We all need a little bit of extra energy sometimes.
But if your energy slumps are requiring an ever-increasing amount of energy drinks and espresso shots to get out of, yeah . . . it might be time for a change.
What kind of change, you may ask? Functional mushrooms could be what your body is looking for. These mushrooms contain all the energy you need to overcome fatigue and get through your day with ease!
- The Hidden Sources of Fatigue
- Overcome Fatigue With Adaptogenic Mushrooms
- King Trumpet
- Turkey Tail
- Antrodia
- Reishi
- Functional Mushrooms . . . For Athletes?
The Hidden Sources of Fatigue
“What could be more important to understand than biological energy? Thought, growth, movement, every philosophical and practical issue involves the nature of biological energy.”
Ray Peat, Ph.D. endocrinologist
Energy is everything. With enough energy you’ll be able to create, adapt, and grow! If you’re energy deficient, on the other hand, you’ll be stuck in survival mode and unable to truly thrive. The ebb and flow of energy throughout your body is actually what keeps its various organ systems properly structured.
If energy is so important, why don’t we always experience it to the fullest? Good question.
While your body knows what needs to be done to enjoy consistently high energy levels, two things get in the way all too often: inflammation and oxidation. This dangerous duo can steal your energy faster than pretty much anything else, as your body has to redirect its energy towards addressing them and away from higher-level functions.
Inflammation and oxidation may be pesky, but don’t think they’re unbeatable. Nature’s provided us with the perfect solution for overcoming their aftereffects: functional mushrooms.
Overcome Fatigue With Adaptogenic Mushrooms
Let’s zoom out a little bit before moving on. Mushrooms may be able to ward off wear-and-tear, oxidation, and fatigue, sure . . . but what they’re truly great at is helping your body overcome stress!
This type of mushroom is classified as adaptogenic — it increases both your tolerance to stress and your nervous system’s ability to adapt to it. Check out four of our favorite adaptogenic mushrooms below.
- King Trumpet
- Turkey Tail
- Antrodia
- Reishi
King Trumpet Mushroom
King trumpet mushrooms are packed with some of nature’s best antioxidants, including selenium. King trumpets also contain energizing B vitamins (35% of your niacin RDV, 15% of your riboflavin RDV, and 15% of your pantothenic acid RDV, to be exact). Some studies hint that they may also improve metabolic health. [1]
Traditional Chinese medicine attests that king trumpet may help your body clear out toxins and create more energy. They’re thought to have a warming effect on internal organs, including the liver and kidneys.
Turkey Tail Mushroom
Turkey tail mushrooms contain all sorts of antioxidants. They may stimulate the immune system and put the brakes on unhelpful compounds like LOX and COX-2. [2][3]
Turkey tail sets itself apart from other mushrooms by its protein-bound polysaccharides. Also known as PSPs, these special polysaccharides are recognized by the scientific world as biological response modifiers that restore balance to the entire innate immune system. [4]
Can turkey tail mushrooms help you get and stay energized, however? Probably so. Other studies have discovered that turkey tail can improve mitochondrial health, resulting in more energy in the long run.
Antrodia Mushroom
Antrodia camphorata mushrooms may directly fight several types of fatigue, including exercise-induced fatigue. If you’re a hard-training athlete you may want to try them!
One study found that antrodia mushrooms improved both strength and endurance, especially if used in conjunction with ginseng. Study authors noted the mushroom’s “anti-fatigue activity” also resulted in more muscle glycogen (aka more available energy). [5]
Take antrodia before workouts to enhance endurance . . . or in the post-workout period to increase muscular recovery. Non-athletes can benefit from this mushroom’s energizing properties, too!
Reishi Mushroom
Reishi mushrooms are a potent free radical scavenger that protects the body from oxidative damage. Are they energizing? You bet.
The ancients believed that reishi (they called it lingzhi) improves life force energy, or qi: [6]
“[Lingzhi] mainly treats binding in the chest, boosts the heart qi, supplements the center, sharpens the wits, and [supports the memory]. Protracted taking may make the body light, prevent senility, and prolong life so as to make one an immortal.”
The idea that a mushroom could induce immortality sounds far fetched, and maybe it is. Until, that is, one considers Chinese herbalist Li Ching-Yuen and his affinity for reishi. Li is said to have lived to the age of nearly 200 (possibly 256) with the help of reishi and other traditional Chinese medicine staples. [7]
In addition to improving general energy production, reishi may reduce aches, irritability, and other potential energy blocks.
Full Spectrum Tocotrienols
Full spectrum tocotrienols are an easily-absorbable form of the antioxidant vitamin E. Vitamin E has been shown to increase energy via several pathways. It may: [8]
- Strengthen muscles
- Maintain cell membranes
- Repair free radical damage
- Support red blood cell count
- Support full-body oxygenation
As if all that weren’t enough, vitamin E also has cosmetic benefits. It can reduce skin irritation (even if you don’t apply it topically) and help your skin heal from sun exposure.
Functional Mushrooms . . . For Athletes?
As we’ve alluded to earlier, athletes can also benefit from the energizing nature of functional mushrooms. Case in point? DOMS.
Anyone athlete who’s ever trained for something big has probably experienced the phenomena we call delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. Delayed-onset muscle soreness was ‘officially’ discovered just over a hundred years ago, though it had been a plight to athletes for thousands of years more than that. It took surprisingly long for scientists to pinpoint the actual cause of DOMS; the huge time gap between stimuli and stress meant it couldn’t be attributed solely to fatigue.
It turns out that delayed-onset muscle soreness is actually caused by — you guessed it — free radical damage. Put two and two together and it quickly becomes apparent that antioxidant-rich mushrooms could be a perfect antidote. [9] No wonder elite athletes across several sports reportedly supplement with reishi, cordyceps, Rhodiola, and other mushrooms.
Summing Things Up
Functional mushrooms can help you escape fatigue and access deep wells of energy, regardless of whether you’re an entrepreneur or grandmother or elite athlete!
To experience the benefits of all four mushrooms mentioned in this article, consider Mending Mushrooms. This new wellness product is packed with potent antioxidants that promote full-body energy. If you want to power through your day without turning to less-than-healthy stimulants, it could be perfect for you.
