Cordyceps is known for its effect on exercise capacity. Previously, however, it was widely used to improve and maintain proper health. Find out what health benefits you can obtain by using an extract of this mushroom!
Cordyceps supports our health
Cordyceps was widely used for many, many years in traditional Chinese medicine for good reason. Above all, because it limited and delayed cell aging. It was dubbed an anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent. What is more, many experts classify it among so-called “superfoods” for good reason.
Let us start with the fact that it is attributed with an effect similar to extracts from herbs with
adaptogenic. Its use will therefore be associated, among other things, with increased resistance to stress, reducing its possible effects and lowering the stress level itself.
This is all the more important because in everyday life we almost constantly encounter stressful situations which, when accumulated over the long term, significantly reduce overall health condition, exercise capacity and negatively affect the functioning of the entire body.
Cordyceps is also characterized by antioxidant activity. It helps maintain the proper balance between antioxidant and pro-oxidant processes. It protects, while reducing oxidative stress, and combats aggressive free radicals and other unfavorable reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, it protects cells and tissues from their destructive action (e.g. even from excessive destruction of erythrocytes).
It should be noted that Cordyceps will be a good choice when it comes to acting on the immune system. Above all, this concerns immunoprotective and immunostimulatory properties. The compounds contained in it (mainly cordycepin and adenosine) increase immune tolerance, and additionally contribute to reducing the so-called inflammatory response (anti-inflammatory activity).
Importantly, thanks to this it may contribute to reducing the risk of developing and progressing many diseases of inflammatory origin, as well as limiting autoimmune problems. Prevention is the key to success! However, this does not mean that it does not help when faced with a problem – nothing could be further from the truth. Cordyceps supports glucose metabolism and turns out to be helpful in glycemic disorders. Therefore, it is worth using it as an addition, for example in
insulin resistance. Some studies quite clearly suggest that administering extracts of Cordyceps sinensis has a beneficial effect on insulin and blood sugar levels during the day (also on an empty stomach). All this is due to the content of 3’-deoxyadenosine and cordycepin.
Thanks to its antioxidant activity - for example by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) – as well as its anti-inflammatory properties, cordyceps limits aging processes and keeps health in proper condition. Some researchers working on the use of the mushroom confirm its beneficial effect on cognitive functions. Combined with a potential similar to adaptogenic herbs, it may prove useful not only in the case of physical but also mental strain, beneficially affecting mental functions.
The previously mentioned properties also work to the advantage of other systems, such as the cardiovascular system. According to sources, cordyceps, or rather its extracts, may reduce the risk of some cardiovascular diseases. In addition, it is also good for the heart. It optimizes cholesterol levels and has a beneficial effect on the lipid profile.
Interestingly, the effects of cordyceps extracts in terms of oxygen utilization are very often (and quite rightly) mentioned. The flow of blood together with oxygen in the blood vessels is improved, which is beneficial not only for the target system, but also in the context of impotence problems, as a positive addition.
Cordyceps – Health Benefits
- beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system,
- improvement of glucose and insulin metabolism,
- anti-inflammatory activity,
- antioxidant properties,
- anti-aging effect (“anti aging”),
- immunoprotective and immunostimulatory activity,
- increased resistance to stress and reduction of its effects,
- beneficial effect on cognitive functions,
- improved oxygen utilization.
