John Myers
Cordyceps is one of the most powerful medicinal mushrooms used in traditional Chinese medicine. Athletes increase their condition and performance with Cordyceps. People with immune deficiencies strengthen their immune system with Cordyceps, and those with autoimmune diseases curb it with the help of the regulating medicinal mushroom.
With Cordyceps to the world record
Cordyceps Sinensis is a rare fungus native mainly to 3,000 to 5,000 meters in the wet mountain meadows of the Himalayan high mountains and other mountain ranges in Tibet and China. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and is considered one of the strongest medicinal mushrooms of all.
In 1993, fascinating news broke out around the world. The medicinal mushroom Cordyceps caused a stir at the German Athletics World Championships.
Chinese track and field athletes set new world records in three disciplines. Weeks later at the Chinese National Athletics Championships, there were even new records in nine middle and long-distance disciplines.
And another year later, at the World Athletics Championships in Rome, the Chinese won 12 of the 16 runs, setting five new world records in the process.
Coach Ma at the time credited the Chinese athletes’ extraordinary achievements to the combination of a rigorous training regimen and the use of the Cordyceps fungus.
Cordyceps – The fungus in caterpillar form
The Chinese call Cordyceps Dong Chong Xia Cao, which means something like winter caterpillar summer grass. This strange name has its origin in the special way of life of the fungus.
The Cordyceps fungus needs a caterpillar to survive. Even as an invisible fungal spore, it infests the caterpillar of a certain moth living in the soil and finally consumes it from the inside over the course of the winter months (hence “winter caterpillar”). So the Cordyceps fungus is a real parasite.
All that remains of the poor caterpillar is the mummified shell. Inside it is now completely filled with the fungal filaments (the mycelium) of the Cordyceps fungus.
During the summer months, the fruiting body of the fungus grows from the back of the former caterpillar’s head to the ground. This is more reminiscent of grass than a mushroom. It is very narrow, finger-shaped, and without a hat (hence the name “summer grass”).
Priceless Cordyceps
The Cordyceps mushroom was always a rarity and almost unaffordable because of the high demand at the same time.
In ancient times, a gram of cordyceps cost four times as much as a gram of silver. Because of this, Cordyceps was used almost exclusively at the imperial court. Today up to 2000 euros are paid for a kilo of wild Cordyceps.
To meet the increasing demand, Chinese scientists started an ambitious project in 1972. Subspecies of wild Cordyceps have been collected from all parts of China and analyzed for chemical composition, medicinal properties, and safety for human consumption, as well as suitability for commercial cultivation.
Finally, from 200 subspecies, the Cordyceps mushroom from the province of Qinghai was chosen, an area that has always been known for its particularly effective Cordyceps mushrooms. This subspecies was named Cordyceps CS-4.
Cordyceps CS-4 – In the focus on science
Of all the Cordyceps subspecies, CS-4 most closely resembles the time-tested traditional Cordyceps in terms of chemistry and medicinal properties. The differences are so minimal that CS-4 can be called the traditional Cordyceps.
In 1987, the Chinese Ministry of Health approved Cordyceps CS-4 for human consumption.
Since then, almost all scientific research on the Cordyceps fungus has been done using the CS-4 subspecies.
Cordyceps is especially known for its strengthening and stimulating effect on the body and mind. According to traditional Chinese medicine, cordyceps primarily strengthen the kidney meridian and the lung meridian.
However, several Chinese studies have also scientifically examined the biochemical effects of the Cordyceps fungus on the human body.
Cordyceps fires up your cells
The Cordyceps fungus apparently acts directly on the power plants (the mitochondria) of the cells and thus promotes energy production in each individual cell.
For example, if you feed mice the Cordyceps mushroom, the amount of ATP (the main energy store) in their liver cells increases by 45 to 55 percent.
In addition, the Cordyceps fungus improves the body’s ability to use even the smallest oxygen supplies as well as possible, so that with Cordyceps tissue oxygen starvation occurs less often than without Cordyceps – which of course also leads to increased energy levels.
Cordyceps Mushrooms – Ideal for athletes
The optimization of the energy state by the Cordyceps mushroom could then also explain the above-mentioned top performances in those athletes who take the Cordyceps mushroom alongside their training.
It is also understandable why, after taking Cordyceps regularly, one not only feels physically fitter but also mentally clearer, since the brain cells naturally also benefit from the increased energy production and better oxygen supply.
But the Cordyceps in the head area also provides something completely different, namely a good mood.
Cordyceps supports antidepressants
The Cordyceps mushroom has a relatively high content of L-tryptophan – the amino acid from which the happiness hormone serotonin is produced in the brain.
