Scientific studies: what research says about our ingredients

Our method

How we select the studies.

A single study proves little. What counts is the body of work. Our rules:

• Peer-reviewed journals only, findable on PubMed or at the publisher.
• Humans first, then reviews, then the laboratory and animal work, always flagged as such.
• For each trial: participants, dose and duration, when we know them with certainty.
• Negative or mixed results stay on the page.
• The studies concern the ingredients, not our finished formulas.

These references are informative and do not replace your doctor's advice.

The user manual

How to read a study in six questions.

Faced with a catchy headline, ask yourself these questions. They apply to any study, including the ones on this page.

A meta-analysis pools several trials and carries more weight than a single study, provided those trials are of good quality. In the tables below, the “Type” column gives you that level of evidence at a glance.

The doses

Why doses matter as much as the ingredient.

A study result holds for the dose, the form and the duration that were tested. A few examples:

Two lessons. A formula without doses in milligrams cannot be compared with the studies: each product page therefore sets out its composition, for Focus, Energy, Anti-Stress Complex, Sleep+, Immunity and Muscle Recovery. And more is not always better: with rosemary, the smallest dose gave the best result.

Our Brainstoorm delivers 1,000 mg of Lion's Mane, of cordyceps and of chaga, and 3,000 mg of maca per cup: the dose of the reference trial on maca, and three times more actives than most mushroom coffees. Then there is regularity: the trials run for weeks, not one morning.

Mushroom · Cordyceps militaris

Cordyceps: energy and effort.

The cordyceps is studied in connection with effort and fatigue. You will find it in Energy, Muscle Recovery and Brainstoorm. In athletes, the results are mixed.

Mushroom · Ganoderma lucidum

Reishi: relaxation and immunity.

The reishi is in Anti-Stress Complex, Sleep+ and Immunity. A lot of laboratory work, a few human trials and a cautious Cochrane review.

Mushroom · Inonotus obliquus

Chaga: mostly laboratory work.

The chaga is in Immunity, Muscle Recovery and Brainstoorm. Rich in antioxidants, it still lacks human trials.

Mushroom · Pleurotus ostreatus

Oyster mushroom: pleuran.

The oyster mushroom completes chaga and reishi in Immunity. Its beta-glucan, pleuran, has been the subject of real human trials.

Andean root · Lepidium meyenii

Maca: energy and mood.

The maca is dosed at 3,000 mg per cup of Brainstoorm, and present in Energy.

Adaptogenic plant · Eleutherococcus senticosus

Siberian ginseng: mixed results.

The Siberian ginseng is the plant that gave birth to the word “adaptogen”. Its recent human trials are more nuanced than its reputation.

Botanical · Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba: memory and circulation.

The ginkgo is in Focus. Tested on thousands of people, with results that depend on the audience.

Botanical · Salvia rosmarinus

Rosemary: the herb of memory.

The rosemary has a long-standing reputation. The human studies are small, but well conducted.

Botanical · Curcuma longa

Turmeric: joints and bioavailability.

The turmeric is in Muscle Recovery. Its curcumin is poorly absorbed: keep that in mind when reading its studies.

Botanical · Boswellia serrata

Boswellia: frankincense under study.

The boswellia accompanies turmeric in Muscle Recovery. Its boswellic acids are the target of the research.

Botanical · Pinus pinaster

Maritime pine: blood vessels and attention.

The bark of the maritime pine, in Focus, is studied above all in connection with circulation.

Botanical · Zingiber officinale

Ginger: nausea and joints.

The ginger is in Energy. It is a much studied spice, sometimes head to head with medicines.

Vitamin · Ascorbic acid

Vitamin C: documented immunity.

Vitamin C completes cordyceps, maca and ginger in Energy.

And also

The other ingredients in our formulas.

Our courses also contain bacopa (Focus), valerian, melatonin and magnesium bisglycinate (Sleep+), holy basil and schisandra (Anti-Stress). Each has its own page, studies and precautions included. The chicory in Brainstoorm is there for the taste and the roundness. Overview on our active ingredients and our mushrooms.

Sources

The 109 references, numbered.

In the order of the page. References without an author come from our earlier selection; most link through to PubMed.

