**In this post we're making an adrenal cocktail which is a beverage rumored to help support the body's stress response & supporting overall adrenal gland health!**

Big Batch Adrenal Cocktail

This post may contain links but they are not affiliate links. I am not in any sort of affiliate program at this time. They are links to things I actually use

The first time I heard about adrenal cocktails I thought why not give it a try. Then I started to notice my energy levels increasing & just an overall increase in my wellbeing. Maybe it’s the cocktail, maybe it’s because spring feels as if it is just around the corner in the Southern prairies of Saskatchewan. Either way, on days I don’t consume this yummy beverage I sure notice a difference.

If you’ve been following any of my other posts or YouTube videos you may have noticed I’m on a bit of a health journey. I’ve been addressing gut health & noticed not much improvement.

It got me thinking, what if it’s not actually the gut that is at the root of what’s going on? One thing I haven’t talked much about is one of my other passions is medical astrology. You may have noticed that whenever I talk about plants I always share the ruling planet, this is why. One day I’ll make a post about it.

Turns out that it is my adrenal glands that are not functioning to their fullest capability. A lot of childhood illness did create some antibiotic damage to the gut as well as some other environmental factors that most of us are exposed to.

So now begins the quest to heal the adrenals & I do hope you will join me. Remember you don’t have to wait until things are bad before you decide to improve them.

Let’s talk about the adrenal glands.

We will begin by addressing some questions regarding these amazing little & extremely important parts of our endocrine system. Then finally I will share my favorite big batch recipe for adrenal cocktails with some possible substitutions & recommendations

What are the adrenal glands?

Adrenals are small triangular glands that sip on top of the kidneys

They consist of 2 main parts:

Adrenal cortex: outer region & the largest part of the adrenal gland. It is divided into 3 separate zones & each zone is responsible for producing specific hormones

Zona glomerulosa → Mineralocorticoids: Aldosterone → regulates mineral balance & blood pressure
Zona fasciculata → Glucocorticoids: Cortisol → regulates glucose metabolism
Zona reticularis → Androgens: precursors to testosterone & estrogen → produces steroid sex hormones & stimulates masculinization

Adrenal medulla: inner region & the center of the adrenal gland. It produces stress hormones epinephrine & norepinephrine/ adrenaline & noradrenaline

Image of the kidneys & the zones of the Adrenal Cortex

The adrenal cortex & adrenal medulla are surrounded by an adipose (fat) capsule which forms a protective layer around the gland

What do they do?

Their main functions are regulating metabolism, the immune system, blood pressure & the stress response

They are responsible for making vital hormones, aldosterone, cortisol, adrenaline & noradrenaline. These are the vital hormones that are essential in regulating heart rate, electrolyte balance & maintaining blood pressure

There is some contradictory information regarding if the adrenals can even get fatigued. Some say yes, some say no. I’ve heard it could be considered more of a nervous system exhaustion or HPA axis dysfunction as opposed to adrenal fatigue. All I know is I feel a lot better when I drink this as compared to when I don’t

There is something called Addison’s disease which is an autoimmune disease of adrenal insufficiency & considered to be a rare long-term endocrine disorder. It occurs when there is an inadequate production of Cortisol & Aldosterone

On the opposite end there is something called Cushing's syndrome which can occur when the body has to much cortisol

If those are something you experience, I would definitely talk to your health care professionals as this cocktail may make things worse

How do you know if your adrenals need some extra love?

The simplest answer to this question is: by following the symptoms. Instead of viewing them as “what is wrong?”, what if you shifted your perspective to “what is this symptom trying to tell me?”

There are no definitive laboratory tests for adrenal fatigue syndrome. So we need to follow the signs the body is laying out for us.

Symptoms are the body’s way of communicating with you what is going on. They aren’t something that need to be eradicated upon first discovery. They are just the signs from the body telling us the status of each system, organ & tissue.

What were you expecting your adrenals to give you a call to let you know they’re feeling a bit exhausted lately? Or is there a symptom that has been trying to get your attention?

