Does Lion's Mane Affect Adrenal Glands?
Most people don’t know where their adrenal glands are, let alone how important a role they play in our health. You can imagine your adrenals as small but mighty heroes who live above your kidneys.
They release hormones that help us cope with stress, manage blood pressure, boost energy levels and regulate metabolism. They’ve got a lot on their plate!
Most of the time, your adrenal glands have things under control, but things like too much stress can damage them. But your adrenals don’t need to fight alone.
Lion’s Mane is a medicinal mushroom that can turbo-boost their powers. By having Lion’s Mane as a reliable sidekick, your adrenal glands can be in top fighting form. So let’s embrace these little fungi and discover exactly how it makes a difference in your body…
What Are Adrenal Glands?
Ready, set, adrenaline!
Actually, your adrenal glands do a lot more than release adrenaline, despite their name. These two rockstars are a crucial part of your endocrine system, regulating your many hormones (over 50 of them!). This dynamic duo can’t do their job alone, though. They work in a team called the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, along with the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
They’re the Avengers of your bodily functions, making sure all is well day and night.
If stress attacks, your adrenal glands kick into action. They release cortisol and adrenaline, which stimulate your heart, brain and muscles in a fight-or-flight response. Then it’s the adrenal cortex’s turn, secreting corticosteroids - the chill pills for your body’s internal activities. They dampen processes like your immune system and digestion.
As you can imagine, that’s good for emergencies but not great if it happens a lot!
Especially since your adrenals are simultaneously controlling every other hormone floating around inside of you. It’s a tricky balancing act, and sometimes your adrenals can get tired out.
All About Adrenal Fatigue…
Adrenal fatigue is the monster that creeps in the window when your body is overwhelmed by chronic stress. It brings with it overall exhaustion, achy muscles, weight fluctuations, dizziness and even hair loss.
That’s because even the powerful adrenals can’t handle constant stress and its demands on your hormonal system.
Dr Wilson first introduced the concept of adrenal fatigue back in ‘98. He linked adrenal overstimulation to iffy cortisol levels and a deficiency of a similar hormone called DHEA. He proposed that your adrenal glands go through a daily rollercoaster when they’re overworked. That can look like this:
- Mornings that don’t start until you’ve had caffeine!
- Frequent rises and falls in energy levels throughout the day
- Most energy at 11 pm
The Stress Response
Lion's Mane is your natural de-stresser, like a massage after a run or a warm drink on a rainy day. That makes this shroom a particularly good friend to your adrenals, keeping them relaxed and healthy. Lion’s Mane is an adaptogen, which increases your body’s resilience to all sorts of stress, whether chemical, physical or biological.
When stress hits, your body’s response system kicks in, called the HPA axis. Releasing cortisol and other glucocorticoids; they aim to tackle the source. But Lion’s Mane can step in, working its magic to mediate the stress while letting your body recover.
This clever mushroom lets your adrenal glands and HPA axis find balance, even in times of extreme stress.
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It’s All In Your Head
Lion's Mane, aka Hericium erinaceus, is a cool mushroom with adaptogenic powers. It can do some pretty nifty stuff for your brain and body. Research has discovered that Lion's Mane extract can undo dangerous, stress-related changes in neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Which is important since these guys are responsible for your mood!
Lion’s Mane can also lower inflammatory markers, which is extra important for those stressful moments, so you’re not suffering any long-term damage. In particular, Lion’s Mane can reverse the impacts on something called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a protein necessary for your brain to fire on all cylinders. Low BDNF can make you more likely to feel stressed or depressed.
Put simply, Lion’s Mane gets to work in your brain as well as your adrenals, backing them up when they need it. When taken as a regular supplement, this snazzy shroom can be an energiser and a stabiliser all in one. So if you’re on the lookout for something that can help you level up mentally and physically, Lion’s Mane is your fungi.
Reducing Anxiety
Lion’s Mane is a super shroom when it comes to anxiety. It can provide a double whammy effect on those worrying feelings and body sensations. Firstly, it enhances something called GABA, which is a relaxing chemical, so you can feel calmer under pressure.
Second, it offers unique anti-inflammatory properties that can also reduce your body’s overall anxiety responses. People have noticed a similar power against depression levels too.
And as a bonus for your feelings, this fun fungus supports your hippocampus in regenerating brain cells. So you have a better chance of staying focused on those happy thoughts.
Healing Inflammation & Oxidative Stress
When it comes to your body’s well-being, there’s no greater enemy than inflammation and oxidative stress. Luckily, these are Lion’s Mane’s specialities. Inflammation can cause a lot of trouble, creating oxidative stress and triggering your body into producing its stress hormones. Not cool.
Lion’s Mane can put your body back in line with its impressive antioxidant skills, as its fruiting body extracts have been proven to fight back against free radicals and general oxidation.
It’s basically a shield against chronic inflammation and the pretty serious effects it can have on your hormonal system.
Why Blood Sugar Matters
Whenever stress hits us, our bodies respond by sending our glucose levels into overdrive, thanks to our stress hormone, cortisol. Unfortunately, high sugar levels can wreak havoc on our bodies.
Paging Lion’s Mane…
In the early stages of adrenal fatigue, cortisol and blood glucose are soaring. But in the later stages, the total opposite can happen. So what can you do? Lion’s Mane saves the day with its antihyperglycemic properties. It balances out blood sugar levels even after stress spikes.
In addition, it increases insulin and reduces lipids, altogether making your bloodstream a nice place to be. So, this smart mushy is capable of protecting your blood sugars, even when the cortisol hits the fan.
Lion’s Mane And Your Adrenal Glands…
If you want to stay on top of your hormones, keep ahead of adrenal fatigue and feel your best, then Lion’s Mane can help. This smart adaptogen can support many of your body’s functions and even protect your body and brain. So why wait for the stress to hit? Try our high-quality Lion’s Mane capsules for the ultimate well-being boost.
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