The global dietary supplements market size was USD 61.20 billion in 2020 according to Fortune Business Insights and is set to grow to USD 128.64 billion in 2028. With a market this big and a mix of regulated and unregulated markets it can be hard to find quality supplements to augment health goals and wellbeing.
In this article I am going to highlight 3 supplements worthy of consideration. The physiologically demanding nature of business travel dictates this selection, with an emphasis on items that help road warriors build vitality. I won't pretend there aren't lots of recommendations when it comes to supplements, but I would like to focus on the business traveller's health challenge in three areas, immunity, inflammation and energy (dealing with stress). Up for consideration are Chaga, Cordyceps and Holy Basil.
Why Chaga, Cordyceps and Holy Basil?
They have proven themselves to work well through time. They have storied pedigrees, science has come to identify them as having bioactive ingredients we can use to managing immunity inflammation and energy, and they are accessible and portable. Being accessible and portable is important if we are to make them a protocol we can sustain easily while travelling.
A Useful Tool for Understanding Supplements
In making our selection, we also want to be mindful of three things to get the best outcomes. One is the idea of active ingredients, second the molecular makeup of minerals and vitamins, and third the idea of a therapeutic dose.
Active ingredients - They are bioactives and have specific properties that mesh and work well in our biochemistry. Taking them in relevant amounts, triggers the action that confers the benefits on us.
Molecular makeup - Basic supplements are made up of a metal and a salt for instance potassium is the metal and chloride is the salt in potassium chloride. The molecular pairing between the metal and the salt helps determine some of the properties and how it works when consumed.
Therapeutic dose - this is the amount of supplement that brings about the health benefit we are looking for.
This understanding can help cut through the confusion and hype often accompanying supplement recommendations, as well as get rid of some of the confusion around recommended daily amounts (RDA's). As with any sensible course of action consult with your primary health care physician if you are in any doubt as to what may or may not be right for you.
Will These Work for Me?
The only other consideration I would offer before we look at the three recommendations is that you take note of any biochemical individuality specification you may have. If you are not sure what biochemical idiosyncrasies you may have working with Lab tests can be insightful as could working alongside a nutritional therapist.
To recap, in selecting these 3 items I hope to give you some choices to build your own go to supplement protocol, flexible enough to take on the road with you, and has a ground up approach to building vitality on the go.
3 Adaptogens to Thrive
Our choices, Chaga, Cordyceps and Holy Basil are adaptogens. This means they are non-toxic, so they can be taken indefinitely with increasing benefit. They give a non-specific response to the body which means they are multi-directional, and they have a normalising influence on the body, irrespective of whichever direction the imbalance is in.
Chaga for superior Immunity.
Chaga has a high Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity (ORAC) score
with a broad spectrum nutrient profile. It has appreciable amounts of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), an enzyme that is one of the body's super antioxidants and is an active ingredient mostly water soluble. It is also useful for helping with chronic inflammation.
Chaga is a class of medicinal mushroom (fungi). Its finished product for consumption is a brown powder you can use as a coffee substitute or make as a chaga tea.
Cordyceps for Exercise Performance.
Cordyceps is also of the fungi family and is known to help increase adenosine triphosphate (ATP) the cellular fuel molecule. It has been shown to be good at helping increase aerobic capacity, as well as having anti-ageing properties and help fight inflammation. You get better results from taking good quality Cordyceps the longer you take it.
Cordyceps comes is available as a light brown powder, which may also be used as a coffee substitute, or as a tea in hot water.
Holy Basil for Anti Stress
Holy basil, has anti-stress and radio-protective properties (protection against radiation). It has amounts of Superoxide Dismutase and Superoxide Catalase, great cellular antioxidants. It also contains the active ingredients Eugenol and Ursolic acids.
Holy Basil is a herb widely used in the Ayurvedic traditional medicine. Unlike Cordyceps the effects of Holy Basil are quite easy to experience. Take the fresh or dried herb and steep in hot water to make a tea. If you make it particularly strong (double bag) you may be surprised at how quickly you can feel the effects. Less stress more energy!
Putting it Together in a Simple Protocol
In all three of our recommendations, a simple protocol would be to carry the powdered sachets of these with you. To make it a protocol try swapping out your usual beverage for any one of these to build vitality.
The Takeaway
N=1.Try these out and see what works for you and tweak it if you have to.
TL;DR
Get a basic understanding of supplements via active ingredients, supplement makeup and a therapeutic dose.
Take any biochemical quirks you may have into consideration when taking supplements and get help if you need to.
Get a working understanding of the power of Adaptogens, and pick 3 to help with immunity, inflammation and stress (energy).
References
Fortune Business Insights - The global dietary supplements market is projected to grow from $71.81 billion in 2021 to $128.64 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 8.68% in forecast period
Read More at:-
CHAGA
CORDYCEPS
HOLY BASIL - TULSI