A unique mushroom has made dramatic strides in research regarding its ability to improve energy, athletic performance, as well as increase overall libido. The mushroom, cordyceps sinensis first made international headlines in 1993, when female Chinese runners decimated world records in a major competition. The interview of the coach stated, "... attributed his runners' success to an elixir made of caterpillar fungus ..."(1)
Their coach attributed this remarkable athletic performance to the use of caterpillar fungus, or cordyceps sinensis. It’s has gained growing popularity among athletes eager to boost their performance and stamina. It’s also touted as having a broad range of health benefits.
This caterpillar fungus is not your typical friendly grocery store mushroom, however. It’s a fungus that attaches itself to a caterpillar head and uses the carcass as food. It then shoots out Medusa-like stems that yield spores looking for their own hosts. The mushroom releases chemicals into the caterpillar's brain and these drive the caterpillar upward in elevation to its highest point and the mushroom then releases its spores. A truly unique evolutionary adaptation by the mushroom. Cordyceps grows in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau, and has been prized as a medicine for centuries in Tibet and China. Although it was used to treat a number of disease ailments, cordyceps was also highly regarded as an aphrodisiac - and recent research shows it has the same mechanism of actions as Viagra® without the side effects!! Due of its astronomical cost and difficulty to obtain, it was used only by the very wealthy in the past. However, due to recent farming techniques in China, the cost of this dramatic health enhancer has come down a bit and more opportunities to source it have become available.
While there has been a lot of anecdotal evidence from the past, recent research has truly proven some of the dramatic health benefits from this little mushroom and are definitely worth a look to add to your daily diet.(3, 4) Upon review of this recent evidence based research, we have added it to our unique Infinimin® Ultravitamin!
References
1. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/28/sports/track-and-field-amid-debate-over-chinese-what-s-women-s-limit.html?pagewanted=2
2. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320500004458
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4415478/pdf/ECAM2015-575063.pdf
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110835/