1. Mori et al. (2009). Phytother Res.
2. Saitsu et al. (2019). Biomed Res.
3. Nagano et al. (2010). Biomed Res.
4. Docherty et al. (2023). Nutrients.
5. Li et al. (2018). Behav Neurol.
6. Szućko-Kociuba et al. (2023). Int J Mol Sci.
7. Lai et al. (2013). Int J Med Mushrooms.
8. Lion's Mane and memory loss in mice.
9. Hirsch et al. (2017). J Diet Suppl.
10. Parcell et al. (2004). Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab.
11. Nakamura et al. (2024). Nutrients.
12. Choi et al. (2020). Mycobiology.
13. Koh et al. (2003). Biol Pharm Bull.
14. Cordyceps, nervous system, metabolism and immunity.
15. Cordyceps and ATP production.
16. Tang et al. (2005). J Med Food.
17. Zhang et al. (2008). Br J Sports Med.
18. Jin et al. (2016). Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
19. Sanodiya et al. (2009). Curr Pharm Biotechnol.
20. Boh et al. (2007). Biotechnol Annu Rev.
21. Antidepressant, anxiolytic and analgesic effects of Ganoderma (2021). Biochem Biophys Rep.
22. Reishi and the immune system.
23. Reishi triterpenes, neurosedative properties.
24. Reishi, antitumour properties.
25. Fordjour et al. (2023). Front Pharmacol.
26. Immunostimulant effects of chaga polysaccharides (2011). Mol Cells.
27. Kikuchi et al. (2014). Clin Nephrol.
28. Chaga, antioxidant effects.
29. Chaga and cancer cells.
30. Chaga, muscle regeneration.
31. Chaga, uses since the 16th century.
32. Chaga, cancer and diabetes.
33. Bergendiova et al. (2011). Eur J Appl Physiol.
34. Dicks and Ellinger (2020). Nutrients.
35. Spacek et al. (2022). Immunotherapy.
36. Properties of the oyster mushroom.
37. Oyster mushroom lectin.
38. Oyster mushroom polysaccharides and immunity.
39. Pleuran in oncology.
40. Shevtsov et al. (2003). Phytomedicine.
41. Olsson et al. (2009). Planta Med.
42. Darbinyan et al. (2000). Phytomedicine.
43. Ishaque et al. (2012). BMC Complement Altern Med.
44. Ivanova Stojcheva and Quintela (2022). Molecules.
45. Amsterdam and Panossian (2016). Phytomedicine.
46. Chandrasekhar et al. (2012). Indian J Psychol Med.
47. Lopresti et al. (2019). Medicine.
48. Deshpande et al. (2020). Sleep Med.
49. Langade et al. (2021). J Ethnopharmacol.
50. Della Porta et al. (2023). Nutrients.
51. Speers et al. (2021). Curr Neuropharmacol.
52. Gonzales-Arimborgo et al. (2016). Pharmaceuticals.
53. Gonzales et al. (2002). Andrologia.
54. Gonzales et al. (2014). Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica.
55. Maca and oxidative stress.
56. Maca polysaccharides and immunity.
57. Maca polysaccharides and fatigue.
58. Bohn et al. (1987). Arzneimittelforschung.
59. Hartz et al. (2004). Psychol Med.
60. Goulet and Dionne (2005). Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab.
61. Li et al. (2022). Phytother Res.
62. Li et al. (2021). Front Pharmacol.
63. Graczyk et al. (2022). Molecules.
64. Tan et al. (2015). J Alzheimers Dis.
65. Zhao et al. (2012). Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao.
66. DeKosky et al. (2008). JAMA.
67. Diamond and Bailey (2013). Psychiatr Clin North Am.
68. Ginkgo, neuroprotection and Alzheimer's.
69. Ginkgo and cognitive function.
70. Nematolahi et al. (2018). Complement Ther Clin Pract.
71. Pengelly et al. (2012). J Med Food.
72. Moss et al. (2018). J Psychopharmacol.
73. Habtemariam (2016). Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.
74. de Oliveira et al. (2019). J Biomed Sci.
75. Faridzadeh et al. (2022). Front Neurosci.
76. Small et al. (2018). Am J Geriatr Psychiatry.
77. Shoba et al. (1998). Planta Med.
78. Zeng et al. (2021). Biosci Rep.
79. Doyle et al. (2023). Altern Ther Health Med.
80. Curcumin and health.
81. Curcumin, pharmacological aspects.
82. Curcumin and chronic diseases.
83. Kimmatkar et al. (2003). Phytomedicine.
84. Sengupta et al. (2008). Arthritis Res Ther.
85. Kirste et al. (2011). Cancer.
86. Taghizadeh et al. (2018). Arch Gerontol Geriatr.
87. Boswellic acids and inflammation.
88. Kell et al. (2017). Complement Ther Med.
89. Farokhnia et al. (2014). Hum Psychopharmacol.
90. Lopresti and Drummond (2014). Hum Psychopharmacol.
91. Marx et al. (2019). Nutr Rev.
92. Lu et al. (2021). Phytomedicine.
93. Pitsikas (2016). Molecules.
94. Luzzi et al. (2011). Panminerva Med.
95. Hu et al. (2015). Int Angiol.
96. Gulati (2014). Phytother Res.
97. Rohdewald (2002). Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther.
98. Pycnogenol, anti-inflammatory effects.
99. Hu et al. (2022). J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med.
100. Altman and Marcussen (2001). Arthritis Rheum.
101. Drozdov et al. (2012). J Altern Complement Med.
102. Heidari-Beni et al. (2020). Phytother Res.
103. Aryaeian et al. (2019). Gene.
104. Martins et al. (2019). Cephalalgia.
105. Hemilä and Chalker (2013). Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
106. Sim et al. (2022). Eur J Nutr.
107. Žmitek et al. (2024). Nutrients.
108. Carr, Maggini (2017). Nutrients.
109. Hemilä (2017). Nutrients.

Going further

Keep exploring.

Every ingredient has its own page: studied benefits, dosage, precautions. Or go straight to our products and our bundles.