Cordyceps Mushroom

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated April 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Cordyceps militaris. CC3.0 Andreas Kunze

Cordyceps Quick Fact Sheet

Name:	Cordyceps, Dong Chong Xia Cao, Linnaean - Cordyceps militaris, C. sinensis, 500+ other species
Color:	Yellow-orange stalk or powder
Constituents:	Cordycepin, polysaccharides (beta glucans, arabinoxylane, glucose, xylose, galactose and mannose), glycoproteins, ergosterols, triterpenoids, other myconutrients
Effect:	Anti-cancer, enhances ATP production, improves oxygen uptake, enhances immune function
Preparation:	The mushroom is ground into a powder and taken directly.
Dosing:	0-3 grams daily
General Notes:	Cordyceps is used primarily to improve athletic performance as it boosts metabolism and augents natural energetic pathways. Cordyceps also supports the immune system and cognitive function.

What is Cordyceps Mushroom?

Cordyceps is a parasitic fungus that grows on insects (famously caterpillars and ants), insect larvae, and even other fungi. There are 500+ species that have been identified in the Cordyceps genus. When a cordyceps fungus attacks a host, the mycelium invades its tissues and alters the behaviors of the host. Eventually the cordyceps mycelium replaces the tissue of its host and then produces an elongated fruiting body which then sporulates in order to reproduce and infect new hosts. Luckily for humans Cordyceps is unable to infect humans in this way so you can rest easy knowing that using cordyceps won’t turn you into a zombie like depicted in the video game “The Last of Us”.

Cordyceps species are found throughout Asia, being particularly abundant in humid temperate and tropical forests. Cordyceps has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (known as Dong Chong Xia Cao) for thousands of years and is considered one of the best tonics for returning strength and vitality to weak individuals.

Types of Cordyceps

The two main species of cordyceps that are cultured for herbal use are Cordyceps militaris and Cordyceps sinensis. The mycelium of both C. militaris and C. sinensis are able to be grown on a plant-based medium such as oats or rice. There are some differences in the chemical constituents between the many different cordyceps species, but overall these differences are minor and doesn’t affect the use of cordyceps as a herbal supplement.

Benefits of Cordyceps

Cordyceps has many effects throughout the body because of its unique combination of chemical constituents. The most active of these components are:

1. Cordycepin | Functions: Anti-cancer, anti-microbial, insecticidal, cognitive enhancer, metabolism booster

2. Polysaccharides | Functions: Neuroprotective, antioxidant, reduces fatigue, increases energy metabolism

3. Other Myconutrients | Functions: Anti-malarial, anti-fungal, immunomodulatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory

Together these chemical constituents and many others broadly influence the function of immune, cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, and cognitive systems providing the following benefits:

Cordyceps Metabolic Improvements

• Alleviates fatigue and improves physical endurance

• Stimulates mitochondrial electron transport and ATP production

• Lowers fasting blood glucose and insulin levels

• Lowers blood urea levels

• Improves oral glucose tolerance

• Increases whole-body insulin sensitivity

• Enhances skeletal muscle glucose utilization

• Increase DNA synthesis

• Lowers total cholesterol, especially LDL and VLDL cholesterol while raising HDL.

Cordyceps Immune-Boosting Effect

• Suppresses the growth of tumors

• Inhibits metastasis (spread) of cancer

• Enhances antibody response

• Increases the number of T helped cells

• Enhances natural killer cell activity

• Potent intestinal immune-system-modulating activity

• Balances Th1/Th2 cytokines

• Promotes apoptosis

Cordyceps Antioxidant Protection

• Down-regulates inflammation related genes in the kidneys

• Improves lung function by reducing airway inflammation

• Possibly useful treatment for endotoxin shock or sepsis

• Inhibits lipid peroxidation and increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes

• Enhances repair of damaged DNA

• Free radical scavenging capability

• Suppresses the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol)

Note: Much of the research into cordyceps showing these benefits has been done using mice and rats and therefore hasn’t been confirmed for humans.

I share my personal experience in supplementing with Cordyceps militaris in this conversation on cordyceps with my friend Rob Nelson. A lot of good information in this podcast, I suggest tuning in and listening to the full conversation when possible. You can find more useful information regarding cordyceps on Untamed Science.

How Long does it take for Cordyceps to Work?

Cordyceps is a herbal supplement that works best when taken daily and for a consistent length of time, typically 2 weeks or greater. It is possible to feel an immediate boost in endurance and exercise performance from a large acute dose of cordyceps, but typically the beneficial effects of cordyceps on exercise performance are felt after a few weeks.

