Supplement Articles – by Nick Hoad
The Magic of Mushrooms
In the ever evolving supplement world, you’ll either see ingredients that come through and disappear, or you’ll have some that become staples in your favourite supplements. One ingredient that falls into the latter is mushrooms. Mushrooms have been used for centuries, traditionally as medicine. In today’s world, you can find them in all sorts of supplements. From endurance, to focus, or even just plain health, let’s see what magic mushrooms can do. Cordyceps: The Creatine Counterpart A popular inclusion in pre-workouts, cordyceps have been shown to increase ATP production, like our good friend creatine. It also assists with how your body utilises oxygen. This makes it a great ingredient for endurance athletes that want that boost to go further. Taking cordyceps and creatine can make you feel like you can train forever, with the ATP increase as well as the increased oxygen utilisation. Lion’s Mane: Entry Level Ashwagandha? Lion’s mane is usually marketed as a nootropic or as a cortisol control. Containing compounds that support the growth and maintenance of nerve cells, Lion’s mane improves focus, memory and reduces stress. Much like ashwagandha, it lowers cortisol and reduces the subjective stress that you may experience. However, much like ashwagandha, lion’s mane is a saturation supplement. You can only reap the rewards when you take it consistently. Expecting results straight out the gate from a one time dose can lead to disappointment. Reishi: Calm And Collected Reishi is commonly used for its calming effects and immune support. Helping your body adapt to stress and anxiety, and even improving sleep quality. On top of that, it also helps with immune function, inflammation and may help with reducing blood sugar. Reishi is also rich in antioxidants that may support cardiovascular health by helping circulation. The anti-inflammatory properties of Reishi can reduce the risk of inflammation conditions, like arthritis. Turkey Tail: Gut Gold Turkey Tail is a go to for helping with digestion. With compounds that are similar to probiotics, it helps grow good bacteria in your gut, helping your digestive system work more effectively. It’s also been shown to boost your immune system, making it easy for your body to fight off infection, and even some types of cancer. In addition, Turkey Tail is packed full of antioxidants to help reduce inflammation. The combination of gut help, immune boosting and anti-inflammatory, makes Turkey Tail great for supporting long-term health and recovery. Shiitake: Heartbeat Hero Shiitake contains beneficial compounds that support heart health, the immune system and even help regulate cholesterol. A few studies suggest that Shiitake may be able to lower LDL cholesterol, or the “bad” cholesterol, as well as improve circulation. This can have an effect on overall cardiovascular health, immune function and general wellbeing. Are Mushroom Supplements Worth It? There’s a reason that mushrooms have been used as medicine for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Mushrooms offer undeniable benefits to your endurance, immune system, heart, and even helping fight cancer, they’ve earned their place as a staple in the supplement world. Whether it’s enhancing your focus, increasing your endurance, lower stress, or just increasing overall health, there’s a mushroom that can work its magic.