With that being said, here is a list I found when doing my research on the Dr Lam coaching website. He focuses on adrenal fatigue & is someone worth checking out in my opinion. I have no affiliation with this person, I just enjoy the information he is putting out. He can be found at: drlamcoaching.com

75 potential symptoms of adrenal fatigue:

Unable to fall asleep despite being tired
Waking up in the middle of the night for no reason
Heart palpitations at night or when stressed
Consistently low blood pressure
Low libido and lack of sex drive
Low thyroid function, often despite thyroid medications
Feeling of hypoglycemia though laboratory values are normal
Depression, often unresolved after antidepressants
Endometriosis
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Uterine fibroids
Fibrocystic breast disease
Hair falling off for no reason
Irritable under stress
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Feeling “wired” and unable to relax
Feeling of adrenaline rushes in the body
Foggy thinking
Inability to handle stress
Waking up feeling tired in the morning even after a full night’s sleep
Feeling tired in the afternoon between 3:00 and 5:00 pm
Inability to take in simple carbohydrates
Needing coffee to get going in the morning and throughout the day
Coffee, tea or energy drinks triggering adrenaline rush and adrenal crashes
Feeling tired between 9:00 and 10:00 PM, but still finding it hard to go to bed
Craving for fatty food and food high in protein
Craving for salty food such as potato chips
Dry skin more than usual
Unexplained hair loss that is diffuse
Exercise helps first, but then makes fatigue worse
Chemical sensitivities to paint, fingernail polish, plastics
Electromagnetic force sensitivity, including cell phone and computer monitors
Delayed food sensitivities, especially to dairy and gluten
Unable to get pregnant, requiring IVF
Postpartum fatigue and depression
Recurrent miscarriages during first trimester
Abdominal fat accumulation for no apparent reason
Temperature intolerance, especially to heat or sunlight
Dysmenorrhea advancing to amenorrhea
Premature Menopause
Constipation for no apparent reason
Joint pain of unknown origin
Muscle mass loss
Muscle pain of unknown reason
Cold hands and feet
Premature aging skin
Inability to concentrate or focus
Psoriasis of no known reason
Gastritis despite normal gastroscopy
Low back pain with no history of trauma and normal examination
Dizziness for no known cause
Fructose mal-absorption
Chronic Tinnitus (ringing in the ear)
Numbness and tingling in extremities bilaterally
Recurrent mouth sores
Shortness of breath even though breathing is fine
Presence of ovarian cyst
Breast cancer associated with estrogen dominance
Grave’s disease
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Legs that feel heavy at times
Dark circles under eyes that do not go away with rest
Loss of healthy facial skin tone color
Body feeling tense all over and unable to relax
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, with more constipation than diarrhea
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome unimproved with medicine
Fibromyalgia unresolved after conventional help
Systemic Candida that gets worse when under stress
Electrolyte imbalance despite normal laboratory values
Irregular menstrual cycle that “stops and goes”
Lyme Disease but unable to fully recover after medication or intolerance to drugs
H. Pylori infection in the past and was told resolved but never feel the same since
Heavy metal and mineral toxicity may mimic Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome

I was sure surprised to find that I have many of these symptoms, too many if we’re being honest to not take note of. Now, I’m not saying that if you have some of these symptoms that you must have adrenal fatigue but symptoms of something sure are present

So, what can we do about it? How can we improve upon all of these symptoms?

Big Batch Adrenal Cocktail

Before I share the recipe let’s first talk about the ingredients going into this cocktail.

Our first ingredient is Coconut water.

It is a source of potassium, sodium, magnesium & phosphorus.

Other sources of potassium are oranges, bananas, aloe vera juice, tomato juice, milk & prune juice. Any of these sources could be switched out & used for the coconut water portion of this recipe, but I’m not sure how good this would taste with tomato juice. However as always feel free to get as creative as you want, this is your medicine after all.

