Nutrition

Cordyceps An Endangered Species

Posted on by Barbara Taylor

 

How Cordyceps Are Grown

Known for invading and growing off caterpillars, cordyceps are a popular fungus when selecting natural alternatives. Found in the mountains of Nepal and Tibet, they are also known as Ophiocordyceps sinensus or O. sinensis. Cordyceps are classed as a medicinal mushroom and has been used for centuries in both Chinese and Tibetan traditional medicine. Chinese traditional medicine considers cordyceps to have a perfect balance of yin and yang.

In early spring the black stalk-like fruiting body emerges from the head of the dead caterpillar, growing up to 6 inches in length. Cordyceps price has significantly shifted in the last 20 years, with a 900% increase between 1998 and 2008. In 2013 reported prices were between 20,000 and 70,000 per kilogram. Financial interest in cordyceps has in fact been detrimental, with harvesting collection rates much larger than in past times. Cordyceps are now listed, as an endangered species in China and not surprising is one of the most valuable medicinal fungi in the world.

Unaffordable prices led to alternative practices to produce cordyceps. Artificial O. Sinensis mycelium is commonly cultivated as an alternative to wild-harvest and a common component of commercial supplements of cordyceps. Commonly used for building immunity, as a powerful antioxidant and for its fatigue fighting benefits, cordyceps are a safe, natural alternative to mainstream pharmaceutical use. 

Benefits

  • Anti-aging
  • Increased energy levels
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Anti-cancer treatment with studies showing in some cases, prevention of further growth of tumors
  • Respiratory infections such as bronchitis
  • Treatment of kidney disease
  • Fighting infections such as bladder infections
  • Improvement in blood cholesterol and prevention of heart disease
  • Increase in circulation
  • Improved liver function
  • Treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome and muscle weakness
  • Treatment of immune-related conditions such as autoimmune disease, leaky gut syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis
  • Increase oxygenation, therefore may increase athletic performance
  • Treatment for fertility and impotence
  • Lower blood glucose levels and aids in the management of diabetes

 

Cordyceps play a strong part in Ayurvedic medicine, with mushrooms described to heighten “vigor and vitality”.  They have also been associated with improved brain function combating the ill effects of chronic stress and its influence on cognitive functions. Studies have explored how cordyceps’ supplementation reduced inflammation in the brain with corresponding increases in brain-derived neutrophic growth factors, BDNF. Depletion of BDNF accelerates neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Dementia, thus cordyceps provide hope in maintain a healthy brain, warding off degeneration and protecting memory and improving cognitive processing.

Cautions

Considered safe for most people, cordyceps should be used with caution for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and diabetics as blood sugar levels may decrease. Dosage of cordyceps has not been heavily researched and amounts vary depending on what it is being used for. The suggested amounts are 5 to 10 grams up to twice per day for general immunity, energy boosting and illness prevention. Higher dosage may be needed to treat and/or prevent specific conditions.

References:

http://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/cordyceps-sinensis.html#sthash.SwidbFeb.dpbs

https://www.purenootropics.net/product/cordyceps-mushroom/

 

How to Study with Traditional Herbs and Medicines

Posted on by Barbara Taylor

The ancient Ayurvedic cultures in India used to utilize nootropic drugs and cognitive enhancers in order to have a better understanding of the world around them and make better decisions for their lives. If you are trying to enhance your cognitive abilities it also makes sense for you to utilize these smart drugs and nootropic options.

No matter what you decide to do, just know that there are plenty of alternatives that can help you to improve your cognitive abilities without making you feel like you are taking something detrimental for your long-term health.

This article is going to cover a number of Ayurvedic medicines and traditional compounds that can help you to achieve what you are looking to get from studying. Most people who are utilizing these kinds of drugs find that they are very helpful for studying and we’ll show you how to use them.

Bacopa monnieri – this is a natural herbal remedy that can allow you to have a better memory and mental performance. This helps to reduce your anxiety, which is one of the main ways that it helps to enhance cognitive performance. Most of the people who are utilizing bacopa monnieri in order to improve their cognitive performance find that it is unnerving that there are so many alternatives that are bad for you. Luckily, there are very few side effects of bacopa monnieri that are recorded and the ones that do exist are usually just gastrointestinal distress rather than anything too problematic.

