Health Stix
Runner silhouetted against a bright sky
For active lifestyles

Move with
the evidence.

What the research really says about Health Stix ingredients and hydration, endurance, strength, focus and recovery.

Human studies prioritizedEvidence reviewed October 2026
The standard

Clear labels.
No overstating.

This page covers ingredients used in Energy, Tone & Slim, and Calm when exercise, hydration, fatigue, or recovery findings were located. We separate consistent human evidence from mixed findings and early preclinical signals - and keep study doses distinct from what is in a finished blend.

Strong

Multiple randomized trials or meta-analyses point in the same direction.

Mixed

Human studies exist, but findings differ or do not consistently improve performance.

Preliminary

Small trials, indirect findings, or preclinical exercise models that have not yet been confirmed in people.

Where evidence is strongest
01
Strong for caffeine

Matcha's caffeine for endurance

Matcha contains caffeine, and across 48 randomized trials, both low and moderate pre-exercise caffeine doses improved aerobic time-trial performance.

The finding supports matcha's caffeine component, but the exact response depends on dose and should not be read as proof that matcha as a whole produces the same effect.

2026 meta-analysis
02
Strong

Ashwagandha for training

Randomized trials report gains in strength and VO₂max alongside resistance training, plus lower stress and better sleep in separate studies.

Results come from standardized extracts, typically used daily for 8 weeks or longer.

Resistance-training RCT
03
Mixed

Electrolytes for hydration

Sodium-containing drinks can support fluid retention and help maintain plasma sodium during prolonged exercise in heat.

That does not guarantee faster performance or prevent cramps. Pink Himalayan salt itself has not been studied as an ergogenic aid.

Heat-cycling study
Hydration, in context

Hydration support is real. The performance leap is not automatic.

After exercise-induced dehydration in heat, sodium citrate improved water retention and plasma volume. But the same trial found virtually identical 40-km cycling times with sodium and placebo.

Suvi et al., 2018
68.10minutes for the sodium condition in the 40-km time trial
68.11minutes for placebo - no meaningful performance difference
20male endurance athletes in the randomized, double-blind crossover study
Ingredient evidence

Additional findings

The evidence ranges from human exercise trials to early animal models. Each label reflects that difference so a promising signal is not presented as proof.

Moderate / early

Cordyceps

Small human trials suggest possible improvements in oxygen uptake and time to exhaustion after consistent use.

What one trial foundIn 28 healthy adults, a 4 g/day mushroom blend containing Cordyceps militaris increased VO₂max after 3 weeks versus placebo.
Study details and limits
  • The intervention was a mushroom blend, so the effect cannot be assigned to cordyceps alone. Source
  • A separate acute 1 g study found a post-exercise attention benefit but no peak-VO₂ improvement. Source
Mixed

Spirulina

Two small crossover trials found higher hemoglobin after 2-3 weeks, but performance outcomes were inconsistent.

What changed - and what didn'tOne trial improved sprint power but not a 16.1-km time trial. Another found no improvement in VO₂max, maximal power, or time to fatigue.
Study details and limits
  • 15 trained male cyclists, 6 g/day for 21 days. Source
  • 17 recreationally active adults, 6 g/day for 14 days. Source
Mixed

Blueberry anthocyanins

Blueberries can shift some inflammatory lipid mediators after hard exercise, but benefits for soreness and performance have not been consistent.

Best-supported wordingSupports antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways - not a guaranteed recovery or performance boost.
Study details and limits
  • An 18-day trial found favorable oxylipin changes but no change in soreness, muscle damage, or performance. Source
  • A 13-study review found no significant overall performance effect. Source
Preliminary

MCT oil

MCTs can be oxidized as an energy substrate and may increase fat oxidation during lower-intensity exercise.

What is not establishedNo cited trial demonstrated better endurance or time-trial performance. Higher acute doses may cause gastrointestinal distress.
Study details and limits
  • Tracer research showed MCTs were oxidized during prolonged cycling, especially with carbohydrate, but did not measure performance. Source
  • A 2-week crossover trial found a fat-oxidation signal that varied by sex and fatty-acid composition. Source
Preclinical

King trumpet

Early animal research points to an anti-fatigue and exercise-capacity signal from king trumpet mushroom polysaccharides.