It was also shown that Cordyceps has an inhibitory effect on the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO). MAO inhibitors are commonly used to treat depression. It is also known from St. John’s wort that its antidepressant effect is based on the inhibition of the enzyme MAO.
The Cordyceps mushroom can also be taken to help improve mood. It not only has a strengthening effect on the physical level but also pampers the soul.
Both – a strong body and a good mood – are essential for lovemaking. And this is exactly where a particularly great strength of the Cordyceps mushroom lies.
Cordyceps – Potency and Libido Booster
In the traditional folk medicine of its homeland, the cordyceps mushroom is considered a very effective natural remedy for remedying erectile dysfunction and a lack of libido – in both men and women.
The Cordyceps mushroom was already mentioned in ancient Chinese writings as a helpful sexual enhancer. In ancient China, cordyceps is said to have enabled the emperor to please his numerous wives, so that they should have had no reason to complain.
Consequently, extensive research has been carried out in this area in particular over the past few decades. It turned out that the Cordyceps mushroom can revive the ability to love in many different ways.
Three different double-blind, placebo-controlled Chinese studies in a few hundred men with “decreased libido and other sexual problems” yielded highly interesting and consistent results in favor of the Cordyceps mushroom.
An average of 64 percent of subjects taking Cordyceps showed an increase in their sexual performance after the trial period versus 24 percent in the placebo group.
In another study (placebo-controlled and double-blind) of 21 older women, all of whom suffered from “decreased libido and other sexual problems,” the Cordyceps fungus was able to educate over 90 percent of the women’s problems, compared to a clear 0 percent in the control group.
But how exactly does the Cordyceps mushroom manage to increase potency and libido so impressively?
- Cordyceps relaxes the smooth muscle tissue in the corpus cavernosum of the penis. As a result, blood can flow into the penis and cause an erection. Incidentally, the erection-promoting effect of the mycelium extract from Cordyceps CS-4 is twice as great as that of wild Cordyceps.
- Cordyceps has a direct effect on the genitals (testicles and uterus), which has e.g. shown in feeding experiments with mice. Giving immature male mice Cordyceps for just six days increased the weight of their testicles by more than 90 percent. And when Cordyceps was given to male rabbits for three months, their testes weighed 30 percent more than the control group. Uterine weight gains of more than 40 percent were observed in immature female mice.
- Cordyceps also promote seed formation. Male rabbits that received Cordyceps for three months produced three times(!) as many sperm cells as the control group. Another study showed that sperm quality and vitality were significantly improved after taking Cordyceps.
- Various studies on humans also show that Cordyceps has a regulating effect on sex hormones – both male and female.
Cordyceps against osteoarthritis pain
So Cordyceps is a kind of potency and libido booster. Of course, potency and libido are only really fun if you can move accordingly – which doesn’t work so well with arthrosis pain. However, the Cordyceps fungus is also present here and can apparently relieve osteoarthritis pain.
In addition to many other active ingredients, cordyceps also contains cordycepin, a substance that can reduce arthrosis pain.
In initial tests, scientists from the University of Nottingham were able to show that cordycepin slows down pain that usually occurs after joint injuries.
Even osteoarthritis pain that has slowly developed can be improved with Cordycepin – apparently just as well as conventional painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs (cortisone) do, only of course without side effects.
As research into this is still in its infancy, sufferers still have to experiment on their own with the right dose or seek advice from their holistic therapist.
However, even if the Cordyceps mushroom were taken in doses too small for pain relief, it would still exhibit its other properties described here – which include boosting the immune system.
Cordyceps strengthens your immune system
Cordyceps is said to act as a so-called bidirectional immune regulator. This means that the effect of a defense system that is too weak is increased and that of an overactive defense system – such as e.g. B. in autoimmune diseases – is inhibited.
A series of studies have shown that the effect of Cordyceps on the immune system is linearly dose-dependent, i.e. the more Cordyceps is taken, the greater the desired effect.
The Cordyceps fungus does not only work in one way but in such different ways that it is the combination of all the different individual effects that explain the success of Cordyceps intake:
- Cordyceps first stimulates the production of special defense cells, namely the T cells.
- Cordyceps also increases the activity of natural killer cells (NK cells).
- Cordyceps increases the production of immunoglobulins G and M. Immunoglobulins are antibodies, i.e. those structures in the body that binds to invaders or degenerated cells so that they can be recognized and fought by the immune cells.
- Cordyceps stimulates the activity of macrophages (scavenger cells).
- Cordyceps promotes the activity of gamma interferon, an endogenous substance with immune-stimulating, antiviral and antitumor effects.
- Cordyceps also enhances the effect of the body’s own antioxidants – which we will discuss in more detail in the next section.
