Cordyceps sinensis with an incredible life cycle
Have you heard about this fascinating fungus with its peculiar appearance and way of existence? The names „Chinese caterpillar, Himalayan gold or mushroom of longevity“ do not reveal much ...
Ashwagandha - The Cortisol Tamer
You definitely know the feeling when you're in danger. A big dog jumped out from behind a fence, your boss scolded you in a meeting, or you have a mortgage payment due tomorrow and just got laid off. In such cases, the body produces the steroid hormone - cortisol. It has protected us for centuries in dangerous situations, preparing the body for 'fight or flight.' The heart races, blood flows to vital organs, and pain levels are suppressed... You might say - the most useful thing under the sun!
The First of Vitamins - B1
Maybe it's burnout ... that's the current description of the state when we feel different. When the coffee we loved no longer works and in the afternoon we are overwhelmed by unbearable fatigue, when in the evening we have no strength for anything, neither for sports nor for friends. And certainly not for another day at work. A nutritionist would describe this state with further findings of our diet with the words - „ You have a lack of thiamine (B1), which is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system and the conversion of food into energy. Your diet is full of processed carbohydrates, but almost without B1. And when the body doesn't have enough thiamine, you can feel fatigue, forgetfulness, irritability, and even anxiety. And caffeine? It depletes thiamine in the body even more!“ We certainly wouldn't think that this state could be caused by a “triviality”. After all, many of us don't register thiamine, I admit it was also my case. This first of the discovered vitamins in 1912 was named by the Polish biochemist Funk with the term vita (necessary for life), amine (substances that contain nitrogen). Since then, it has gained more names, like aneurin, and for 25 years we have called it thiamine. It is essential, meaning it cannot be synthesized and must come from the diet. It sounds almost frightening that without it we wouldn't survive longer than a few days, at most weeks. This is because the body cannot store it for long and it is necessary to ensure its intake regularly, as it is irreplaceable for the proper functioning of the organism. On the contrary, its abundance helps improve concentration and memory.
Reishi - the mushroom of immortality
Reishi, a mushroom used for over 4000 years. The divine mushroom of immortality - in the past, it was believed to revive even the dead. It holds its significant place especially in Chinese medicine (under the name lingzhi), where it was mentioned in writing as early as 200 BC. Entire armies were designated to search for it, as the Chinese imperial court believed it could be used to concoct the elixir of immortality. The Slovak name might not tell you much - Leskokôrka brown-red, is actually a wood-decaying parasitic mushroom, living mostly on injured trees. It has a vast spectrum of biologically active substances. Its effects are also described in the professional encyclopedia Mushrooms as medicine.
Multitalent Multivitamin
Is taking multivitamins just a way to have expensive urine? In other words: if instead of individual supplements and responsible dosing we put everything into one box - will it make sense? Yes and no - let's look into it.
Choline and Inositol
Choline and Inositol - two words you probably haven't heard before. In the world of dietary supplements, however, they are an important combination of B vitamins, which are actually not vitamins. They are substances very similar to vitamins which support liver function and lipid metabolism - that is, fat metabolism. Choline is a water-soluble vitamin analogue. It is found in lecithin, which is common in many plant and animal tissues. Choline is a precursor for the neurotransmitter (i.e., carrier) acetylcholine - which is involved in many memory and muscle functions.