Cordyceps
Cordyceps is a fungus that grows out of insects; the wild kind sprouts from caterpillars high on the Tibetan Plateau. Nearly all supplements are grown in labs instead, and small trials on exercise and kidney disease are mixed or low quality.
No set daily amount
Lab-grown nearly every supplement, mostly grown on grain or in tanks
1 caterpillar per wild fungus: each one grows from a single dead larva
- In food Almost none sometimes added to soups in China
- In supplements Cs-4 or C. militaris both grown in labs
- Studied compound Cordycepin mostly in C. militaris
- Evidence in people Weak small, mixed, or low-quality trials
From a Cochrane review and published exercise trials. No food figures: cordyceps is not a food.
Where Cordyceps Comes From
Food supplies little or none. Outside traditional Chinese and Tibetan use, cordyceps comes almost only from supplements.
- Wild caterpillar fungusdug by hand on mountain meadows in Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan, and sold at very high prices; added to soups or simmered in traditional use
- Cordyceps militarisan orange species farmed on grain, in liquid media, or sometimes on silkworm pupae; the dried stalks are sold in some Asian markets as a soup ingredient
- Supplementscapsules and powders of fermented mycelium (such as the Cs-4 strain) or of farmed C. militaris; the main source for nearly everyone who takes cordyceps
What Is Cordyceps?
The original cordyceps, now named Ophiocordyceps sinensis, is a parasite. Its spores infect ghost moth caterpillars living in the soil of high Himalayan meadows. The fungus fills the larva over the winter, and in spring a thin brown stalk pushes up from its head. In Tibetan it is called yartsa gunbu, summer grass, winter worm.
What Is in Cordyceps Supplements
Wild cordyceps is scarce and costly, so supplements use two lab-grown stand-ins. One is mycelium grown in fermentation tanks from strains first isolated from the wild fungus, such as Cs-4. The other is Cordyceps militaris, a related species that forms its orange stalks on grain or in liquid culture. These are different organisms from the wild fungus, and from each other, so a study of one says little about the others.
Cordycepin, a molecule shaped like adenosine, is the compound most often named on labels. It is found mainly in C. militaris, and nearly all the research on it is in cells and animals.
Cordyceps and Exercise Performance
The exercise trials are small. In one, older adults taking Cs-4 for 12 weeks improved a measure of aerobic capacity a little against placebo. In another, trained cyclists taking a cordyceps product for 5 weeks showed no gain in endurance or oxygen use.
Neither trial is strong enough to settle the question. For other plant products sold for stamina and fatigue, see rhodiola and ginseng, which have their own mixed evidence.
Cordyceps and Kidney Disease
In China, cordyceps preparations are given alongside standard care for chronic kidney disease. A Cochrane review of those trials found some better kidney function results, but the studies were small and poorly designed, so it could not say whether cordyceps helps.
Is Cordyceps Safe?
- Side effectsside effects in short trials were mostly mild, such as stomach upset
- Unknownssafety in pregnancy, over long periods, and with medicines has not been studied well
Sources are listed at the end of this page. Not medical advice.
Tracking Cordyceps in Caltide
- Not totaled yetCaltide does not add up cordyceps or cordycepin yet, and a capsule adds nothing meaningful to your calories. Ordinary mushrooms you eat are in the food library with their full breakdown.
Related Nutrients
Cordyceps Sources and References
The figures and claims on this page are checked against these sources.
- Cochrane: Cordyceps sinensis (a traditional Chinese medicine) for treating chronic kidney disease (2014)
- Chen et al. (2010): Effect of Cs-4 (Cordyceps sinensis) on exercise performance in healthy older subjects, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Parcell et al. (2004): Cordyceps Sinensis (CordyMax Cs-4) supplementation does not improve endurance exercise performance
Questions About Cordyceps
Cordyceps is a group of fungi that grow on insects. The best known, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, infects ghost moth caterpillars underground on the Tibetan Plateau and sends a thin brown stalk up from the dead caterpillar's head.
Almost never. Wild cordyceps is rare and costly, so supplements use fungus grown in labs: fermented mycelium strains such as Cs-4, or Cordyceps militaris grown on grain, in liquid media, or sometimes on silkworm pupae.
The results are mixed. A small trial in older adults found a modest gain in aerobic capacity, while a trial in trained cyclists found no change in endurance. All the trials were small and short.
It is not established. A Cochrane review of Chinese trials in chronic kidney disease found some favorable results, but the studies were of low quality, so the review could not draw firm conclusions.
Cordycepin is a compound similar to adenosine, one of the building blocks of RNA. It is found mainly in Cordyceps militaris, and most research on it is in cells and animals.
Side effects reported in short trials were mostly mild, such as stomach upset. Its safety in pregnancy, over long periods, and alongside medicines has not been studied well.
Not yet. Caltide does not total cordyceps compounds, and the capsules add nothing meaningful to your calories.
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