The Effects of Psychobiotics and Adaptogens on the Human Stress and Anxiety Response: A Systematic Review

In recent years, growing interest has emerged in the use of psychobiotics andadaptogens for regulating stress and anxiety. However, it is essential to assess their ef-fectiveness as treatment alternatives, particularly given the limitations of conventionalapproaches, such as adverse effects of pharmacological therapies and the limited remissionrates associated with psychotherapy alone. This systematic review primarily aims to assesshow effective psychobiotics and adaptogens are in alleviating stress- and anxiety-relatedpsychophysiological symptoms. A secondary aim is to identify specific bacterial strainsand herbal compounds most consistently linked to beneficial outcomes. An extensivesearch was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using theterms ((adaptogens) OR (psychobiotics)) AND (stress), resulting in 23 selected articles. Thefindings suggest that both psychobiotics and adaptogens show promise in reducing stress-and anxiety-related symptoms.Bifidobacterium longumandLactobacillus rhamnosuswerefrequently associated with improved gut-brain axis regulation, whileWithania somniferaandRhodiola roseademonstrated physiological benefits through cortisol reduction andstress adaptation. Although results are encouraging, further research is needed to confirmlong-term efficacy and clarify the specific mechanisms and compounds responsible forthese effects.