If you were an insect, Cordyceps mushrooms would be the stuff of nightmares.

That’s because the spores of this parasitic fungus would have the potential to infect your brain- causing a kind of madness. As if possessed, you would climb up to a high perch, hold on tight, and die- giving the fungus an opportunity to fruit through your brain and spread its spores once again.

Crazy huh?

Luckily we don’t ever have to worry about this- because for you and I, Cordyceps is a superbly powerful medicinal mushroom which boasts incredible health benefits, including boosting your energy, increasing your endurance and improving overall health.

The Health Benefits of Cordyceps

So we know that Cordyceps is powerful… but what can it actually do for us?

Both anecdotal reports and hard scientific evidence show that compounds within cordyceps mushrooms can improve our well being in a number of different ways.

What is Cordyceps?

Cordyceps is actually a genus of mushrooms, and the term has been used to refer to a number of different species- most commonly Codyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris.

These not your traditional cap and stem mushrooms – and have many unique characteristics. Known as a “sac fungi”, or “ascomycete”, they are related to other famous fungi such as the morel and the truffle.

The Cordyceps fruiting body is actually a known as an “ascocarp”- but for out purposes, we can just refer to it as a mushroom! It is usually a long skinny fruiting body extending from the host, but can also be club shaped.

Cordyceps mushrooms are parasitic, meaning that they need living host which will eventually be killed by the fungus. The host is typically a insect or, tree, or even another fungus.

Cordyceps are found all over the world, but are most commonly found in Asia, with the highest density of species found in tropical rain forests. The traditional Cordyceps Sinensis grows naturally on caterpillars high in the mountains of China.

Different Types of Cordyceps

There are hundreds of different species of Cordyceps found all over the world. There are two main species, however, that are of interest for human consumption- Cordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris.

Cordyceps Sinensis

Cordyceps sinensis is the most well known species, famous for its powerful medicinal properties. When people use the term “Cordyceps” they are often referring to sinensis.

It is commonly called the caterpillar fungus, due to the fact that is uses the insect as a host before eventually fruiting from its head. You can clearly see the caterpillar in images of harvested sinesis.

Codyceps sinesis is found in Asia, tucked in between the Himalayas on the Tibetan plateau. The fruiting body of the fungus has evaded attempts at successful commercial cultivation, and is therefore highly prized.

It is getting harder and harder to find, causing conflicts in the areas where it is harvested and bringing the price up to insane valuations. For example, the price has risen from about $5 per gram in the late ‘90s to upwards of $72 per gram today!

If you find a supplement that claims to include C. sinensis, it is most likely just not true.

The demands for supplemental Cordyceps today are just too high to rely on wild harvested Cordyceps sinensis- and using the fungus in this way is unsustainable both ecologically and economically.

Traditional Use

Cordyceps mushrooms are highly sought after by practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with recorded use of the fungus going back over 500 years!

It has been used as a treatment or aid for an incredible variety of ailments; from kidney and lung problems to cancer and heart disease. Often, it is used as a way to stimulate the immune system, allowing the body to heal itself.

Cordyceps sinensis is thought of as having a good balance of yin and yang, due to the fact that it is half caterpillar and half fungus.

Improving the Immune System

Like many other medicinal mushrooms, Cordyceps contain high levels of Beta-D-Glucans, a compound shown to act as a “biological response modifier”.

When the immune system is overreacting, as is the case with allergies and other auto-immune diseases, Cordyceps can help calm it down. On the other hand, if the immune system is weak, the mushroom can have the opposite effect, kicking the immune system into gear to help fend off disease. Several studies have been done which shows this to be true for Beta-D-Glucan containing mushrooms in general and Cordyceps in particular.

This ability to “modulate” the immune system can also have other effects, such as reducing tumor growth. Studies have shown that Cordyceps extracts have a toxic effect on tumor cells, while at the same time, not damaging healthy cells.

Another study set out to show the effect of Cordyceps on physical endurance by giving supplemental dose to rats over a period of 15 days and monitoring their ability to swim. The study showed that the group using cordyceps was able to increase their swim times by upwards of 20 minutes- a substantial improvement.

Cordyceps has also shown to help people with chronic fatigue syndrome and depression. This could very well be linked to increased delivery of oxygen, the same reason why cordyceps helps increase stamina and endurance.

Cordyceps for ATP and Energy Production

ATP is the base unit of energy in the body. It is the currency which your body uses to in order to carry out any function at the cellular level. Without ATP, you wouldn’t move.

Adenosine, a precursor to ATP is found in high levels in Cordyceps militaris. By increasing the availability of adenosine, Cordyceps can helps overall ATP production, allowing for increased energy production.

This has the potential to give athletes and weightlifters that extra boost of energy during exercise.

Cordycepin

Cordycepin is a derivative of adenosine, known to be toxic to some cancer cells while also showing antidepressant effects. Although it is now produced synthetically, it was initially extracted from Cordyceps militaris.

There are currently active clinical trials using cordycepin to fight leukemia.