Clinical study of remimazolam combined with ultrasound-guided superior laryngeal nerve block in elderly patients with coronary heart disease undergoing bronchoscopy.

Dietary supplement use is common among athletes across different sports and performance levels, with studies indicating that approximately 40–90% of athletes report using dietary supplements [,,]. The primary reasons for supplement use among athletes are to enhance muscle recovery and promote adaptation to training loads [], which may consequently improve exercise performance. In addition to the most commonly used supplements, such as creatine, protein isolates, and caffeine [], interest in plant-derived supplements has also increased. Data from McDaid and colleagues [] indicate that a high proportion of athletes report using supplements regularly. Interestingly, this also includes herbal supplements, and about 16% of athletes reported using plant-derived products []. On the one hand, this is not a very high proportion, particularly considering that most adaptogens are classified in Group C according to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) supplement classification system (, accessed on 4 July 2026). However, considering the growing interest in natural supplements, this trend is worth further attention. Intense physical exercise and increasing training loads may induce considerable physiological stress, including exercise-induced muscle damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, and transient reductions in exercise performance []. Although these responses are considered a natural component of the training process, inadequate recovery may impair subsequent exercise performance and increase the risk of injury, overreaching or overtraining [,,]. Therefore, effective recovery strategies are considered essential for restoring physiological and psychological function and supporting an athlete’s readiness for subsequent training sessions. Exercise recovery is a multifaceted process involving the restoration of physiological and psychological homeostasis, the resolution of fatigue, muscle repair and regeneration, and the normalization of inflammatory and oxidative stress responses [,]. Because effective recovery may facilitate subsequent exercise performance and support long-term training adaptations, nutritional and supplementation interventions are receiving increasing attention as potential strategies to support post-exercise recovery []. Among these, adaptogens have attracted particular interest due to their reported anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, stress-modulating, and anti-fatigue properties []. Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that most studies have been conducted either in young, healthy individuals or in patients with diagnosed medical conditions [,,]. Although several recent reviews have discussed the effects of individual adaptogens on exercise performance or broader aspects of sports nutrition, the available evidence remains heterogeneous and fragmented. Moreover, important issues related to exercise recovery and to practical, safety, and regulatory considerations have received comparatively less attention. Considering the above, this narrative review focuses specifically on studies conducted in trained athletes. Therefore, the aim of this narrative review is to summarize the current scientific evidence regarding the use of selected adaptogens in sport and to evaluate their potential role in exercise recovery, training adaptation and exercise performance. Furthermore, this review aims to translate the available evidence into practical considerations for athletes and sports practitioners.