Abstract

Herbal drugs are manufactured from the leaves, roots, seeds, bark, fruit, stems, or flowers of various plants that have medical characteristics or are assumed to have medicinal benefits. The usage of herbal supplements by athletes has skyrocketed in the last decade. Athletes and non-athletes are increasingly using herbal medicines to boost endurance and strength performance. Herbal adaptogens are used to improve attention, increase endurance in scenarios where fatigue is present, reduce the number of stress-related diseases and impairments in the body, improve physical stamina, strength, and energy levels, improve sexual dysfunction, restore cognitive performance that has been affected by stress, and maintain cortisol. The research method involved a preliminary search on Google Search, PubMed, OVID Medline, Embase, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases where keywords such as “Herbal adaptogens, Endurance, Athletes, Ashwagandha, Tulsi, Turmeric, Muscle strength” were used. In this article, we have reviewed the top 8 global market frontrunners of herbal adaptogens based on source, namely ashwagandha, astragalus, cordyceps, ginseng, holy basil, Rhodiola roseas, schisandra, and turmeric, and their effect on the improvement in the performance of athletes like increase in the muscle mass, endurance, and recovery of the athlete and their possible side effects.