Cordyceps For Energy Enhancement
Cordyceps, a Tibetan mushroom found on the plateau of Tibet and China (12,000 feet up!).
Chinese medicine claims cordyceps are great for lung protection and balancing Qi as they assist in speeding up the transfer of oxygen from red blood cells to mitochondria.
What does this mean?
Slower onset of fatigue, an increase in oxygen uptake and an overall increase in endurance-based exercises (runners love cordyceps!).
Sherpas from Tibet make tea with Cordyceps as an aid when climbing Everest (claiming that by doing so they don't need supplemental oxygen).
Unlike many uncoventional supplements that make wild claims without any proof to back it up, Cordyceps actually has studies to back it up.
Studies On Cordyceps For Energy/Endurance
"We evaluated the testosterone/cortisol ratio in athletes at risk of overtraining, just before and just after the races in both the placebo phase and after 3 months of fungal supplementation (Figure 3(c)). After 3 months of fungal supplementation, the ratio values of the two athletes increased both before race (1.24 versus 0.66, values multiplied by 100) and after race (ratio 1.13 versus 0.2, values multiplied by 100).
In the placebo condition, the testosterone/cortisol ratio decreased by an average of −69.3%, suggesting that the athlete was at risk of overtraining [20], while after fungal supplementation it decreased by an average of −8.7%, so the athlete was no longer at risk of overtraining.
Four out of the 5 athletes who were shown to be at risk of overtraining in the placebo condition overcame these symptoms after fungal supplementation, whereas the testosterone/cortisol ratio in the remaining athlete in this group did not improve. After fungal supplementation, all athletes displayed an increase in the T/C ratio after race compared to before race."
"To date, minimal research evaluating the use of cordyceps militaris on human performance exists, especially for an acute time-period. Results of the current study demonstrate that one week of supplementation with a cordyceps militaris containing mushroom blend at 4 g·d−1 did not significantly improve performance compared to a placebo. However, an exploratory three week supplementation period resulted in significant improvements in maximal oxygen consumption, with potential improvements in ventilatory threshold and time to exhaustion, suggesting the potential for greater benefits with chronic supplementation."
"After receiving Cs-4 for 12 weeks, the metabolic threshold (above which lactate accumulates) increased by 10.5% from 0.83 ± 0.06 to 0.93 ± 0.08 L/min (p < 0.02) and the ventilatory threshold (above which unbuffered H+ stimulates ventilation) increased by 8.5% from 1.25 ± 0.11 to 1.36 ± 0.15 L/min. Significant changes in metabolic or ventilatory threshold were not seen for the subjects in the placebo group after 12 weeks, and there were no changes in V̇o2 max in either group.
This pilot study suggests that supplementation with Cs-4 (Cordyceps sinensis) improves exercise performance and might contribute to wellness in healthy older subjects."
Cordyceps Sinensis Promotes Exercise Endurance Capacity
"Cordyceps supplementation with or without exercise improves exercise endurance capacity by activating the skeletal muscle metabolic regulators and a coordinated antioxidant response. Consequently, CS can be used as a potent natural exercise mimetic."
My Energy/Endurance Supplement Stack With Cordyceps
- 200mg Caffeine
- 1500mg Cordyceps
- 1000mg L-Arginine