ergo-log.com

Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

14.03.2024

The effect of Cordyceps sinensis on marathon runners

Endurance athletes might get a little faster if they take 2 grams of a Cordyceps sinensis extract every day. This is suggested by a small human study in which Brazilian researchers gave marathon runners supplements with Cordymax CS-4.

Study
Researchers from Universidade Federal Sao Paulo published a small trial in 2022 in which they used thirty marathon runners as test subjects. Half of the athletes took a placebo every day for 12 weeks, the other took a capsule containing 667 milligrams of Cordyceps sinensis extract three times a day.

The athletes in the experimental group took a total of 2 grams of extract per day.

The extract that the Brazilians used is on the market as Cordymax CS-4.

Results
During the supplementation period, the researchers measured the test subjects' ability to absorb oxygen several times. They found no significant differences between the placebo group and the experimental group.

Just before the supplementation started, after 8 weeks and after 12 weeks, the subjects ran a distance of 5 kilometers. In week 12, the subjects who had used Cordyceps sinensis made a significantly better time than the athletes in the placebo group.

Conclusions
"This study suggests that supplementation with Cordyceps sinensis improves the aerobic performance of amateur marathoners", summarize the Brazilians.

"However, other studies must be carried out to confirm this effect, and with a larger number of volunteers, both active and sedentary. Further studies on the use of Cordyceps sinensis as an ergogenic agent should help move towards its recognition as an active substance, either as doping or as a permitted ergogenic agent."

Source:
Journal of Herbal Medicine 34 (2022) 100570.

More:
Fit athletes derive more benefit from testosterone boosters Cordyceps sinensis and Ganoderma lucidum 03.09.2015
Elderly are fitter with Cordyceps sinensis 08.10.2010

Archives:
Endurance Supplements
Mushrooms

Hericium erinaceus | The memory mushroom that makes athletes fitter You can buy supplements with extracts of the mushroom Hericium erinaceus in online stores. They are especially popular with people wanting to improve their memory.	Turkey Tail extract turns ordinary muscle into super muscle A supplement with an extract from a mushroom that grows in forests and parks around the world may increase both muscle strength and endurance.	Mushroom extract PeakO2 makes athletes fitter Recreational athletes who took 4 grams of PeakO2 every day for 3 weeks became fitter on all fronts.