January 15, 2008
Running Low on Energy? Try Mushrooms Rather Than Caffeine
For many people, caffeine is the stimulant of choice when energy levels are low, but a better answer may be mushrooms. Research indicates that some medicinal mushroom varieties, particularly Cordyceps, can help the body use oxygen more efficiently, which translates into increased energy and endurance.
Stimulants such as caffeine are a short-term fix that, for many, provides a quick pick-me-up. Mushrooms, on the other hand, are a healthy, nutritious food that provides the body with multiple, long-term benefits. Cordyceps have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat such conditions as lung disease and fatigue and modern medical research indicates that the Chinese knew what they were doing.
In its natural environment, the Cordycep mushroom grows at high elevations in China and Tibet and some researchers believe that its ability to thrive at high altitudes explains why it can help increase oxygen use in the blood. Whatever, the reason, one thing seems relatively clear from recent research and that is that Cordyceps have the capacity to increase energy levels and reduce fatigue.
Results of research studies on the benefits of Cordyceps have been published in a number of leading journals, including Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and American Entomologist. It was a 1994 article in American Entomologist that first led researchers to take a closer look at Cordyceps. That article focused on the tremendous success of the Chinese women's track team, particularly at the Chinese National Games in Beijing where world records were broken by Chinese athletes in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000-meter events. Although the Chinese attributed their success to their training, they also admitted to use of a tonic made from Cordyceps. That aroused the curiosity of modern medical researchers who wished to learn more about this ancient medicinal mushroom and its traditional use in promoting lung health.
That curiosity led to several studies over the past decade that have sought to unlock the mystery of Cordyceps. Two studies on human use of Cordyceps were published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and American Entomologist, one in 1999 and another in 2001. Both involved an examination of the impact of Cordyceps on humans engaged in exercise and the results indicate that ingesting Cordyceps can result in an increase in the body's oxygen capacity and a more efficient use of oxygen, which, thus, results in increased energy and reduced fatigue.
In recent years, a number of other studies have been performed involving the use of Cordyceps by athletes, particularly athletes involved in endurance sports. And the results of several of those studies back the long-held belief that eating Cordyceps can increase energy levels in both humans and animals and help both recover much more quickly after exercise.
Cordyceps is just one of several medicinal mushroom varieties used in the Mushroom Matrix line of nutritional supplements. High in antioxidants, beta-glucans and polysaccharides, the medicinal mushrooms found in Matrix supplements are loaded with healthy nutrients. And when it comes to increased energy and endurance, Matrix users are supplying their own evidence of the effectiveness of Matrix supplements. The Matrix is already widely used among one group of high-level athletes - racehorses. Matrix-eating racehorses can be found around the world and a good number of them are making frequent trips to the winner's circle, including Street Sense, winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby.
So, skip the coffee and opt instead for the long-term benefits of the Mushroom Matrix. The Matrix line of nutritional products, produced by Golden Gourmet Mushrooms of San Marcos, California, are 100 percent certified organic and contain up to ten of the most nutritious medicinal mushroom varieties. For more information on Matrix nutritional supplements, visit www.mushroommatrix.com.
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