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Chronic cortisol
ADAPT STRESS & ANXIETYPENDING CLINICAL VALIDATION

Chronic cortisol

Five ingredients for when a blood test finds your morning cortisol running high: ashwagandha, phosphatidylserine and rhodiola, which carry no EU claim, with magnesium and vitamin B5, which do. It runs in 8-week cycles with a break in between, and each cycle ends with a new test. It is not a sedative, and it is not a treatment for stress or anxiety.

WHENMorning
WITH FOODPreferably. With breakfast
DOSE VOLUME2.2 ml, in eleven 0.2 ml pulses
INGREDIENTS5 active, 0 fillers
CARTRIDGE45 ml · up to 20 mornings
SLOT1 of the 6 in your device
See if it is in your plan Back to the library

WHAT IS IN IT

Five actives. Nothing else.

These are the reference doses of the formula. Your device pours them in steps of 0.2 ml, so what you actually take on a given morning can sit below the reference when your data does not call for the full dose.

INGREDIENTFORMPER DOSE% NRVWHAT IT IS THERE FOR
AshwagandhaRoot extract, KSM-66 (5% withanolides) or Sensoril600 mg—Included on 8-week trials at 300–600 mg, not on an authorised claim. This is the top of that range
PhosphatidylserineSoy-derived, PS ≥20%400 mg—A phospholipid of nerve cell membranes. EFSA rejected its claims on cognition and stress
RhodiolaRhodiola rosea, 3% rosavins + 1% salidroside300 mg—Included on published trials of standardised extract, not on an authorised claim
MagnesiumBisglycinate150 mg40%Normal functioning of the nervous system. The claim this formula is filed under
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)Calcium D-pantothenate6 mg100%Normal synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones, vitamin D and some neurotransmitters
Total volume2.2 mlEleven pulses of 0.2 ml, the smallest step the device can serve
AshwagandhaRoot extract, KSM-66 (5% withanolides) or Sensoril600 mg—

Included on 8-week trials at 300–600 mg, not on an authorised claim. This is the top of that range

PhosphatidylserineSoy-derived, PS ≥20%400 mg—

A phospholipid of nerve cell membranes. EFSA rejected its claims on cognition and stress

RhodiolaRhodiola rosea, 3% rosavins + 1% salidroside300 mg—

Included on published trials of standardised extract, not on an authorised claim

MagnesiumBisglycinate150 mg40% NRV

Normal functioning of the nervous system. The claim this formula is filed under

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)Calcium D-pantothenate6 mg100% NRV

Normal synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones, vitamin D and some neurotransmitters

Total volume 2.2 ml 

Eleven pulses of 0.2 ml, the smallest step the device can serve

No proprietary blends, no "complex" hiding the amounts, no bulking agents. If an ingredient is in the bottle it is in this table, with its form and its dose.

No proprietary blends, no bulking agents. If an ingredient is in the bottle it is in this table, with its form and its dose.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT

Two of these five have an authorised claim. Three do not.

In the EU, only a short list of health claims is authorised. Some are rejected and the rest of the register sits on hold. Magnesium and vitamin B5 are on the list. Ashwagandha, phosphatidylserine and rhodiola are not. None of the five has a claim about cortisol, and we would rather show you that than write a sentence that sounds the same for all five.

Ashwagandha

NO AUTHORISED CLAIM

WHAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO SAY

Nothing. Ashwagandha has no authorised EU claim, so we attribute no effect to it.

It is here because the standard trials on stress used 300–600 mg a day of standardised root extract for 8 weeks, and the trial this cycle is built on gave 300 mg twice a day for 60 days (Chandrasekhar 2012). This formula carries 600 mg, the top of that range and the informal safety ceiling in our library, so it leaves no room for ashwagandha from any other formula. That is a reason to include it, not a permission to promise anything. Rare cases of liver injury are documented, and France's food safety agency, ANSES, advises against it in pregnancy, breastfeeding, under 18, thyroid disorders, hyperandrogenism, liver disease, heart disease and with sedatives. Every one of those rules this formula out.

No EU claim · ANSES 2024 · NIH ODS 2023 · 8 sources on file · 2 with a PMID

Phosphatidylserine

NO AUTHORISED CLAIM

WHAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO SAY

Nothing. EFSA reviewed its claims on cognition and stress and turned them down.

It is here as a building block of nerve cell membranes, at 400 mg, the top of the 300–400 mg a day our library lists for it. That is four times what it carries in any other VION formula, and it still gives us no permission to promise anything. It is usually made from soy. If you take an anticoagulant, ask a doctor first: our notes record a possible added effect.

EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1749 · claim rejected · 2 sources on file

Rhodiola

NO AUTHORISED CLAIM

WHAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO SAY

Nothing. Rhodiola has no authorised EU claim, so we attribute no effect to it.

