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Cordyceps: The Energy Mushroom - alice mushrooms

Cordyceps: The Energy Mushroom

Historically, cordyceps have been used in Chinese and Tibetan medicine in environments where the body was under real physical stress: high altitude, limited oxygen, and long days that were physically demanding. In these regions, survival required efficiency. Energy couldn’t be wasted, and recovery mattered just as much as output.

Cordyceps were traditionally used to help the body adapt to stress, particularly when oxygen was scarce. Rather than acting as a stimulant, they were valued for supporting endurance and resilience, helping energy last longer when conditions were harsh. 

The problem today isn’t that we’re tired. It’s that we’ve been taught to ignore the signals telling us why we’re tired. 

We’ve normalized overstimulation as a solution. Cortisol as a tool. Borrowing our energy from tomorrow as the price of productivity today. What we often call “energy” is really just the nervous system being pushed harder and longer than it was designed to go. 

Energy That Supports Hormones

Today’s energy comes from stacked caffeine: espresso shots layered with cold brew, pre-workout, a 2 p.m. energy drink meant to keep cortisol elevated far beyond it should naturally fall. Sugar used strategically; quick glucose spikes to stay sharp and alert, followed by crashes disguised as hunger, irritability, or brain fog.

It also comes from pushing through your natural circadian rhythm signals with blue light, late-night scrolling, and supplements that act as band-aids rather than support systems. What’s marketed is often just the endocrine system being asked to compensate, repeatedly. This still produces energy output, it just does so by creating debt.

Endocrine disruptors are so out in 2026. 

A healthy endocrine system runs on rhythm. Cortisol rises in the morning to help the body wake and mobilize, then gradually falls throughout the day to make room for focus, digestion, and eventually rest. Blood sugar fluctuates within a relatively narrow range to fuel the brain and muscles without triggering stress responses. When these signals stay intact, energy feels steady. When they’re overridden, the body compensates. 

Most modern energy strategies rely on that compensation.

Hormone-balanced energy works differently. Energy isn’t something the body borrows, it’s something it produces. Every cell relies on mitochondria to convert oxygen and nutrients into ATP (the molecule that powers every muscle contraction to cognitive focus). When mitochondrial function and oxygen utilization are efficient, energy feels available and consistent. When they’re strained, the body leans on cortisol and adrenaline to maintain performance.

Much of what we experience as “energy” is stress doing the heavy lifting. That’s why ingredients like cordyceps, studied for how they support cellular energy production, matter now more than ever. 

So What Exactly Are Cordyceps?

Cordyceps are functional mushrooms native to high-altitude regions of Asia, particularly the Himalayas (around 14,000 ft above sea level), where oxygen levels are low and environmental conditions are extreme. In these environments, organisms must adapt to limited resources and prolonged physical demand. 

That evolutionary context helps explain why cordyceps have been associated with stamina and endurance. They developed in conditions where efficiency wasn’t optional, it was just survival. 

There are hundreds of Cordyceps species, but modern wellness formulations primarily use Cordyceps militaris, a variety researched for its bioactive compounds, including cordycepin and polysaccharides. These compounds are associated with how the body supports energy metabolism at a cellular level.

Unlike simulants, cordyceps don’t work by activating the nervous system. Instead, they’re associated with supporting oxygen utilization and ATP production – the foundational processes behind sustainable energy. Stimulants create energy by asking the body to override fatigue signals. Cordyceps work upstream, supporting the systems that make energy available in the first place.

 

Energy vs Stimulation

The difference between energy and stimulation is subtle, but once you feel it, you can’t un-feel it.

Stimulation is a nervous system overload. It’s sharp, fast, and immediate. It can feel like tunnel focus, out of body, with a little edge. Sometimes it’s productive and can “help” you lock in focus. But more often it’s just your body interpreting “more input” as “more output.” That’s why stimulation often comes with side effects that aren’t really side effects - they’re signals: jitteriness, racing thoughts, appetite is off, an anxious wave that runs through your body, and the classic comedown shortly after.

Energy works at the cellular level. Every cell produces ATP, the molecule that powers movement, focus, and endurance. When this system is supported, energy feels more available and steady. When it’s strained, the body compensates with stress hormones like cortisol to keep output high. 

Stimulants help you access energy, they don’t necessarily help you produce it.

Cordyceps fall into the second category. Rather than forcing stimulation, they’re known for supporting oxygen utilization and cellular energy production, which are the processes that help energy last. Over time, that can feel like fewer crashes, less afternoon fatigue, and energy that lasts into the evening without disrupting sleep. 

Cordyceps at Alice

At Alice Mushrooms, cordyceps are a foundational ingredient. Not because they promise instant energy, but because they support the systems that energy depends on.

In BrainStorm, cordyceps help support sustained mental energy alongside ingredients for cognitive function and stress adaptation. The result is focus that holds without tipping into overstimulation or burnout.


In Party Trick, cordyceps act as the energetic backbone beneath mood and connection-supporting botanicals. While other ingredients work across serotonin, dopamine, and GABA pathways to support social ease. Cordyceps help energy feel present and social, without borrowing from the next day. 


In Happy Ending, cordyceps support stamina and circulation as part of a broader approach to intimacy and sexual wellness. Rather than sharp peaks followed by quick drop-offs, energy feels supported and available, allowing lasting connection.


Across formulas, the role of cordyceps stays consistent: support energy production without the stress. 

A Smarter Way to Think About Energy

The next era of wellness isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing things differently. Energy doesn’t need to be hacked or forced. It needs the right conditions. When sleep, nutrition, movement, and stress signals are supported, the body already knows how to generate energy on its own. 

Cordyceps don’t change who you are or how you feel. They support the systems that allow your body to do what it’s designed to do; produce energy efficiently, without relying on cortisol to carry the load.

Over time, that means fewer spikes, steadier endurance, and energy that holds up across real-life demands. Not just workouts or nights out, but workdays, conversations, and everything in between. 

Energy without the crash.



Disclaimer: This blog contains promotional content about our products. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your wellness routine, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.


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