Adaptogens have been around for centuries—they were used by ancient Chinese warriors to control their response to stress and were studied by Russian scientists during the Cold War. Now they’ve been adopted by both tech executives powering through long hours at work and fitness enthusiasts seeking an edge.

As a renowned Silicon Valley investor and the founder of Bulletproof Coffee—as well as a gym regular—Dave Asprey fits pretty much every category of the modern adaptogen user. In the following slides, he gives us a primer on five of his favorites.