It is here on a systematic review of randomised trials (Hung 2011) and a placebo-controlled trial of a standardised extract (Olsson 2009). The dose is 300 mg, inside the 200–600 mg a day range in our library. Taken late in the day it can disturb sleep, which is one reason this formula stays in the morning. It can add to the effect of antidepressants on serotonin. Above 200 mg, as here, our interaction file caps caffeine at 75 mg next to it: Cognitive & focus carries 100 mg and Pre-workout 150 mg.

No EU claim · 7 sources on file · 2 with a PMID · not a claim

Magnesium

AUTHORISED CLAIM

WHAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO SAY

“Magnesium contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.”

Regulation (EU) 432/2012, on a product that is at least a source of magnesium, which means 15% of the NRV per dose. 150 mg is 40%, as bisglycinate, the form our notes prefer for stress formulas because it is gentle on the gut. It is the claim this formula is filed under. Magnesium also carries the claim on normal psychological function. The upper limit for magnesium from supplements is 250 mg a day, so 150 mg leaves no room for any other VION formula that carries it.

Reg. 432/2012 · EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1216 · NRV 375 mg · UL 250 mg · 14 sources on file

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)

AUTHORISED CLAIM

WHAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO SAY

“Pantothenic acid contributes to normal synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones, vitamin D and some neurotransmitters.”

Regulation (EU) 432/2012, for a product that is at least a source of pantothenic acid. This formula carries 6 mg, 100% of the NRV, as calcium D-pantothenate. The claim is about the normal making of steroid hormones in general. It says nothing about a high cortisol result, and we do not read more into it than it says. B5 also carries the claims on energy-yielding metabolism, tiredness and fatigue, and mental performance. EFSA has set no upper limit for it; the German BfR reference for a supplement is 18 mg. It is the same 6 mg as in Cognitive & focus and Energy & vitality.

Reg. 432/2012 · EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1218 · NRV 6 mg · no EFSA upper limit

HOW IT IS POURED

Eleven pulses. Not always eleven.

The full dose of this formula is 2.2 ml, which the device serves as eleven pulses of 0.2 ml. The markers our file tracks for it are your band's stress score and HRV, so on a morning when they say you do not need the whole thing, it pours fewer and tells you why. There is a floor to that: below five pulses, the magnesium would fall under the 15% of the NRV its claim needs. A pressed pill has one setting. This has eleven.

TONIGHT'S POUR

1234567891011
1.6 ml of 2.2 mlyour stress score came back into band

MORNING

Why then

The blood marker behind this formula is your morning cortisol, and the formula is taken in the same window. Rhodiola is kept to the morning because, taken late, it can keep you awake. Our notes on vitamin B5 also favour the morning.

WITH BREAKFAST

Why with food

Ashwagandha is easier on the stomach with a meal. Rhodiola, magnesium bisglycinate and vitamin B5 are well tolerated with or without food, so they do not decide the timing.

45 ML CARTRIDGE

How long it lasts

At the full 2.2 ml it is 20 mornings. One 8-week cycle is 56 mornings, so a full cycle at the full dose takes three cartridges. At a partial pour it lasts longer, so the app orders your refill from what you actually took.

HOW IT ENTERS YOUR PLAN

An ADAPT formula starts with a blood test. It ends with another.

ADAPT is the part of your plan that follows your bloodwork. It goes in when a result is out of range, runs for a fixed period, and comes out when a new test says so. This one also pauses on purpose.

  1. 01

    It starts with a blood result

    It is added when your morning cortisol comes back high. Our biomarker library does not hold a cut-off for morning cortisol yet, so we cannot show you the number here. Before it is assigned, your answers are checked against liver, thyroid, heart and autoimmune conditions, hyperandrogenism, pregnancy, your age and sedatives.

  2. 02

    It runs for 8 weeks

    56 days, the length of the standard ashwagandha trials behind it. Nothing about the recipe moves inside that window.

  3. 03

    The next test decides what follows

    At 8 weeks you repeat the morning cortisol test and a perceived-stress test (PSS-10), with your liver enzymes (ALT and AST) and TSH. If your cortisol is back to normal, Stress & nervous system takes over to maintain it, with half the ashwagandha.

  4. 04

    Then a 4-week pause, three cycles a year at most

    The formula stops for 4 weeks before any second cycle, and it can run up to three cycles a year, so no more than 24 weeks of ashwagandha. The break and the cap are our own clinical decisions, made with your liver in mind, not numbers set by a regulator: ANSES sets no length for the pause.

SAFETY AND INTERACTIONS

What it is counted against.

Every pair of ingredients in our library is checked against the others before a plan is built. Inside this formula, two pairs are documented. Ashwagandha with magnesium is recorded as complementary. Ashwagandha with rhodiola is recorded as a timing caution: our file says to give them in separate doses, one in the morning and one at night, and this formula puts both in the morning. That is an open point its clinical validation has to settle, and we would rather tell you than leave it out.