We will next need a source of Vitamin C

Vitamin C deficiency is the most prevalent deficiency we see in adrenal fatigue because vitamin C is a cofactor required to make Cortisol. Not only that but the adrenal glands contain one of the body’s highest concentrations of Vitamin C.

It works as an immune booster & can help the body fight off infections & inflammations as well as helping to combat oxidative stress, which can trigger &/or aggravate adrenal fatigue.

Lastly, Vitamin C helps in the formation of collagen helping to keep the vascular system healthy preventing heart disease

Other sources of Vitamin C are orange, pineapple, mango, guava, strawberry, kiwi, lemon & lime. Always be sure when sourcing your Vitamin C that you're using juice that is whole fruit, with no added sugar

A quick note on organic: In an ideal world we would use all organic ingredients, but they aren’t always as attainable as we would like them to be.

The rule I like to live by is get organic when you can & just bless the rest. This means we aren’t going to get discouraged if all we can find (or afford with the current price of groceries) is non organic ingredients.

Sodium is the next ingredient we are going to need.

I used Celtic gray Sea Salt but use whatever sea salt or Himalayan salt you have.

Sodium has gotten a reputation as something that needs to be avoided, but sodium is actually required by every single cell in the human body to function properly. This is why it is important to source high quality salt.

One interesting thing about sodium has to do with one of the hormones I mentioned in the beginning of this post, Aldosterone. That is the hormone that controls our ability to even hold onto sodium in the first place. The stronger the adrenal gland, the stronger the Aldosterone levels, the better the body is able to hold onto salt.

Our final ingredient is another potassium source, Cream of Tartar

The common name of Cream of Tartar is: Potassium Bitartrate

I know that we already have a source of potassium with coconut water, but Potassium plays a very interesting role in the body. If you’re worried about getting too much potassium, as high levels can lead to something called Hyperkalemia which can lead to weakness or paralysis of the muscles in the feet, legs & respiratory system, you could skip one of the potassium sources in this recipe.

Potassium acts as a counterpart to Sodium, helping to maintain electrolyte levels. Electrolytes help to balance fluid levels in the body. It can help counteract the negative effects of sodium in the body

The role Potassium plays in the body is very important as it is what helps transmit nerve signals that the muscles need in order to contract.

Low levels of Potassium in the body can raise blood pressure, increase the risk of kidney stones & pull calcium from your bones

Remember, always talk to your health care professionals before following any of my advice.

Now, you could certainly make this one cup at a time by adding ⅛ tsp of sea salt & cream of tartar to 4 oz of juice every day. I find it way more convenient to mix up a half gallon every week or so, add my additional collagen & call it a day.

Equipment:

1 64 oz/1/2 gallon mason jar with a tight fitting lid

1 tsp measuring spoon

Ingredients:

32 oz juice

32 oz coconut water

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cream of tartar

Collagen

Method:

Add 32 oz of coconut water to a 64 oz mason jar
Add 1 tsp of sea salt & 1 tsp cream of tartar
Add 32 oz of juice
Shake until combined
Store in the fridge
Shake before use
Pour into a glass & add a serving of collagen, as per the manufacturer's recommended dosage size

Dosage:

1- 2 cups once to twice a day

Substitutions & recommendations:

Change out the sea salt for another source of sodium, such as Pink Himalayan Salt or Redmond Real Salt. Do not use table salt.
Change out the pineapple juice for another source of Vitamin C
Change the coconut water for clean aloe juice. Make sure you are using one that has no added sugar or flavoring
Add 2 oz of coconut cream or heavy cream to each glass

Contraindications & Precautions to Consider:

The high levels of potassium in this drink may be harmful to those on dialysis or are diagnosed with kidney failure or chronic kidney disease.
Diabetics should be cautious due to the sugar content
The salt content may raise blood pressure

Comment down below & let me know what remedy do you like to reach for when you’re feeling a deep level of fatigue, that isn’t just reaching for that cup of coffee or energy drink?