Functional Mushrooms Explained | Lion's Mane, Cordyceps & Reishi
Posted by Josh Gape onFUNTIONAL MUSHROOMS SUCH AS LION'S MANE, CORDYCEPS & REISHI HAVE BEEN USED BY HUMANS SINCE ANCIENT TIMES AS A NATURAL METHOD OF HEALING AND PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT.
Although all the mushrooms mentioned above have some similar attributes in terms of supporting the immune system, blood sugar regulation, nerve regeneration, improving mental clarity and physical wellbeing, they also have that one stand out benefits they have become known for:
- Lion’s Mane has been shown to stimulate nerve cell growth and repair, aiding physical recovery as well as enhancing cognition. Personally we use this mushroom for mental clarity, focus and memory prior to work as well as improving nervous system recovery after heavy training sessions.
- Cordyceps increase ATP production, oxygen absorption / utilisation and lung capacity making it the ideal natural supplement for enhancing the cardiovascular system and exercise performance.
- Reishi calms the central nervous system, reducing stress whilst up-regulating natural detoxification pathways by boosting our cells ability to eradicate pathogens and increasing apoptosis. Apoptosis is the natural process of our body clearing out damaged cells such as those infected with a virus.
Modern technology has given the world access to these incredible mushrooms, which are native to China and have played a key role in Chinese medicine for centuries. In addition to this, the latest technology now enable us to extract these mushrooms into powder concentrates, condensing the healing and performance enhancing compounds within them.
‘Mushrooms are miniature pharmaceutical factories, and of the thousands of mushroom species in nature, our ancestors and modern scientists have identified several dozen that have a unique combination of talents that improve our health.’ - Paul Stamets
When making a mushroom extract powder, there are a number of factors that need to be considered to ensure an extremely high quality product. These include:
- How they're are grown - they should be naturally wild-crafted, meaning they're cultivated in a controlled version of their natural environment on the substrate materials native to each particular mushroom with access to fresh air and sunlight
- Organic status - as with all genuine health food products, they need to be organic, non-GMO and without additives or fillers
- The extraction process - to maximise the number of beneficial compounds in the finished product, these mushrooms need to be dual-extracted
- Concentration - in order to enhance these incredible mushrooms even further the powder can be concentrated and made many times stronger than the original mushroom
- 100% pure mushroom - no added fillers, starch, grains or mycelium
- Lab analysis - finally the finished powder extracts need to be tested for their levels of beneficial compounds and to ensure they contain no heavy metal or harmful chemicals
At APE, we wanted to bring you products that tick all the above boxes. Having left no stone unturned in the creation of our own mushroom extract powders, our latest batch of 10:1 concentrated Cordyceps , 8:1 concentrated Lion's Mane and 8:1 concentrated Reishi are made up of 25.6%, 21.1% and 31.4% beta-glucans, the beneficial compound known primarily for it's immune enhancing properties.
Failing to do these things will result in a mushroom extract powder that has poor levels of the bioactive compounds they're known for and subsequently you won't feel the effects to anywhere near the extent you should do.
Lion’s Mane
Lion's Mane mushroom has been shown to regenerate the myelin around nerve cell axons. Myelin enables impulses, including neural signals to transmit along nerve cells. The more efficient our myelin are, the quicker we can recall memories, react to external stimulus, etc. See a ball being thrown to you out the corner of your eye, how quickly you react depends on how your myelin are working. As we age, amyloid plaques form on our myelin, causing demyelination and slowing our reactions down. As this builds up over time, it leads to neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. A study was on completed on mice, in which they were put in to a maze with two routes. One route led to food and the other to a dead end. The mice quickly learned which route led to food and took this path every time. The mice were then injected with a neurotoxin that caused amyloid plaques to build up on their myelin. Within around two weeks the mice couldn't remember which way to go. At this point a number of the mice were dissected, which confirmed a build up of amyloid plaques. The rest of the mice were then fed Lion's Mane. Within a few weeks they had almost completely recovered. A representative sample of the remaining mice were dissected, showing that the amyloid plaques had reduced and their myelin had regenerated.
Full list of benefits:
- Improved cognition, memory and focus
- Enhanced immunity
- Microbiome support
- Blood sugar support
- Improved digestion
- Nervous system / stress support
- Antidepressant / anti-anxiety supplement
Cordyceps
Traditionally used to combat fatigue, general weakness and improve respiratory function, wild harvested Cordyceps are one of the most expensive supplements on the earth, costing as much as $20,000 USD per kilo. Advancements in technology, now enable us to cultivate this mushroom in a wild-crafted environment, meaning it can be farmed in way that replicates how it would grow naturally in the wild. Doing so makes this incredibly powerful mushroom affordable to the masses. The latest scientific analysis has validated what Chinese medicine doctors have known for centuries, demonstrating Cordyceps immune enhancing properties, as well as its ability to increase ATP production, oxygen absorption / utilisation and lung capacity. The latter three points make this a game changing natural supplement for athletes looking to enhance their energy levels, respiratory system and exercise performance. This was exemplified by China's women's running team, who claimed the addition of Cordyceps into their supplement regime played a major role in them broking three world records in 1993.
Full list of benefits:
- Enhanced endurance / physical performance
- Increased ATP production
- Improved oxygen delivery
- Enhanced immunity
- Blood sugar support
- Nervous system support
- Anti-oxidant / anti-inflammatory supplement
Reishi
Traditionally Reishi has been regarded as the Queen of mushrooms due to its incredible ability to invoke relaxation, deep sleep, recovery and high levels of immunity. As with our other medicinal mushrooms, Reishi first started being documented for its healing powers in Chinese medicine thousands of years ago. In more recent years, science has been able to validate and provide more understanding around how this mushroom does what the ancient wisdom of China knew so long ago. The latest research indicates that the triterpenes within Reishi act in conjunction with its other bio-active compounds to calm and balance the human nervous system. This in turn lowers stress levels on the body, enhancing relaxation, deep sleep and recovery. In terms of immunity, Reishi has been demonstrated to up-regulate immune function in individuals who’s innate defences against pathogens have been suppressed. It does this by enhancing the production and activity of internal defence cells such as macrophage’s, which are like tiny soldiers tasked with defending our insides against bacteria and other harmful cells within our system. Macrophages literally detect, engulf and destroy harmful cells within the body. You can see why the name Reishi means ‘Mushroom of Immortality’ in Japanese.
Full list of benefits:
- Enhanced immunity
- Increases deep sleep
- Lowers stress and induces relaxation
- Nervous system support
- Antidepressant / anti-anxiety supplement
- Enhances rest and recovery
- Liver detoxification
MUSHROOM TRINITY BUNDLE
Each of these mushrooms can offer you incredible benefits, and can be used at different times throughout your day. We use Lions Mane and Cordyceps in the morning, where as Reishi is amazing to have before bed. This is why we have created our mushroom trinity bundle. Whether you're not sure which one to order first, or you feel like you need all 3, this bundle gives you a chance to try them all out at a discounted price.
