HANAH Cordyceps+: the secret weapon of Travis Rice

Not all ingredients are created equal:

My secret weapon

by Travis Rice

When your livelihood and often your life depends on being physically and mentally sharp, you become ruthless in finding ways to improve your mental and physical performance. Over the years this has led to me to research, try, and combine just about every supplement out there. Add the fact that my fiancée is an organic chef whose culinary craft is deeply rooted in Ayurveda, and you can see why we’re deliberate about what we eat.

Cordyceps first came across my radar about ten years ago, and every so often I’d see an article about it or try a new product that had it on the ingredients list. Like many of the supplements I’ve tried, it seemed to be on the “It’s good for me, so I suppose I’ll take it” list, even though I never noticed much of a benefit.

That changed the first time I tried HANAH Cordyceps+. Initially, I didn’t know there was any difference between the medicinal mushroom that HANAH’s harvesters pick by hand in Bhutan and the lower quality, lab-created version that we see on our health food store shelves HANAH founder Joel Einhorn clued me in, but it wasn’t until I opened the jar and tried a few capsules that what he  was saying hit home.

Within minutes I felt this big mental lift. It was easier to concentrate on what I was doing and my memory recall was heightened. From then on, I started taking HANAH Cordyceps+ anytime I was working, presenting, or doing anything in which I needed to be on top of my game. This also extended to snowboarding. On days I took Cordyceps+ last winter I recovered quicker between runs and felt like I had access to more physical and mental focus. It was as if someone had flipped on an enhancement switch or put me into sport mode. A few days later I tried some of the old Cordyceps blends I had lying around to see if they had the same effect, but they didn’t do anything. Clearly, the cheap version and legitimate Bhutanese Cordyceps+ are two very different things.

Once I had this unique view into what genuine Cordyceps could do, I was determined to put myself in the midst of the back story. So I traveled with Joel and the HANAH crew to Bhutan to experience everything that goes into producing it first-hand. I learned a lot about the way they practice medicine and the Cordyceps harvesting protocols that the highlanders have to follow. Joel and I got permission from the Bhutanese government to meet up with a Cordyceps hunter as part of our five-day trek. We spent the morning hiking up to around 14,500 feet, and then helped him look for the elusive ghost moth that pokes out of the ground by only a centimeter or so. After five hours of combing the Himalayan hillside, Joel and I didn’t see any sign of this prized crop. The harvester himself found two, which he said made it a productive day.

The Bhutanese government emphasizes this kind of sustainable practice, unlike other Cordyceps-producing countries where the yields are declining every year because of over-collection. Just a couple of people in each family receive a harvesting permit and they can only forage for Cordyceps at a certain time of year. People from other parts of the country and foreigners can’t intrude and we had to get special permission for that rare occasion on which outsiders were allowed to accompany the highlanders in their work. It was refreshing to see the royal family, government, and business leaders considering the needs of local people when making policy decisions, rather than just pursuing profit.

This was also reflected in the country as a whole. I’m a pretty spiritual person and was delighted to see people living out their beliefs. God isn’t just something they pay lip service to, but a real part of everything they do and say. Bhutanese leaders have created an environment where this kind of faith practiced can be out in the open. It’s also the first place I’ve visited where across the board people seemed genuinely happy. Of course Bhutan has its challenges like every other country. But in each conversation we had – from the Cordyceps harvester to the Prince of Bhutan to the street vendors at the market – this deep sense of contentment shone through. When these people talked to me it was as if they were having a conversation with a lifelong friend. Bhutan has flipped our social structure on its head; everyone I met seemed to care more about their quality of life. That left its mark on me.

Now that I’ve witnessed how the Bhutanese live, forged friendships with them, and seen how pure HANAH sources ingredients, it’s evident why Cordyceps+ is so much more potent than those mass market versions I’d been taking. After sitting down and discussing the ancient recipe with the Bhutanese council that oversees the country’s traditional medicine practices, I found out why HANAH includes eight additional botanicals. The unique blend creates a delivery mechanism that maximizes the Cordyceps’ medicinal benefits.

For me, these are self-evident. It’s rare to come across a supplement that lives up to its hype and delivers dramatic effects. But that’s exactly what I’ve found in HANAH Cordyceps+. Anytime I need to work smarter, go faster or just be at my best, it’s a go-to part of my morning routine. I can’t wait for the new shipment to arrive because after handing out most of what I had left to friends, I need more of my new secret weapon.