Most people who are using bacopa monnieri find that they get the most benefits from improving their anxiety levels. Consider the last time that you were trying to do well on a test. How did it go when you were anxious about the results? Most of the time, people who are too anxious about the results find that they create the very problem they dread.

Ashwagandha – speaking of reducing anxiety in order to perform better, ashwagandha is one of the better nootropics from Ayurvedic medicine that can help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. The vast majority of people who utilize this type of nootropic find that they feel much better quicker than anything else. You will find a host of ashwagandha benefits for anxiety that will probably help you.

Just make sure that you are not taking too heavy a dose and that you are finding a reputable dealer. There are some problems that people are having with Ayurvedic medicine and heavy metals. You’ll find that if you are able to avoid these poor quality products, you’ll have a much better time.

Forskolin – this is another supplement that comes from Ayurveda that can help you to study. The main mechanism of forskolin (the extract of coleus forskohlii) is that it can help with cAMP. This is something that can have drastic effects for your long-term health and it should be something that you are aiming to achieve at all times.

The more you can get rid of all the problems that you have studying, the better off you are going to be in the long-run. Even though you are able to improve your cognitive performance only so much, it is going to help you to study harder and get better grades.

After all, anyone who is studying is after only one main thing: better grades. The doors that get opened when you have better grades are tremendous and many of the people who are just trying to improve their cognitive performance find that can’t be beat.

Using the three nootropic drugs we have provided you should be able to greatly improve your cognitive performance beyond that of your peers.

How Do You Make Coffee Better? Dave Asprey Knows

Posted on by Barbara Taylor

The black, delicious, and consciousness altering drug, caffeine, has many ways of improving the quality of your health. There are studies that show how it can reduce the effects of sleep deprivation and it can increase insulin resistance among other things. You can definitely learn to utilize coffee in a way that is helpful to you beyond just the focus and attention, but sometimes people find that they can’t get enough.

When people are trying to improve their brain through the use of coffee, it is a good idea for them to start looking at ways to enhance the quality of caffeine without the added risks and crashes. Most people just drink more coffee and that doesn’t work either!

Dave Asprey and Butter Coffee

Enter Dave Asprey. He is one of the more famous Silicon Valley executives who is currently using different biohacking techniques to improve the health of his brain. One of the methods he has used is a combination of butter coffee, MCT oil, and some stevia to taste if you so desire. This is a great way to enhance the quality of your brain health without having a huge number of problems.

The MCT oil converts into energy in a way that is much quicker and more efficient than the sugars you might eat for breakfast. Even though plenty of people go through sugary foods, it is not optimal and butter with your coffee can make a huge difference.

Some people take this in the early part of the day and then they don’t need anything until the afternoon. One good alternative once the afternoon comes around might be something like CILTEP. If you haven’t heard of CILTEP (from Dave Asprey of course), then you might want to consider it. This memory enhancing option has a lot of benefits. You can check out a positive CILTEP review here. This will teach you all that you need to know. There is much to learn about CILTEP and even Bulletproof coffee, but it can make a huge difference!

What Really Happens with Enhanced Mental Performance?

Posted on by Barbara Taylor

Your friend shows up in the middle of a difficult study session, brings you some nootropics, and you start to wonder whether it is an effective tool for improving your cognitive abilities. Some people would find themselves in this situation and just assume they are getting better (though it might be the placebo effect). Some people would not feel much or care either way. Finally, there are plenty of people who would actually look for the way that a drug improved their mental performance.

In the following example, we are going to talk about how people find enhanced mental performance and what it really means. You will see that over time drugs like bacopa monnieri improve cognitive function and memory, but they do so through reduced anxiety.

  1. Reduced anxiety – this is the most common and profound way to improve mental performance. It might seem odd, but most of the time when you are taking a lot of nootropic drugs it ends up with you in a situation where you have reduced anxiety and this is where the benefits are. By getting rid of your feelings of anxiety, you’ll have a much better experience.
  2. Improved chemicals – a lot of the drugs improve your cognitive abilities through different brain chemicals. Some of these include things like dopamine and adrenaline. They help to improve your quality of life and (more importantly) help you to focus and work harder on the tasks at hand.
  3. Neurological enhancement – sometimes the nootropic drugs actually provide chemicals that are useful in creating new connections (things like BDNF or NGF1). They are so helpful for your cognitive performance, they are on a class of their own. Even though many of these things you can get through food, it makes a lot of sense to get through nootropic drugs as well.