What the model foundIn aged mice, 20 days of Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharides prolonged exhaustive swimming and lowered lactate and blood urea nitrogen.
Study details and limits
  • This was a mouse model using an isolated polysaccharide dose, not a human trial or a test of a finished blend. Source
Preclinical

Chaga

Mouse exercise studies report longer time to exhaustion and changes in fatigue-related markers after chaga polysaccharide supplementation.

What the model foundTreated mice showed longer swimming or treadmill endurance alongside lower lactate and higher glycogen in some experiments.
Study details and limits
  • These findings come from animal models and concentrated extracts; they do not establish an effect in people. Source
Preclinical

Reishi

Reishi polysaccharides have shown anti-fatigue signals in mouse exercise models, including longer exhaustive-swim time.

What the model foundAfter 28 days, treated mice had longer swim endurance, more liver glycogen, and lower lactate and urea nitrogen.
Study details and limits
  • This was preclinical research at body-weight-adjusted doses, not a human performance trial. Source
Limited / mixed

Lion's mane

Lion's mane has been tested around graded exercise, but the available human study did not improve cardiorespiratory fitness, fuel use, or cognition.

What the human study foundFour weeks at 10 g/day produced no significant benefit in a small college-age cohort.
Study details and limits
  • The trial was small and single-blind, so it is a useful null finding rather than a final answer. Source
Preliminary

Shiitake

Shiitake appears in early anti-fatigue research and in a five-mushroom human blend that improved physical-fatigue scores.

The important limitThe human trial tested a blend, so shiitake cannot receive individual credit for the result.
Study details and limits
  • The 12-week trial used lion's mane, cordyceps, reishi, shiitake, and maitake together in adults with stress and sleep concerns, not athletes. Source
Indirect

Kale

Kale contributes to the broader leafy-green and dietary-nitrate evidence base connected with muscle function.

What the evidence showsHigher long-term intake of nitrate-rich vegetables was associated with greater leg strength and faster walking speed; this was not a kale supplement trial.
Study details and limits
  • The finding is observational and reflects dietary patterns, not proof that a serving of kale changes exercise performance. Source
Limited / mixed

Strawberry

Strawberry has been studied alongside exercise for post-meal lipid and oxidative-stress responses, but the small trial did not show a clear exercise-performance benefit.

What the trial foundIn 10 men, exercise changed triglyceride exposure; strawberry did not improve the main triglyceride or oxidative-stress outcomes versus placebo.
Study details and limits
  • The study tested 25 g freeze-dried strawberry after prior-day cycling in men with overweight or obesity, not athletic performance. Source
Preliminary

Lemon

A very small human study found a post-exercise lactate-clearance signal when lemon juice was paired with glucose.

What the study foundAfter one hour of cycling, lemon juice plus glucose accelerated the decline in blood lactate versus glucose alone during a 60-minute recovery.
Study details and limits
  • Only six men participated, and the trial measured lactate clearance rather than later performance. Source
Athlete stretching during post-workout recovery
Recovery is part of performance

Ashwagandha reaches beyond the workout.

Separate randomized trials and meta-analyses connect standardized ashwagandha extracts with lower perceived stress and cortisol, plus improved sleep quality - factors that matter when training consistently.

  • 01A meta-analysis of 5 randomized trials (400 participants) found a moderate improvement in sleep, strongest around 600 mg/day for 8 weeks or longer.
  • 02Exercise trials also report gains in strength and VO₂max, but findings depend on the extract, dose and training program.
  • 03Results are not a promise that every ashwagandha-containing product reproduces a clinical trial.
Sleep meta-analysis
Reading the page

Keep the evidence in context.

  • Human evidence and preclinical evidence are not equivalent.Animal exercise models can identify promising pathways, but they cannot predict a person's response.
  • Ingredient research is not finished-blend research.No cited study tested Energy, Tone & Slim, or Calm exactly as formulated.
  • Dose, form, and duration matter.Clinical outcomes depend on the amount used, extract standardization, timing, population, and training context.
  • Null and mixed findings belong in the picture.A studied ingredient can still have limited or inconsistent evidence for a specific exercise outcome.
A science companion

Evidence is a guide, not a finish line.

This page summarizes selected human and preclinical exercise studies and reviews found in a targeted evidence search completed October 10, 2026. It is not a full systematic review, medical advice or proof that a finished product will produce the same outcome as a study ingredient.

VO₂max means the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during intense exercise. “Time trial” measures how quickly a set distance or task is completed. Individual results vary.