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. Stress relief 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. 

Today’s energy comes from stacked caffeine: espresso shots layered with cold brew, pre-workout, a 2 p.m. energy drink meant to keep stress 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. Stress 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 stress 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. 

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.