COUNTED ACROSS FORMULAS

Ashwagandha

Stress & nervous system carries 300 mg of ashwagandha, and Low testosterone and Daily athletic 600 mg each. The 600 mg here is already the informal safety ceiling in our library, so any of them next to this one would pass it. The engine adds up your ashwagandha across every formula you take, and tracks how long you have been taking it without a break.

COUNTED TOGETHER

Magnesium

Nine other VION formulas carry magnesium, from 100 to 200 mg. With the 150 mg here, any one of them would take you to 250 mg or more, the upper limit for supplemental magnesium, and the engine blocks any addition that reaches it.

TALK TO A DOCTOR FIRST

Not for everyone

Do not take it if you have liver disease or raised liver enzymes, a thyroid disorder (including an overactive thyroid or Graves' disease), hyperandrogenism, heart disease, an autoimmune condition (such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis or Hashimoto's thyroiditis) or advanced kidney disease; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18; if you have bipolar disorder or mania; or if you take sedatives such as benzodiazepines, psychiatric medication (especially SSRIs) or immunosuppressants, including after a transplant. Stop it at any sign of liver trouble: yellowing skin, unusual tiredness, abdominal pain. Ask a doctor first if you have a heart rhythm problem, heart block or a slow heart rate, high blood pressure, myasthenia gravis, histamine intolerance or cancer (including hormone-sensitive tumours or cancer treatment); if you have surgery planned (stop 2 weeks before); if you drink alcohol with it; or if you take other antidepressants (SNRIs, MAOIs), thyroid hormone (your TSH needs watching, and keep magnesium 4 hours away from levothyroxine), anticoagulants, diabetes or blood pressure medication, stimulants such as caffeine or synephrine, several medicines at once, drugs that can harm the liver such as paracetamol, isoniazid or methotrexate, calcium-channel blockers, diuretics, digoxin, aminoglycosides, amphotericin B or cisplatin, bisphosphonates or tetracycline antibiotics (keep them at least 2 hours apart), quinolone antibiotics (2 hours before or 4–6 hours after), iron supplements of 25 mg or more (keep them apart), long-term PPIs, or long antibiotic courses. Contains soy unless the label says otherwise. Do not exceed the daily dose, keep out of reach of young children, and do not use it in place of a varied, balanced diet. The app asks before it ever assigns this one.

WHERE THIS COMES FROM

Regulation (EU) 432/2012 on permitted health claims · Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 on nutrient reference values · EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1749 on phosphatidylserine · ANSES 2024 opinion on ashwagandha · NIH ODS 2023 fact sheet on ashwagandha · EFSA tolerable upper intake level for supplemental magnesium. Every line on this page is tied to one of the 810 sources on file, and 443 of the 9,730 possible ingredient pairs in our library are documented so far.

WHERE IT COMES FROM

You can check every line of this page.

Six sources hold up this formula: the regulation that lets us make two of the claims, the reference values we measure them against, the EFSA opinion that turned down a third, the French safety opinion behind the ashwagandha exclusions, the fact sheet behind the 8-week cycle, and the upper limit we stay under.

REGULATIONRegulation (EU) 432/2012 — list of permitted health claims made on foodsclaims for magnesium and pantothenic acid
NRVRegulation (EU) 1169/2011, Annex XIII Part A — nutrient reference valuesthe 40% and 100% above
EFSAEFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1749 — scientific opinion on phosphatidylserine (cognition, stress)claims rejected
ANSESANSES (France) 2024 — opinion on the risks of food supplements containing ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)the exclusions on this page
NIH ODSNIH Office of Dietary Supplements 2023 — Ashwagandha, Health Professional Fact Sheet8-week trials at 300–600 mg, basis of the cycle
EFSA ULEFSA 2006 — tolerable upper intake levels for vitamins and minerals: supplemental magnesium, 250 mg per daywe serve 150 mg

Reviewed by VION nutrition team · last reviewed 16 September 2026

WHAT IS NOT PROVEN YET

This formula has not completed clinical validation. Two of its five ingredients carry an authorised EU claim at the dose used, and neither claim is about cortisol. Ashwagandha and rhodiola rest on published trials alone, and phosphatidylserine on no claim at all, because EFSA turned its claims down. The 4-week pause and the three-cycle limit are our own clinical decisions, and the combination itself has not been tested by us in a trial. When it is, the result goes on this page, whatever it says.

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YOU DO NOT PICK YOUR FORMULAS

Your data does.

The questionnaire and your first weeks of data decide which six of the 29 end up in your device. This page exists so you can read what one of them is before that happens.

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Food supplement. Does not replace a varied diet or a healthy lifestyle. VION does not diagnose or treat any condition. Nothing here replaces a healthcare professional.

Food supplement. Does not replace a varied diet or a healthy lifestyle. VION does not diagnose or treat any condition.