Did you know that 99% of supplements, beauty and herbal medicine on our Australian shelves are imported?
I know right, how shocking?! We couldn’t believe it either after having interviewed Casey, the founder and herbalist of Adaptual®- an Australian grown, organic and local herbal supplement company that we recently began stocking in both Avalon and Manly last year.
If you’re after quality, sustainability and a company that values true herbal medicine integrity, then look no further than Adaptual. We decided to interview Casey for a deep dive behind the scenes of why Adaptual was started, her personal health story with herbal medicine, and what makes them so different to other herbal medicine products out there.
(Psst… before we dive in, check out this reel that we shared on social media a few weeks ago, where our clinical nutritionists, Kathy, was featured sharing her number one daily supplement essential being: Adaptual Health’s Lion Mane + Turmeric tincture. Tap here to watch it on the socials)!
Q: What inspired the creation of Adaptual Health?
“Adaptual and herbalism is my life’s passion. When I was a child I was very into herbs, natural health and vegetarianism, and I learnt from someone I looked up to greatly and that passion continues to grow.
There are 2 main reasons Adaptual exists; reason one is to ensure that Australian agriculture has a chance to shine and develop as an industry and that the potency of local, vibrant herbs is available to the community. 99% of supplements, beauty and herbal medicine on our Australian shelves are imported. Australian law requires imported goods to be subject to fumigation and with treated biosecurity chemicals regardless of the organic status which upon learning did not sit right with me, especially when spending lots of money on cert organic supplements only for them to be of low vibrancy and subjected to undisclosed processes.
Reason two is a very personal quest which started with my skin and hair. At 16 I was unfortunately subjected to an abusive dance teacher which led to severe anorexia and from that my health deteriorated. I lost the majority of my hair, had hormone imbalances, acne and years of recovery ahead. Using herbs and proper nutrition I was able to fully heal and develop my professional ‘It's all connected protocol’, which is a holistic and balanced approach to health and healing taking into account all body systems, nutrition, nervous system health and mental health. Having an unexpected and tumultuous time with my own health strengthened my attachment to ensuring others have support when going through tough and transformative times in life.
As a herbalist, I am also incredibly passionate about contributing to the science behind plant medicine. Adaptual will be beginning a program this year to discover and research compounds within the cells that provide therapeutic value. Building a compound library to improve scientific knowledge and recognition for natural therapies is a goal behind the brand we are working toward achieving.”
Q: What sort of extraction methods do you use to make your tinctures effective?
“We use freshly harvested Australian grown herbs for our tinctures. Liquid extraction is my favorite (and most efficacious) way to take herbs because of the potency and rapid absorption. Every harvest a sample is sent away to Southern Cross University to be genetically matched to the species grown for ultimate transparency and to guarantee authenticity. Our extraction method is full spectrum and begins in a GMP certified facility where we follow a traditional ethanolic and water extraction method. The herbs, roots or mushrooms are macerated before undergoing cold percolation for 5-9 days, depending. After extracting the vibrant healing liquid is osmosis filtered and tested for micro safety before being bottled and boxed ready for home or shelf.
Vibrancy and energetics is also incredibly important to herbalism and healing, imported and dried herbs do not have the same potency.”
Q: We love how local you are! We can see from your website you are 100% Australian grown? Tell us more about your ethos with growing & sustainability within herbal medicine.
“All of our products are 100% Australian grown, this includes our herbs for tinctures right down to all of the oils, aloe and essential oils in our hair treatments.
Adaptual exists to champion Australian grown herbal medicine and sticking to that promise is our main focus. We use organic farming techniques which means that the impact on the environment is significantly less than conventional.”
Q: What are the biggest benefits you notice when people take adaptogens?
“A Calmer and more malleable nervous system response, improved immunity, ability to cope better with life's stressors, thicker hair (regular adaptogen integration has been a game changer for my hair thickness)- the list could go on forever, I think everybody should have a daily adaptogen and herbal routine.”
Casey’s vision and journey with Adaptual is powerful and their medicine reflect it.
We currently stock their full range of herbal tinctures including:
🌱Adaptogens
🌱 Functional mushrooms
🌱 Targeted remedy blends for: stress support, liver & digestion, skin support and urinary support
🌱Herbal haircare products (a 2 step hair growth treatment serum)
It’s not often that you find an Australian grown, crafted, and full extraction of herbal medicine, with next level formulations like these.