GABA and promotes a relaxation response. Together they create synergistic activity because lavender contains good levels of both compounds, plus a hundred other constituents that all play their role.

The result? An essential oil with remarkable benefits for anyone who struggles with overstimulation, stress, or a system that just won’t switch to “rest.”

5. Coriander Essential Oil — The Activating Counterpart

Now it gets really interesting. Because where lavender calms, coriander activates. And yet they work together perfectly.

Coriander essential oil typically has a higher linalool content than lavender — between eighty-three and ninety percent. But here’s the twist: it’s a different form of linalool. An enantiomer, to be precise. Enantiomers are optical isomers that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. Think of your left and right hands — they look alike, but you can’t place them on top of each other so they match perfectly.

Lavender contains between ninety-four and ninety-eight percent (−)-linalool, while coriander contains between eighty-three and ninety percent (+)-linalool. And although they have identical physical properties — like boiling point and melting point — their three-dimensional structures are significantly different in how they interact with biological systems.

What does this mean in practice? The linalool in lavender is associated with calming properties and produces a woody, lavender-like aroma. The linalool in coriander, on the other hand, is more activating. It has a greater effect on how we regulate healthy blood pressure and heart rate and is recognized for its sweet, floral, petitgrain-like aroma.

Despite these physiological differences, both oils can reduce nervousness — they just do it in different ways and modulate neurotransmitters differently as well. By combining coriander and lavender in the same formula, you get multiple mechanisms of action occurring simultaneously. It’s like having two different instruments that together create a harmony that neither could achieve alone.

This kind of synergy is exactly why I’m so passionate about how doTERRA formulates. It’s not about “let’s throw some ingredients together and see what happens.” It’s thoughtful, scientifically backed, and designed to support your body on multiple levels at once.

6. Wild Orange Essential Oil — The Microbiome booster

Wild orange essential oil consists of more than ninety percent limonene — a naturally occurring monoterpene found in many citrus oils and studied for various biological effects, particularly in the areas of mood and stress.

What we know so far from emerging research is that limonene may exert its effects through the limbic system, the neuroendocrine pathway, the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, and — you guessed it — the gut-brain axis. More research is needed, but the results so far are promising.

One preclinical study that caught my attention showed that ingestion of orange essential oil favorably adjusted the gut microbiome. Even more interesting: limonene increases what’s called alpha diversity in the gut microbiome. Alpha diversity refers to how many different species of microbes live in your gut and how evenly they’re distributed.

High alpha diversity means your gut has a good variety of microbes, and that’s generally fantastic for your overall wellbeing. It helps with digestion, supports your immune system, and has beneficial effects on your mental and emotional health. Think of it as a balanced soccer team — the more different types of players you have, the better your team can handle various challenges. If your team only had goalkeepers, it wouldn’t be a winning combination.

The same applies to your gut. You need diversity — each microbe plays its own role in experiencing the best possible health. And that’s exactly why wild orange is such a valuable addition to this formula. It supports not only your mood and stress response through your brain, but also through your gut. Again that holistic approach where everything is connected to everything.

7. Fennel Essential Oil — The Brain balancer

Fennel essential oil has a liquorice-like scent thanks to its high trans-anethole content. Preclinical research shows that when fennel is ingested, it improves resilience to stress. This is partly due to the neuroactivity of trans-anethole.

Emerging research suggests that trans-anethole influences electrical activity in the brain, which ultimately supports our emotional wellbeing and our ability to cope with stress. To understand this, we need to zoom in briefly on how brain cells work.

Imagine your brain cells as tiny, super-sensitive light bulbs. They “fire” or light up when they send signals to each other. This firing is crucial for everything you think, feel, and do. There are two important switches that regulate this activity: calcium channels and calcium-activated potassium channels.

When calcium flows into a brain cell, it tells that cell to fire. It’s the “on” switch for the neuron. After the brain cell has fired, potassium comes into action as the “dimmer” or “cool-down” switch. When potassium flows out of the cell through these channels, it calms things down and prepares that brain cell to fire again — but not too quickly or too intensely.

When your brain is overly excitable, it’s as if these light bulbs are flickering wildly or staying on for far too long. This can cause you to feel overwhelmed, nervous, or emotionally volatile. By influencing these calcium and potassium channels, trans-anethole helps balance brain cell activity and regulates how often and how long these cells fire.

In essence, trans-anethole has a calming and regulating effect on brain cell activity by fine-tuning the balance of key electrical signals. This means you stay more emotionally in control and have an increased capacity to cope with stress and reduce burnout.

For me personally, this is a game-changer. My system tends to overreact to stimuli — as if someone turned the sensitivity of those “light bulbs” way too high. Trans-anethole helps dim that sensitivity without making me lose myself. I’m still me, but with a better internal regulator.

How do you use Adaptiv Capsules?

Now that you understand how brilliantly this formula is put together — with all that synergistic activity between botanical extracts and essential oils working across multiple pathways and through multiple mechanisms — the big question of course is: how do you use it?

