How did Life Cykel come about?
The inventor said on the Luke Story Life Stylist podcast that he was looking for long term sustainable food products . Life Cykel has grown massively in popularity from being mentioned in the Joe Rogan podcast to the company receiving investment from the world’s most famous biohacker Dave Asprey. The company has been growing globally with bases in the US and Amsterdam as well as as their main HQ in Byron Bay, Australia.
Why supplement Fungi?
Fungi are very flexible. They can help with stress, immunity, energy, sleep, relaxation , and are extremely safe as you can consume 5kg and not overdose.
The oldest living organisms on planet earth are mushrooms. They’re the only organism that can break down rock and create soil, so they form the foundation of nature and society today. A healthy ecosystem has a lot of mycelium mushrooms heavily enrolled in life and death of nature . When trees die in forests, they’re usually covered with mycelium . Mushrooms are fundamental to nature .
Mushrooms have always had medicinal properties. In terms of Chinese medicine, the problem is 95 percent of medicinal mushrooms are sourced from China, which has huge problems in regards to pesticide residue , heavy metals and moulds.
Nothing grows as quick as mushrooms as they grow within 14 days. With 300 different edible strains, mushrooms are the absorbers of their environment. These mushrooms are grown in Byron Bay in many untouched environments since it’s crucial that you source your mushrooms in a clean environment.
Random mushroom powders which come in from China are grown in heavily polluted environments. 95 percent of mushrooms from China are grown in these environments, and there is very little transparency in the Chinese market in terms of sourcing. The quality assurance process is extremely important. A lot of products are repackaged and resold.In addition, they are in a powder form, which isn’t as bioavailable.You also don’t know about the heavy metal or mould content because there is no transparency . 45 percent of farmable land in China is now not farmable due to pollution, so the quality of farmable land itself is going down hill. Understanding the Carbon source of the food is also necessary.
Powders can be a very good entry level mushroom supplement, but liquid extracts tend to be more popular for those who really want a better/more powerful feeling.
Pricing:
• The Turkey Tail, Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Turkey Tail Shiitake all come in at £19 a 30 dose bottle, whereas the Chaga mushroom comes £28 a bottle, which is understandable as it has to be forged in the US, whereas the others are grown in Byron Bay. Each bottle is 60ml per bottle.
• Alternatively, you can purchase the biohacker set at £75 which includes the Turkey Tail, Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps and Shiitake. This will save you around £20 in comparison to buying them individually, or you can purchase them in 60 ml bottle format for £112, which will give you a 2 month’s supply, saving roughly £40. They also have additional subscription services, which can save you more money in the long run.
• You can swap in Cordyceps mushroom for Chaga in the biohacker set for £15 extra.
• The Australian Activation Set comes in slightly pricier at £80 but contains the more expensive Chaga Mushroom.
What Makes Life Cykel Special
• Liquid Dual Extraction Process; Water and a fat soluble alcohol extract; 25-40 percent from powder. Through ethanol extraction, you can pull more nutrients from the mushroom like poly-sacarrides.
• Lab results testing for heavy metals, mycotoxins, amino acids and moulds.
• Grown in Byron Bay for freshness, showing the whole supply chain of where it was farmed.
• All have Kakadu Plum from Northern Australian, which is one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C. It has around 100 times more Vitamin C than an orange. The vitamin C helps amplify the effects of the mushrooms. When you can put that in an extract form, the vitamin C is also a catalyst for collagen and skin health, so it can work well with the Chaga and Shitake for skin care. Koreans also put and Kakadu Plum in their skincare products. No other mushroom products can be purchased with the Kakadu Plum.
Lion’s Mane
• This mushroom is known as the lobster of the woods.
• Dave Asprey said that taking a tincture before bedtime can enhance deep REM sleep and improve dreaming (Luke’s Story also noticed improved deep sleep).
• Crucial for enhancing BDNF
• Improved REM sleep leads to improved memory the next day, which is great for the older population to ward off mild cognitive impairment.
• Helping neurogenesis
• Decreasing Neurodegeneration
• Optimising brain health, it improves focus and memory.
• Dual usage you can take in the morning to get mental clarity and focus, and you can take it in the evening to help your REM sleep.
• Closest thing to magic mushrooms in terms of their impact on the brain.
• Remillanate the nerve cells – within the NGF nerve growth factor, it helps stimulate the myelin, which is the insulation around your nervous system . As we get older, that myelin wears away like an electrical cord wearing away, so the impulse is not as smooth. With lion’s man, the remilination is fast, so it gives you a huge mental boost and protects your brain from ageing.
Cordyceps :
• Great for Pre-Work out.
• Great for Boosting Testosterone.
• Gives a good buzz.similar to caffeine but with no adrenal fatigue, which you see with coffee, and it won’tkeep you up at night
• Increases ATP production (energy levels from coffee for example), helps cellular repair, helps penetrate the DNA, infecting viruses and bacteria and stops them from replicating.
• Cordyceps and lion’s mane can fight off the addictiveness of coffee and, offer some variation.
Reishi:
• Seen as a gift in Chinese culture to keep away bad spirits.
• Good in a stack with other supplements like CBD.
• Immunomodulator-Reishi has many benefits to helping the immune system.
