Does your holiday season feel like it's laced with a subtle current of overwhelm? We hear you! It's that time of year when it often feels like everything is racing to us all at once; end-of-year deadlines, celebrations, family commitments, or perhaps being separated from loved ones, the tying up of loose ends so we can enjoy a break. In some ways, it's a paradox of abundant receiving but also giving. Giving of gifts, of ourselves, our energy, from resources which have their limits. A mix of joy and sometimes stress. It can be a lot to hold while still enjoying all the festive season has to offer. But don't worry, we've got you. In this Journal entry, we'll dive into the medicinal mushrooms that are on high rotation for us to prime our inner energy reserves and stay calm amidst the chaos.
Cultivating Energy Across the Festive Season
Across the holiday period, many of us might be familiar with the feeling of burning the candle at both ends. Life can be busier than usual, we might be a little bit more indulgent than usual, and often the practices that keep us grounded and balanced sometimes take a back seat. In many ways, here in the Southern Hemisphere, that's what summer is for; to expand to our fullest expression. It can however be taxing on our energy reserves, as we make the most of all the season has to offer. As much as we wish our energy production potential was unlimited, unfortunately, this isn't the case.
Cordyceps Mushroom for Supporting Energy
We describe Cordyceps as a deep energy awakener. It has been used traditionally for centuries as a restorative tonic after times of illness, increased physical exertion and fatigue. Today, Cordyceps mushroom is considered a powerful adaptogen, garnering attention for its capacity to support and increase energy levels. We’ve talked about it a fair bit across our Journal, but Cordyceps Miltaris in particular (the type of Cordyceps we use at Inner Atlas) has been shown to increase the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy currency of cells, by optimizing oxygen utilization and supporting efficient energy transfer processes[1].
Cordyceps is an invaluable ally across times of high intensity and activity to keep our foundational energy reserves balanced, allowing us to be adaptive to the world around us, burning bright rather than burning out and keeping states of exhaustion at bay.
Keeping Calm and Grounded During the Festive Season
Even when we approach it with the best of intentions, the holiday period can wind up being overwhelming. Time with family can sometimes be frustrating or triggering, financial pressures can be more than challenging and keeping up with it all can feel stressful. When we don’t have proper personal boundaries in place or practices at the ready to stay grounded, these forces can often get the better of us.
Reishi Mushroom for Stress Relief
Reishi is our 'queen of calm' and the mushroom we turn to during stressful periods or just to keep the ship steady in everyday life. Reishi mushroom is known for its adaptogenic properties demonstrating its capacity to modulate the body's response to stress and promote a state of calm within the body and mind[2]. Additionally, a 2020 study suggested that Reishi may also help to alleviate feelings of anxiety and low mood[3]. What’s more, Reishi mushroom can also help support one of the most stress-relieving practices out there, getting restful sleep. Studies have shown consistent use of Reishi to help allow us to fall asleep, regulating the sleep-wake cycle[4] and also supporting the quality of our sleep by increasing states of deep sleep[5].
We like to think of Reishi as a portal to peace and love combining this stress-relieving mushroom with breathwork, meditation, and a regular sleep routine to stay grounded and present across the holiday period.
Going with the Flow Across the Holiday Period
One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and our loved ones over the festive season is the gift of being present. Being in a state where we feel clear-headed and can exist within the moment allows us to really connect with those around us and enjoy all of the festive season has to offer.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom for Mood Support
Lion’s Mane is known as a potent natural nootropic. Nootropics are substances that may improve cognitive function in healthy individuals such as memory, creativity, focus and mood. We like to lean on Lion's Mane to support mental well-being and mood during times when we want to keep our spirits high and head clear.
Lion’s Mane has shown the potential to promote emotional balance by supporting nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis[6] and potentially contribute to mood regulation by modulating inflammatory responses in the brain[7]
Thriving in the Holiday Season
By riding the wave of the festive season with a little more balance we’re able to protect our energy levels, be more present (the ultimate gift!), and tap into the joy that the season brings, moving forward into the new year without such a heavy tax on the bodily systems that fuel our inner reserves and ultimately our longevity.
How to Work with Reishi, Cordyceps and Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Reishi, Cordyceps and Lion's Mane are our 3 mushrooms of choice to stay balanced and energised across the holiday period. Our extracts are easy to pop into your tea or coffee, smoothie, sweet or savoury meals, or enjoy them in our Adaptogenic Blends, Dawn, Day and Dusk; whatever works best for your routine. For recipe ideas and inspiration head to our Journal.
While consistency is always a great strategy to experience accumulated benefits you can always choose to work with a particular mushroom as and when you might need it. From the calming effects of Reishi mushroom to the energy-boosting properties of Cordyceps, we like to think of medicinal mushrooms as a natural way to help us navigate the holiday season with a little more ease, balance, joy and flow.
Our Medicinal Mushroom Extracts:
At Inner Atlas, we specialise in medicinal mushrooms and we’ve worked hard to offer you what we believe are the most potent and pure mushies available.
Our Inner Atlas Reishi, Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps are:
~ Highly potent, containing greater than 30% beta-D-glucans.
~ Semi-wild cultivated and wood-grown.
~ Certified USDA & EU Organic.
~ Fruiting body only – 100% real mushrooms with no added fillers or mycelium.
~ Sourced from pristine di tao locations.
~ Lab-tested for purity and potency.
References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6017764/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7712001/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8249598/
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3255119/
[5] https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/31/9/31_9_1635/_article/-char/en
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6982118/
