Skip to content
UmboUmbo

Meet the functional mushroom All-Star Team

An introduction to Tremella

The Hydration Heavyweight

Tremella functional mushroom for athletes: The Hydration Heavyweight

Meet Tremella

An introduction to Tremella (Tremella fuciformis), a functional mushroom: Why athletes should consider using Tremella, its benefits for performance and recovery, when to take it, and intake guidelines.
Tremella

Why Tremella is your new teammate

Tremella can hold up to 500 times its weight in water. So when athletes are thinking about staying hydrated, this is a no-brainer. Tremella supports whole-body hydration, which especially benefits the body's joints, fascia, and muscle tissue. Not only that, it is rich in antioxidants and will bolster the immune system. It’s true that Tremella mushrooms are also gaining popularity in the beauty industry for their exceptional hydrating properties, and are often likened to hyaluronic acid for their ability to retain moisture and improve skin elasticity. But their ability to help athletes hydrate and recover is even more impressive.

 

Makes us think of… Mikaela Shiffrin

Mikaela Shiffrin, the dominant alpine skier, is well known for her near-superhuman agility and speed. But the intense high-speed turns and jumps of her sport puts huge pressure on her joints and muscles. So to remain at the top of the leaderboards, she has to rely on tremendously flexible joints and deep hydration to combat muscle fatigue and soreness. The powerful hydrating benefits of Tremella marry up with these needs perfectly.

 

It’s going to help you hydrate, especially for rehydrating after you just worked out and lost all that sweat.

—Jake “The Snake” Plummer

 

Benefits of Tremella for Athletes

Deep Hydration

Staying hydrated isn't only about drinking water. It's also about making sure that the water stays in the body after drinking it, and ensuring it reaches every corner of the body that needs it. That’s where Tremella can help.

Soft Tissue Support

By helping to deeply hydrate the body, Tremella provides support for all soft tissues, including joints, fascia, and even muscles, helping athletes become more limber than a gymnast at a yoga retreat. Healthier joints mean being able to dodge, weave, and slalom without everything going snap, crackle, and pop.

 

When to take Tremella functional mushrooms

Times when athletes can consider using Tremella to help with recovery:

  • Daily, in the evening: Use Tremella as a part of a daily evening routine. Consistency is key. Taking it every day can help reduce inflammation and soreness, leading to better joint and fascia health over time.
  • Post-workout: After any sort of intense physical exertion, the body needs to recover — and this is when Tremella can shine. Its hydrating properties help the body hold onto fluids and aid in the recovery of muscles and joints. Ideally, use the Tremella within 30-60 minutes after the workout.
  • Rest days: On rest days, using Tremella can help to maintain hydration levels and continue supporting joint health, ensuring the body is well-prepared for the next workout or competition.

How much should I take?

Here are rough intake guidelines for functional mushrooms: Each athlete has different needs, of course. And, there is no official regulatory agency that has determined any sort of recommended daily dosage. Based on our own experience, however, reading all the research and consulting with the professional trainers, nutritionists, and athletes that we know, we have a solid point of view on it. Please use it as an input, and also work with a professional, if you can, to figure out what works best for you.

A meaningful amount

An estimated ~300 mg – 1,000 mg per functional mushroom per day.

How much is enough functional mushrooms? For us, depending on the source of the mushrooms and quality of the extraction and production methods used, a meaningful amount of functional mushrooms is at least 300 mg of one functional mushroom on any given day.

Enough per day

At least 2,000 mg total intake of functional mushrooms daily.

We suggest getting at least 2,000 mg of functional mushrooms daily — in whatever combination of types and formats of mushrooms that makes sense to you. You know your sport, abilities, routines, and goals better than anyone else.

For example, this could mean taking 1,000 mg of two different mushroom tinctures as a part of your daily routine. Or it could mean eating a single bar containing 500 mg of five different mushrooms.

In a regular routine

For best results, use functional mushrooms consistently over time.

While many people feel effects from functional mushrooms right away, the most significant and lasting benefits come with consistent use over time. Regular intake allows the body to accumulate and use the active compounds more effectively, leading to sustained improvements in performance and recovery. Consistent use also helps in reducing inflammation and maintaining the body’s balance.

More from The Playbook