Can we let you in on a little secret?
Working out should be fun. Seriously — working out should be enjoyable!
If aches, pains, and muscle soreness have taken the fun out of your workouts, it might be time to change things up. How? By introducing functional mushrooms to your workout routine! The right mushrooms can help you recover faster and regain your movement mojo. Keep reading to learn more.
- How Mushrooms Could Supercharge Your Workout Recovery
- The Best Functional Fungi for Better Workouts
- King Trumpet
- Turkey Tail
- Antrodia
- Reishi
- Other Top Picks
How Mushrooms Could Supercharge Your Workout Recovery
Functional mushrooms are impressively rich in antioxidants, amino acids, and other performance-boosting ingredients.
Their polysaccharides may improve endurance . . . their sterols may support healthy hormone levels. Some mushrooms possess such potent antioxidants that they may help ward off common athletic ailments like DOMS.
What is DOMS, you may ask? Good question. Short for delayed-onset muscle soreness, this uniquely challenging variety of muscle soreness shows up 8-48+ hours after the workout that caused it. Its erratic timing means it can easily throw off your workout routine. And for all you competitive athletes out there, the last thing you want is surprise DOMS showing up just before an important competition.
DOMS might be annoying, but functional mushrooms could provide a natural way out. Research shows that delayed-onset muscle soreness is usually caused by free radical damage that lags behind the muscular wear and tear of exercise. By putting out the metabolic ‘fires’ caused by free radicals, mushrooms might be able to stop DOMS at its source. [1]
Mushrooms may supercharge your workouts via other pathways, too. Studies out of Italy’s University of Pavia show that both reishi and cordyceps mushrooms may: [2]
- Increase the body’s production of ATP
- Assist with lactic acid clearance
- Support muscular strength
- Reduce recovery time
That first bulletpoint is more significant than it may seem. Mushrooms may help your body produce more ATP — its preferred energetic currency! Though more research is needed, this particular trait could make functional mushrooms beneficial to athletes and non-athletes alike.
The sports-specific benefits of mushrooms have also been extensively tested by time. Expert mycologist Paul Stamets says that mushrooms have been prized by athletes and martial artists for thousands of years: [3]
“In ancient Korea, the Hwarang (the ‘Flowering Knights’) were a warrior elite, trained in the warring arts [...]. Prominent within many [of their] temples are representations of medicinal mushrooms, particularly Ganoderma lucidum, also known as [Lingzhi], the Mushroom of Immortality, and the Tree of Life Mushroom.”
The Best Functional Fungi for Better Workouts
Our new Mending Mushrooms product contains a recovery-boosting blend of four mushrooms:
- King Trumpet
- Turkey Tail
- Antrodia
- Reishi
King Trumpet Mushroom
Also known as king osyter mushrooms, king trumpets are among the most antioxidant-rich mushrooms out there.
That means they’re likely also among the best mushrooms when it comes to warding off DOMS and other symptoms of oxidative stress. According to traditional Chinese medicine, king trumpets may help your body generate the energy it needs to detoxify itself from built-up toxins. That actually sounds pretty similar to what science says about them! [4]
Turkey Tail Mushroom
Turkey tail mushrooms may improve workout recovery via a different pathway: by limiting the production of inflammatory compounds like COX-2. [5] Inhibiting these compounds may speed the restructuring of ligaments, tendons, and connective tissues in the post-workout period. [6]
Turkey tail may also help modulate your body’s immune response. Given that hard training makes your immune system susceptible to all sorts of viral insults, this might be yet another area where turkey tail is the athlete’s best friend. [7]
Antrodia Mushroom
Antrodia mushrooms may improve muscular strength and upregulate yet-to-be-discovered “anti-fatigue factors.”
They may also improve metabolic efficiency enough to spare muscle glycogen. Any dedicated endurance athlete knows that glycogen is critical for turning on the afterburners late in a workout. If you’re a cyclist, runner, or triathlete, antrodia could be perfect for you. Antrodia’s glycogen-sparing effect could also accelerate post-workout recovery. [8]
Reishi Mushroom
Reishi mushrooms are great for energy production in general. The ancients believed they improved life force; modern scientists believe they improve oxidative balance and mitochondrial function. Better mitochondrial health could lead to higher post-workout energy levels, at least in theory. [9]
Other Mushrooms
There’s one other mushroom that deserves an honorable mention here: cordyceps rhodiola. Cordyceps have been used to boost energy for thousands of years, and they’re still popular among the highest-level athletes today. Modern studies show they can increase endurance and reduce fatigue after just one week of use. [10]
Summing Things Up
Mending Mushrooms isn’t just good for repairing general problems. It’s also more than up for the task of helping your body repair itself from one of the most energy-demanding activities of all: exercise! Try it for yourself today if you’d like to make your workout routine a little more manageable — and a whole lot more fun.