If you can keep this all in mind, you are going to have a far better perspective than you would have imagined otherwise. You can learn more on this website. There are plenty of profiles of different nootropics that modulate all of those things.

Why Do Racetams Make Such a Big Difference?

Posted on by Barbara Taylor

There are a lot of people who use nootropics in order to get a better and more intellectual understanding of themselves. Even though there are plenty of people who are improving the quality of their life through the use of racetams, it is a good idea for you to consider how exactly these drugs work and how to make them work for you.

For the most part, people who are using racetams and nootropics are making big differences in their lives for their memory formation, learning ability and other tools. It is going to make a big difference for you to have such big changes as well.

Which Racetams Should I Use?

There are a lot of different options for you to use when it comes to improving the quality of your life and racetams play a big role. Here are a few of the things that you can expect when it comes to using these drugs.

  1. Piracetam – this is obviously the first and most well-established smart drug in the racetam family. There are plenty of people who are trying to use this drug in order to have better memory and learning abilities. It is useful for you to utilize this drug as a way of improving the level of learning abilities and memory as so many other people have done.
  2. Aniracetam – this is yet another great nootropic drug that will help you to improve the concentration that you are feeling while working. There are plenty of ways you can use this drug, but it is fat soluble so you should keep that in mind and make yourself feel a lot better.
  3. Phenylpiracetam – the last of the really strong nootropics, there are plenty of ways that you can use this as a way to improve the quality of your work routine. You can use phenylpiracetam to enhance your stimulation, your concentration, and your ability to focus on the things that you need.

At the end of the day, these three racetam drugs will make a big improvement in your ability to enjoy yourself and have more successful work days.

Why Use Nootropics with a Good Diet

Posted on by Barbara Taylor

If you are eating right and getting all of your nutrients, it can sometimes be a curious question whether you need to try to optimize your brain and body in other ways. Most people realize that after a while you can just focus on the diet and get 90% of the benefits if you were trying to get a supplement stack that you enjoyed. It is important for you to get the nootropics even if you have a good diet for a few different reasons that we will outline.

For one thing, if you are competing in a globalized world it is a good idea for you to take every advantage you can get. Consider that a few decades ago, you were only competing with the people who were in the same country or state as you. Today, you are competing with everyone in the world and that means you need to be at your best. Sure, a good diet will bring you 80 – 90% of the way there, but nootropics can help bridge the gap to make you a true perfection.

Nootropics will not be able to counterbalance bad habits like eating poorly or having poor sleep patterns. The only thing that nootropics can really do is make sure that you are getting slightly better than you are currently. Nootropics like phenylpiracetam (available at purenootropics.net) give a lot of stimulation and concentration so that you can get the best results.

A good diet should consist of a balance between protein, healthy fats, and vegetables. These nutrients will give you the majority of the brain power to maintain a healthy lifestyle and succeed at your given roles. However, it is important that you are focused on getting that added boost from the nootropic options.

How Can Eating Meat Help Your Brain?

Posted on by Barbara Taylor

There are many things that impact brain health, but few are as important as the food that you eat. While nootropics and smart drugs are great ways of improving your brain health and performance, sometimes it is better to focus your time and energy on the things that you can really control, such as the food that you are eating. Meat is one of the food types that will have a really important role in improving your health. There are several reasons meat is important for adequate brain health.

For one, you’ll find meat is full of a molecule called creatine. This molecule is going to help you to improve ATP (energy) levels in each of your cells in your brain, which yields better results no matter what! This might not be an impact that you feel constantly, such as coffee, but it will be there providing you with steady energy from behind the curtain. Just keep in mind, creatine is not an as-needed type of product. You have to use it daily.

If you are trying to eat meat and find yourself unable to get enough, opt for the right kind. Red meat is not only more full of creatine, but also has amino acids like carnitine, which is useful for your brain health as well. Many people actually take carnitine as a part of the CILTEP stack that is becoming so popular. It is in the ALCAR form, which is slightly different but similar to what you would receive from eating meat.

Finally, there are amino acids like tyrosine tryptophan, which are useful for the sake of improving your brain health as well. Just make sure the dosages are good and you’ll be a great position to take advantage!