Hormesis is a biological response to moderate stress that improves the body’s ability to handle more severe challenges. It’s characterized by a two-phased dose-response relationship, where low doses have a beneficial effect, and high doses are toxic or inhibitory.
Any process in a cell or organism that exhibits a biphasic response to exposure to increasing amounts of a substance or condition. Within the hormetic zone, there is generally a favorable biological response to low exposures to toxins and other stressors.