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You may have heard of hacks that help make your life easier, but what about hacks for optimizing your health? Biohacking is a popular technique that involves “hacking” your biology for improved health and wellness outcomes using do it yourself (DIY) methods.
Many biohacking techniques have been around for centuries, including intermittent fasting and meditation. Others are relatively new, such as biohacking supplements that provide a simple and convenient way to receive daily nutritional support. For example, vitamin C supplements are used for immune support and vitamin D supplements support bone health.
Although their history dates back thousands of years, functional mushrooms are new to the natural supplement buzz. Whether they are included in a side dish or taken daily as a capsule or powder, functional mushrooms can bestow some surprising health benefits.
Biohacking is best summarized as enhancing one’s health and well-being. The goal is to go beyond traditional medicine by leveraging natural resources to optimize your body for peak efficiency.
Exposing the human body to freezing cold temperatures, burning fat in sweat-inducing conditions, and taking natural supplements to prolong life are all considered biohacks. Other examples include:
These are only some of the techniques associated with biohacking. While many traditional approaches such as diet and exercise can address health goals, biohacking offers an alternative approach to enhancing your health that goes beyond standard wellness techniques.
Biohacking is driven by self-experimentation. Those interested in biohacking, also known as “biohackers,” implement small, incremental changes to achieve substantial results over time. Biohacking can focus on nutrition, lifestyle changes, the body, or the mind. The key is to first determine which area you want to focus on.
You may get eight hours of sleep every night but still feel tired throughout the day. Your “solution” is an afternoon cup of coffee or an energy drink, but those only offer a temporary fix. Biohacking aims to produce long-term results by researching various methods to identify what your body is lacking. For example, you may invest in wearable technology, like a smartwatch, to identify consistent sleep patterns. You can also dig up qualitative research regarding infrared light therapy and its many sleep benefits.
Whatever method you choose, the critical component of successful biohacking is utilizing relevant information to track and assess the impact of your actions.
Even with a balanced diet, it’s difficult to get all of the nutrients that your body needs. Implementing supplements into your daily routine is a common biohacking technique. Supplements are designed to help the body absorb the most bioavailable forms of nutrients. The additional support can produce many positive effects like offsetting nutritional deficiencies. Some of the most common examples of biohacking supplements include:
Nootropics are popular biohacking supplements that support cognitive health. For example, caffeine is a nootropic used by many to increase energy and focus throughout the day. Other nootropics include mushrooms that are curated into consumable supplements; for instance, lion’s mane and reishi.
Many biohacking techniques have been used for centuries, and mushrooms are no exception. Revered for their use in traditional Chinese medicine, mushrooms are a low-calorie, nutrient-packed addition to any diet. And functional mushrooms in particular go beyond simple nutrition. They are also a natural source of:
Functional mushroom species offer specific health and wellness benefits based on their characteristic properties. For example, lion’s mane offers support for cognitive function, and reishi, an adaptogenic mushroom, offers immune and stress support.
Cordyceps, a functional mushroom, improves oxygen consumption, resulting in higher energy levels throughout the day. When taken daily as a supplement, cordyceps supports vitality, endurance, and stamina. The energizing benefits of this powerful mushroom are ideal for athletes, but can also be enjoyed by anyone looking for a natural energy boost.
Mushroom supplements are offered in various forms, including powders, capsules, tinctures, and even gummies. The functional mushrooms used in supplements are usually produced as mushroom powders or as extracts. Here’s a quick breakdown of the differences between the two:
| Mushroom Powders | Mushroom Extracts |
| Uses whole mushroom and includes the entire lifecycle | Only derive nutrients from the fruiting body |
| Includes the mycelium and fruiting bodies | Involve hot water extraction for extended periods to extract a specific concentration with high potency of certain compounds |
| Nutrient-rich with beta-glucans, antioxidants, prebiotic no-soluble fibers, digestive enzymes, proteins, and other bioactive compounds retained | Non-soluble fibers, proteins, and digestive enzymes are discarded |
As a low-calorie, nutrition-packed addition, functional mushrooms are a simple way to biohack your daily routine.
It’s always important to choose supplements based on your health and dietary needs; however, as with any supplement, it is recommended to speak with your healthcare provider before taking a mushroom supplement.
When deciding which biohacking supplement is right for you, choosing a high-quality product that’s cultivated in a safe, monitored environment is essential.
At Organic Mushrooms, our mushrooms are grown in certified facilities in Canada. This allows important factors such as light, temperature, air quality, and hydration to be monitored and controlled for quality assurance.
If you’re looking to biohack your way toward better memory and focus, consider lion’s mane. It’s a functional mushroom that offers far more than just nutritional support. Known as the “smart mushroom” for its supportive role in cognitive and neurological health, lion’s mane has been found to stimulate the synthesis of the Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a protein that promotes the growth and normal function of nerve cells.
With our products, you can incorporate these super-powered fungi into your daily routine. Simply add one teaspoon of powder daily to your coffee or smoothies, or take two capsules daily with water.
While whole foods are a great way to feed your body the nutrients it needs, adding a biohacking supplement such as functional mushrooms to the mix can be the extra help your body needs to function at its best.