The immunopotentiating effects of Cordyceps are useful over short and long time durations. If dealing with a viral or bacterial infection, supplementing with cordyceps should begin helping immediately to some degree and increase in efficacy the longer its used.

Supplementing with cordyceps for 30+ days ensures that its beneficial effects culminate to a point of being relevant and noticeable. Cordyceps has a long history of being used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for extended periods of time as a tonic, but as with all herbals I recommend cycling off of cordyceps at a 1:1 ratio. For example if cordyceps is supplemented for 3 months, it shouldn’t be used for 3 months afterwards in order to allow the natural systems of the body to return to balance.

Cordyceps Side Effects

The most likely side effects to be encountered when using cordyceps is digestive discomfort, which can possibly happen if too large a dose is taken. Cordyceps is generally considered safe with a very good long term safety profile thanks to its use for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Cordyceps is very effective at stimulating the immune system, increasing the production of many different types of immune cells and boosting their activity. It’s for this reason that cordyceps has such strong anti-cancer activity, and it also increases apoptosis (preprogrammed cell death). If the systems of the body are healthy, then further stimulating the immune system beyond normal may not be helpful unless done carefully for prophylactic reasons.

Cordyceps Dosing

Whole cordyceps powder that hasn’t been further extracted or standardized is typically dosed at 500 mg - 3 grams daily.

Extracted cordyceps powder is more potent and is dosed at smaller amounts of 100 - 500 mg.

When first using cordyceps, start with the lowest dose and only after some time has passed should the dose be increased if desired.

Where to Buy Cordyceps Supplements?

Because cordyceps mycelium is able to be cultivated on a variety of plant mediums like oats or rice, there are many different providers of cordyceps powders and supplements.

I have used cordyceps from Four Sigmatic in the past and now use cordyceps from either Mountain Rose Herbs or Nootropics Depot.

Mountain Rose Herbs Cordyceps Supplement

The cordyceps from Mountain Rose Herbs is milled from Cordyceps militaris mycelial biomass grown on organic oats. The cordyceps from Mountain Rose Herbs is very competitively priced and is 100% organic.

Nootropics Depot Cordyceps Supplements

Nootropics Depot offers whole 1:1 cordyceps powder or a dual water/alcohol 10:1 cordyceps extract. The cordyceps sold by Nootropics Depot is reasonably priced and tested often to confirm purity and potency.

1:1 Cordyceps Mushroom Powder

The Nootropics Depot 1:1 Cordyceps Mushroom powder is similar to the cordyceps powder offered by Mountain Rose Herbs, and which one to choose is really up to personal preference. If planning on taking cordyceps 4-7 times a week I recommend using a whole powder versus a more concentrated extract like Nootropics Depot 10:1 cordyceps supplement. There is a lot of value in consuming an herbal supplement in its raw form without having undergone any extraction, as nothing is left out and removed from the product, and because the amount of active ingredients is lower side effects are less likely to be encountered.

10:1 Cordyceps Mushroom Extract Powder

The 10:1 extract means that 10 units of Cordyceps militaris was used to create 1 unit of 10:1 Cordyceps militaris extract. The Nootropics Depot 10:1 Cordyceps Beta-Glucan (β-Glucan) minimum content is 20% while the Cordycepin content is 0.3% as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The 10:1 cordyceps extract can be used as the same frequency as the 1:1 powder if desired, and it’s more effective when used for one offs or shorter frequency dosing protocols because it’s more highly concentrated. If really experimenting with cordyceps then I recommend purchasing both the 1:1 and 10:1 products in order to feel the differences between them yourself.

If purchasing cordyceps from a Chinese pharmacy ask for Dong Chong Xia Cao, which is how they refer to cordyceps.

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Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

References:

1. Ng TB, Wang HX. Pharmacological actions of Cordyceps , a prized folk medicine. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 2010;57(12):1509-1519.

2. Das SK, Masuda M, Sakurai A, Sakakibara M. Medicinal uses of the mushroom Cordyceps militaris: Current state and prospects. Fitoterapia. 2010;81(8):961-968.

3. Hirsch KR, Smith-Ryan AE, Roelofs EJ, Trexler ET, Mock MG. cordyceps militaris improves tolerance to high-intensity exercise after acute and chronic supplementation. Journal of Dietary Supplements. 2017;14(1):42-53.

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