Two Chinese distance runners shocked the sports world in 1993. Three world records shattered…on one day…from the same team.

They were bombarded with allegations. How could one team break so many records? The sport authorities suspected steroids…but the drug tests came back negative.

The athletes weren’t doping…but they were taking something…

The coach later broke his silence…when he told reporters that he did give them something. But that something was an all-natural performance supplement.

It’s a mystery that’s confounded sports experts for two decades. But now, recent findings from UCLA sheds light on how they did it. And those findings reveal that an ancient supplement boosts athletic performance.

It dates back to early Chinese records from 200 A.D. Yet most people have never heard about it.

Now the UCLA study is bringing attention to the ancient supplement.

The study was led by Dr. Zhaoping Li. She’s a professor at UCLA and specializes in clinical nutrition. For several years she’s been putting Chinese remedies to the clinical test.

“Supplementation improves exercise performance and contribute(s) to wellness in healthy older subjects,” says Dr. Li

Now doctors who have seen her study are supporting her findings. Dr. Jeffrey Dach is one of them. He has over 30 years of clinical medical experience…and is currently the Medical Director of a successful natural medicine clinic in Hollywood, Florida.

He calls the supplement an “energy superfood.”

“Athletes use (it) for endurance and stamina,” he says. “Research studies show (the supplement) increases energy and oxygen utilization.”

Read on to find out more about this natural exercise enhancer. Discover how it works in your body…and the best way to get it.

Boosting Exercise Performance

Dr. Li began her research by screening 20 healthy adults…ages 50-75.

She gave everyone a physical exam and conducted lab tests to measure their health and fitness. She then tested their peak incremental exercise on a stationary bike.

For the next 12 weeks, she gave half the group 333 mg of the supplement…three times a day. She gave the other half placebo pills.

After 12 weeks everyone had to take the same tests. The placebo group had no significant changes in anaerobic and endurance measures.

But the supplement group was different. They had a 10.5 percent and 8.5 percent increase in each category.

“These findings support the belief that (the supplement) has the potential to improve exercise capacity and resistance to fatigue,” says Dr. Li.

Power Up Your Body

So just what is this natural exercise enhancer? It’s called cordyceps. And it comes from a pretty unusual source.

It begins as a fungus…that grows on the back of the larvae of a caterpillar. It invades the caterpillar…and fuses with it. Then it bursts out of the head of the caterpillar. The remaining caterpillar and fungus are dried…and sold as cordyceps.

It sounds like something out of a horror film…but don’t get scared off. It can dramatically improve your performance.

Here’s how it works…

Cordyceps is an adaptogen herb that keeps your whole body in balance. It is thought to increase your oxygen capacity and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels. (ATP are converted nutrients that your body uses for fuel.)

We don’t store much ATP in our body. And that’s where cordyceps come in.

A study from the prestigious Peking Union Medical University in China shows how cordyceps can help. The study shows that it increases the amount of ATP stored in your liver…and, in turn, potentially creates more fuel for your body.

Movement from the Far East

Normally found in mountainous China, Nepal, and Tibet…cordyceps was until recently almost unknown. But people are now catching on…and it’s becoming more widely available.

It is available as a supplement in capsule form. You can get it online…or at a health foods store.

Doctors at USC University Hospital recommend you take 5-10 grams per day. And they say it’s safe…with no side effects.

Cordyceps may also boost another type of performance…one that most men care dearly about. It works by increasing the levels of a vital manly hormone…one that every man wants more of.

We’ll tell you what that hormone is…and how cordyceps boosts it. So keep an eye on our upcoming issues…when we’ll give you an update on that research.

To your best health,

Michael Jelinek,

Managing Editor, NHD “Health Watch”