What Is Cordyceps?

Cordyceps is a medicinal fungi that has been used in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine since at least the 15th century. Wildcrafted cordyceps is extremely rare and expensive, however a strain isolated from the wild form is now cultivated and commonly available. Our cordyceps is grown organically on brown rice in the United States.

How to Use Cordyceps (Common Uses)

Cordyceps can be taken internally as a tea, decoction, powder, capsules, or extract. Visit our herbal blog for more ideas about how to use cordyceps.

Medicinal Uses and Benefits of Cordyceps

Cordyceps is traditionally used as a non-stimulant performance enhancing fungi. It is popular amongst high-level athletes because it can help boost oxygen uptake and physical endurance. Cordyceps is commonly known in Western Herbalism as a medicinal mushroom best for increasing energy and stamina, supporting a healthy libido, and supporting brain health and healthy aging.

Cordyceps has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-oxidant, and antitumor properties. It can be effective for improving kidney function, and may also benefit the liver.

It is well known that cordyceps helps support the immune system. It can be used as an immune system balancer by those with autoimmune conditions, such as lupus and allergies, however, it can also help to strengthen the body’s responses and fight off infection. Cordyceps can help to increase macrophage activity, erythroid (bone marrow) cells, and platelets. It may also be beneficial for lowering chronically high histamine.

As many adaptogen mushrooms do, cordyceps can help to improve the body’s response to stress. It can restore balance to the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and restore the nervous system. Cordyceps may be able to support the thymus, adrenals, spleen, and thyroid in a way that is beneficial for preventing stress-related weight gain.

Some of the polysaccharides found in cordyceps, namely a polysaccharide called CSP-1, may be useful for lowering and managing high blood sugar.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), cordyceps fungus is prized as a nutritive and tonic medicine. Historically, duck meat was stuffed with cordyceps and served as part of a longevity-promoting meal, especially to emperors and other important people. Today, cordyceps is still often cooked with fowl such as chicken or duck and served as a medicinal nutritive food.

TCM practitioners often recommend cordyceps for conditions that are deficient in kidney yin, such as dry and chronic coughs. It may also be used for yang conditions where weakness is a symptom, such as fatigue, low back pain, poor memory, and more.

Active Constituents in Cordyceps

Adenosine, cordycepic acid, cordycepin, ergosterol, polysaccharides.