The answer is surprisingly simple: take one capsule daily, preferably with a meal. Then let these ingredients do their work to help you adapt better to stressful situations and give you more control over your emotional responses.

But here’s something important I always hammer home within my GOOD. method: foundations first.

This targeted supplement works much more effectively when your basic needs are already covered. And no, that’s not a sales pitch — that’s simply how your body works. You can’t expect one supplement to work miracles when your cells are screaming for basic nutrition, your gut microbiome is out of balance, or your cell membranes aren’t functioning optimally.

That’s why within GOOD., the “O” of Support is not where I start. We begin with the basics: glucose-aware living (the “G”), so your body isn’t constantly on a sugar rollercoaster. We ensure Optimal movement that suits your system. And only then do we add Support in the form of supplements that help your cells perform optimally.

When we talk about foundational support, I mean:

VMG+ for the micro- and macronutrients that modern food simply no longer delivers. Your cells need building blocks to be able to function at all. Without that foundation, you keep fighting against a system that falls short.

PB Restore to support your gut microbiome. We just extensively discussed how important your gut-brain axis is. If that fundamental balance isn’t there, Adaptiv is working against the current.

EO Mega+ to support your cell membrane fluidity, maintain a healthy inflammatory baseline, and promote your overall organ health. Cell membranes are the gatekeepers of your cells — if those aren’t functioning properly, those beautiful ingredients in Adaptiv will never reach where they need to be.

When these foundations are in place, your cells are prepared to respond better to the ingredients in Adaptiv Capsules. It’s the difference between watering a plant with healthy roots versus watering a plant whose roots are dried out. Technically you’re giving it water, but the result is completely different.

The combination with Mito2Max

A question I often get: can you combine Adaptiv with Mito2Max? And the short answer is: absolutely, and it even works synergistically.

I do it myself every day. Mito2Max contains all those cellular co-factors that help our cells produce the energy they need to function. We often think of ourselves as needing energy to carry out all our tasks — but our cells need exactly the same thing.

If our cells need to function optimally and efficiently, they need energy within the cell to do that. By using Mito2Max, you give your cells those cellular co-factors to produce that energy. The result? They function more efficiently and do their job much better.

And here’s where it gets interesting: they can even respond better to the ingredients in Adaptiv because they’re fueled and actively ready to receive the ingredients and then act on them. It’s like having an engine that’s well-oiled (Mito2Max) and then adding premium fuel (Adaptiv). Both do their job separately, but together? Next level performance.

I usually take Mito2Max with my lunch (two capsules) and Adaptiv with my breakfast. That works for me because I need that cellular energy for the afternoon and evening, while Adaptiv works throughout the day to keep my system in balance.

This isn’t unique to Adaptiv — this applies to every doTERRA supplement I use and recommend. Isolated interventions simply don’t work as well as holistic approaches. And that’s precisely the core of GOOD.: we look at the big picture. We build foundations. And then we optimize with targeted support where needed.

My Experience: from survival to thriving

As I mentioned at the beginning: I’ve been using Adaptiv Capsules for two years now. First imported from the US with all the hassle that comes with it, and now finally available in Europe with a formula that’s even better.

Have they completely transformed my life? No. I’m still neuro-spicy. I still need my systems and structures. Unexpected phone calls are still not my thing.

But what they have done is give me space. Space to pause between a trigger and my reaction. Space to choose how I respond instead of automatically shooting into survival mode. Space to simply exist without my nervous system thinking that every deviation from the plan is a threat.

They’ve taken me from “constantly in survival mode” to “mostly thriving with the occasional blip.” And that is enormous.

Combined with the other pillars of GOOD. — glucose stability, movement that suits me, my foundational supplements, work on emotional balance, and consciously manifesting the life I want — Adaptiv Capsules have become a crucial part of how I navigate through life.

And now that you in Europe finally have access to this formula too, with saffron extract that is scientifically superior, I’m genuinely excited to hear what it’s going to do for you.

The bottom line

Adaptiv Capsules are not a magic pill. They’re not going to eliminate your stress. They’re not going to make your life perfect.

But what they do is give your body the tools to cope better with stress. To be more resilient. To create that space between what happens and how you respond.

And in a world that is constantly too much — too loud, too fast, too unpredictable — that space is worth its weight in gold.

You can’t always control what stresses you. But you can choose how you support your body to deal with it. And that’s what GOOD. is all about: making conscious choices that allow your body, brain, and emotions to function optimally, so you can live the life you want to live.

Adaptiv Capsules are now available in Europe.

And I can’t wait to hear what they’re going to mean for you.

Do you have questions about the differences between the US and EU formula, or do you want to know how Adaptiv fits within your specific situation? Let me know. I’m happy to share what I’ve learned in these two years of use.
Want to learn more about how to integrate supplements like Adaptiv into a holistic approach to health and wellbeing? Check out my GOOD. method — where we look at glucose, optimal movement, support, emotional balance, and manifestation as one whole. Because everything is connected. Always.