• Very calming mushroom if you’re very stressed.
Chaga:
• Good to balance drinks and makes them more Alkaline. A lot of people suffer from diets that are too acidic.
• Restoration of the pineal gland by detoxing
• One of the most antioxidant rich foods in the world
• Not Farmed but foraged for more sustainable sourcing.
• Sourced from Canada, US and Lithuania
• They do have a production facility in Wisconsin as Australia is too dry for birch trees and cold for birch trees.
• Chaga grows for 10-20 year period in a very cold climate
• Dual Extract is extremely important for chaga
• Most chaga comes from questionable sources., amount of Birch trees no burn-off used to having fire, temperatures are higher so less 1 in everyone 1000 trees Chaga. The Chaga grows on the tree over a 10 years, so its trace minerals are very high.
• The melanin in Chaga can have potential benefits against the effects of radiation.
Shitake Mushroom:
• Helps with the elasticity of your skin
• UV radiation protection, cardiovascular health
• Antiviral protection.
• D2,D3,D4 full spectrum D vitamins.
• Good for hair, skin and nails.
• Liquid extract for 10 times increased absorption. You wouldn’t be able to eat the equivalent amount that you’d get from consumption.
TurkeyTail:
• Sourced from the Blue Mountains in Australia very pristine area of land low in pollutants
• Improves gut health by being a prebiotic.
• Activates good gut bacteria.
• Helps with indigestion.
• Helps stimulate the immune system
• Helps with breast cancer remission. PSK compound is used for breast cancer remission (see Luke’s Story Podcast listed below for more sources of information on this topic ).
• Good Mood Stabiliser
• PSB compounds help the good bacteria.
The New Ancient Activation Mushroom Set:
This set was introduced in early September and features the two best- selling mushrooms of the Life Cykel’s brand: Chaga and Lion’s Mane . Life Cykel has combined them with various famous nutrient dense bush foods to create unique flavour profiles, perfect for making a healthy mocktail, good for kids, religious people who can’t drink alcoholic tinctures. In addition, those with past alcohol problems often can potentially have problems with alcohol based tinctures too, so this product is perfect for those people.
This set doesn’t have a strong mushroom taste, which is good for those who find mushrooms difficult to eat. They taste a little bit more on the sweet side due to the glycerin and the added foods. These come with some unique world bush foods (all information was taken from the Life Cykel website).
• The Davidson plum has, powerful antioxidant effects and is also packed full of essential vitamins and minerals. This beautiful crimson coloured fruit is native to the tropical rainforests of Northern New South Wales and Queensland and has a tart and slightly sweet flavour
• Finger Lime, which is a native Australian Citrus has“caviar like pearls” with fresh and zesty flavours. It has been regarded as a valuable food source by Australian indigenous people for thousands of years due to its anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities.
• Lemon Myrtle : Australian Indigenous people have used Lemon Myrtle leaves for centuries. Lemon Myrtle is a beautiful native Australian aromatic shrub that provides a fresh fragrant aroma and taste. It was traditionally used to treat mild illnesses such as coughs, colds , and stomach sickness.
• Lavender, has fantastic anti- inflammatory and antibacterial properties, which ismost loved in France with a sweet floral and woody note.
• Native River Mint-wellness herb from Southern Australia
• Echinacea- Antiviral plant
Pros:
• Very good taste, not too strong.
• Absorption is stronger as, liquid extract works quicker than powdered extract, especially if you put the liquid extract on the tongue,
• Alcohol/ethanol is better for vasodilation and will help absorb more of the compounds.
• The products look absolutely beautiful in terms of the way they’re packaged, especially the new Ancient Box edition, making it the perfect gift for a biohacking enthusiast.
• Ancient Aviation Box has a great different combination of flavours, which are delicious and are a really innovative product
• Price wise, it’s still on par with brands like Four Sigmatic per say.
• Can be stacked together or with other supplements for a more impactful health effect for example for sleep reishi mushroom can be stacked with CBD oil for more effectiveness .
Cons:
• Taxes-despite the free shipping, people ordering from Europe and Australia will be hit with taxation for importing this product, but as I’m aware, they are working with online retailers in the UK to have them stocked here.
• Delivery can be slow compared to products from the US. You’re looking at around 2 weeks if you’re based in the UK receiving these from Australia.
• Glycerin in the Ancient Activation Mushroom Set isn’t as absorbing as the Alcohol based tinctures are, so there is some sacrifice in terms of bioavailability.
Conclusion:
Life Cykel is my favourite mushroom product on the market right now. I absolutely love everything about this company in terms of its impact on my health. I’ve noticed improved sleep and cognitive benefits from taking these products compared to the typical powdered mushrooms. The company as a business really cares for the quality of its product in terms of heavy metal, mycotoxin testing, and safe sustainable sourcing methods really make you believe that they are putting ethics ahead of profit . I recommend everyone give the “Biohacker Set” a try and see what it can do for your health. It’s ethical businesses like these that really need supporting in the modern world.
Score 9.5/10
To buy : https://lifecykel.com
Further Information – Most of this blog post info was derived from :
https://www.lukestorey.com/lukestore/mushroom-extracts-by-life-cykle
Life Cykel on bulletproof radio
The Rational Biohacker 