Cordyceps as protection against free radicals
A placebo-controlled Chinese study of 59 elderly patients aged 60 to 84 years showed that cordyceps significantly increased levels of the body’s enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD).
SOD is one of the most important enzymes with an antioxidant effect.
The SOD concentration was even significantly higher than the SOD concentration of a control group of healthy young adults.
At the same time, the plasma concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased significantly to the level of the values of the control group of young adults.
The MDA values indicate how much the body is threatened by oxidative stress since MDA is formed during the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids.
In diabetics, for example, the MDA values are usually regularly increased. However, diabetics usually fight not only against high MDA values but often also against the so-called metabolic syndrome, which – apart from the high blood sugar level – shows in obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels.
Cordyceps is also an ideal companion here since the fungus or its mycelium can also have great effects on high blood pressure and cholesterol problems.
Cordyceps for high blood pressure and high cholesterol
Japanese researchers discovered that the diameter of a stressed main artery (aorta) increases by an average of 40 percent after administration of the Cordyceps fungus.
So the Cordyceps mushroom has a vasodilating effect. It relaxes the smooth muscles of the vessel walls, promotes blood circulation in the body, lowers blood pressure, and thus has a beneficial effect on the entire cardiovascular system.
Since the Cordyceps mushroom can also lower cholesterol levels, it also has a very positive effect on vascular and heart health.
A Chinese study of 273 patients showed that their cholesterol levels had fallen by an average of 17 percent after taking Cordyceps for 4 to 8 weeks.
Does Cordyceps Mushroom Have Side Effects?
The Cordyceps mushroom is therefore an almost perfect dietary supplement that is extremely suitable for almost everyone.
Since the Cordyceps mushroom is neither a drug nor a risky medicinal plant that would have to be dosed carefully, there are (almost) no risks associated with its intake.
Experiments have shown that there are no serious side effects, even at very high doses. “High doses” would mean, for example, 80 grams per kilogram of body weight, which would correspond to an intake of 5.6 kilograms of cordyceps for a 70-kg person.
Sensitive people may experience digestive problems such as short-term diarrhea after taking Cordyceps for the first time. However, these manifestations are usually not serious and only temporary.
Caution should be exercised in people using asthma sprays containing beta-2 sympathomimetics. Cordyceps not only has a relaxing effect on the muscles of the blood vessels but also on the smooth muscles of the airways, so it has a similar effect to the drug and can therefore possibly increase its effect.
So if you are taking medication of any kind and want to take Cordyceps at the same time, it is best to consult your doctor so that he or she can reduce or adjust your medication dose sooner or later.
Now the only question that remains is which Cordyceps or which Cordyceps preparation is best to choose.
Cordyceps is not just cordyceps
Wild cordyceps are rare and expensive. Dried wild cordyceps can sometimes be contaminated with bacteria. For these reasons, cultivated Cordyceps is increasingly preferred.
The most cultivated Cordyceps are of Chinese origin and are usually of uncontrollable and unreliable quality; it is sometimes contaminated with heavy metals because cordyceps are often cultivated in heavily polluted areas.
Therefore, look for a Cordyceps product that comes from clean areas and is produced under strict guidelines.
An organic cordyceps preparation is also ideal since the fungus or its mycelium is then grown on organic rice. At the same time, no caterpillars are needed here, so in this case, the organic cordyceps is also suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
How do you dose the Cordyceps mushroom?
Good therapeutic results can be achieved for a number of health problems with Cordyceps dosages from about three-quarters of a gram of mycelium per day. Cordyceps is significantly more effective at dosages of around 3 grams of mycelium daily.
So if you buy mushroom powder capsules, which contain ground and dried mycelium, take enough capsules to make up 3 grams.
- From the capsules with cordyceps mushroom powder from effective nature, that would be 5 capsules, as each capsule contains 660 mg mushroom powder.
- Effective nature’s Cordyceps mushroom extract capsules (CS-4 quality) contain 500 mg of extract per capsule. Since extracts are always more concentrated than a natural powder, fewer capsules are sufficient, e.g. B. 4 per day.
- Effective nature also offers a liquid cordyceps extract based on glycerine (i.e. alcohol-free). Take 1 teaspoon (= 5 ml) of this daily. It contains 530 mg of Cordyceps polysaccharides, which is a very good value. Other products with a polysaccharide content of 30 to 40 percent are considered to be of high quality. With these products, however, you get less than the 530 mg polysaccharides mentioned with several capsules per day.
Cordyceps capsules are taken in the morning with breakfast. The revitalizing and energizing effect can usually be felt a few hours after ingestion.
For a sustained therapeutic effect, it is recommended to take Cordyceps for at least 4 to 6 weeks. You can then take a break from z. B. Insert 2 weeks before you can do another 4- to 6-week cure.
