Meghan Markle reveals she turned to ‘super woo-woo' ancient Indian doctor while pregnant with Archie & Lilibet

The Sun

06-05-2025

MEGHAN Markle revealed she used an ancient Indian medicine doctor and used mushrooms to help cope with pregnancy.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, invited businesswoman Hannah Mendoza in episode five of her Confessions of a Female Founder podcast.
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The instant latte brand, Clevr Blends, co-founder, who is originally from Buckinghamshire in the UK, is the daughter advertising giant Marc Mendoza.
She kickstarted her creation in 2017 with pal Roger Coppol after starting with a pop-up coffee shop.
Meghan prided herself in the podcast episode for being her very first investor in 2020.
The pair discussed the healing benefits of foods and how Hannah used adaptogenic properties to create groundbreaking new coffee products.
But the Duchess admitted mushrooms often had other "connotations" and could be seen as "a little psychedelic and woo-woo".
Meanwhile, Prince Harry openly admitted in his memoir Spare and on his Netflix series to taking cannabis, coke and magic mushrooms before moving to California in 2020.
It sparked a lawsuit brought by the Heritage Foundation against the US Department of Homeland Security.
They had been seeking to disclose Harry's immigration papers to reveal whether he lied about past drug-taking.
On the podcast, Meghan told her guest: "I think a lot of people when they hear mushrooms, they go 'OK, she's talking about being hippie-dippy, grounded in all these things'.
"If you aren't familiar with adaptogens, you can go to this place of 'Oh, it's feeling a little psychedelic and super woo-woo'."
Adaptogens are active ingredients found in some plants and mushrooms.
They may help reduce the effects of stress on your body.
They're not the same as hallucinogenic or 'magic' mushrooms and do not act on the mind or perception.
The Duchess told how she went to an Ayurvedic practitioner during both her pregnancies.
"So there are these items and ingredients that have been part of our natural ecosystem and dietary system for a long time, whether acknowledged or not, that somehow you say mushrooms, and now people have a connotation attached to it," she said.
"But it's really just a food trend that I believe you were far ahead of in terms of saying, 'Hold on, these have properties that can in some way make you feel differently in a really safe way'.
"During my pregnancies, I had an Ayurvedic doctor and so much of it was about seeing food as medicine."
This comes after Harry also revealed in his memoir how they listened to Sanskrit songs in the delivery room when Archie was born.
The couple also told their newborn they loved him immediately after their Ayurvedic doctor told them babies absorb everything said to them in the first minute of their life.
Ayurveda, means the "knowledge of life" in Sanskrit.
It is a holistic approach to balancing the body, typically using natural herbs and massage.
During the podcast Meg also took the opportunity to boast about her own brand As Ever.
"Business doesn't work unless people believe you, so much of entrepreneurship is convincing people your vision is worth their time and money," she said.
"When I think about big milestones for my own business, As Ever, Netflix coming on as my business partner, huge, just having a global powerhouse that believed in me.
"And the site selling out in the first 45 mins of launch - every single piece.
"That told me people believed in me - that becomes your proof point that the late nights and midnight musings are worth it."
This comes as Harry is set to miss his son Archie's sixth birthday as he heads back to Las Vegas without Meghan.
The Duke of Sussex will head to the Nevada city to launch a new initiative in collaboration with The Diana Award today, the same day as Archie's celebration.
His scheme, Pledge To Invest, is designed as an "opportunity for forward-thinking businesses to make a strategic, measurable and high-impact investment in the future of youth leadership."
Harry will also meet two young recipients of The Legacy Award on his trip to Las Vegas, while Archie enjoys his birthday at home with Meghan in Montecito.
The award, set up in memory of his late mother, honours exceptional social action and humanitarian work.
This won't be the first time Harry has missed Archie's birthday, after the royal skipped the celebrations two years ago due to his attendance at the coronation of his dad, King Charles.
For this year's celebration, Harry will instead be in Las Vegas to launch his youth leadership drive.
What are adaptogenic mushrooms?
Adaptogenic mushrooms are mushrooms that may help reduce the effects of stress on your body. Some people use them as herbal health products.
They're not the same as hallucinogenic or 'magic' mushrooms and do not act on the mind or perception.
In general, an adaptogen is a substance that works to reduce the negative effects of stress on the body.
Adaptogens increase the body's resistance to physical, biological, and chemical stress, help promote normal functioning during times of stress, and protect against stress-related damage.
The body's stress response is complex and involves multiple bodily systems, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA axis). This is the body's main stress response system.
The primary function of the HPA axis is to release glucocorticoids, including cortisol. Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that activate the stress response.
Adaptogens primarily work by influencing the HPA axis and other key mediators of the stress response. By doing so, they enhance resistance to stress and promote recovery and homeostasis — or stability — in the body.
Researchers have discovered that certain plants and fungi, including some mushrooms, have adaptogenic properties.
Source; healthline
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