Cordyceps

Natural History

(Ecology, Where and How it Grows)

Cordyceps is a parasitic mushroom that utilizes many species of insects as its host; it and other fungi with this life history are called entomopathogenic. (See how we cultivate it at Verdant Leaf, below.) It can be found in North America, Europe, and Asia (mostly China, Japan, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Korea, and Thailand). In India, cordyceps are mostly found in the subalpine regions, such as the Kumaun Himalayas and Garhwal Himalayas (at higher altitudes). [5] In the Northern Hemisphere, it typically appears in autumn at the edge of grasslands or forests.

After the substrate has become fully myceliated, we move it to our fruiting chamber where it will be maintained at a temperature of 60–65° F with a relative humidity of 80%. Fruit body growth can take anywhere from 28–42 days.

Ethnomycology

(The Cultural and Sociological Impact of this Species)

The first mention of cordyceps was during the Tang dynasty in 620 A.D. [16] This was likely about its relative Ophiocordyceps sinensis. The mushroom appears in the Chinese Materia Medica as early as 1694. [24] It is known as Yartsa Gunbu in Tibet. In the Himalayas, cordyceps is mainly found in meadows above 11,500 ft where it parasitizes a caterpillar whose numbers have been devastated by overharvesting and climate change. Fortunately, in 1950, cordycepin was isolated from Cordyceps militaris, a related species, from which methods of cultivation without the need for an insect host were developed. [4]

Cordyceps is one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicines and health foods. For hundreds of years, it was used to invigorate the lungs and nourish the kidney. It has been used to remedy altitude sickness, treat fatigue and weakness, decrease the production of phlegm, thwart infection, treat colds and flu, and relieve the aches and pains of older people.

It became popular in the West where it was touted as a panacea: an aphrodisiac, anticancer, and anti-aging product that also improved the immune system. [18]

Quick Facts

Health Benefits

Vitality & Reduction of Mitochondrial Stress

Our mitochondria play a key role in energy metabolism in many tissues, including our skeletal muscles and liver. [9] Stresses within the body “and/or environmental stresses may perturb the mitochondrial homeostasis and interfere with the steady-state activity of mitochondrial functions, promoting a state of mitochondrial stress.” [17] As a powerful antioxidant, Cordyceps militaris has been shown to exert protective effects on mitochondria “by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibiting mitochondrial swelling…increasing the activities of antioxidases” and supporting “mitochondrial protection and anti-aging.” [12]

A 2019 study investigated the free radical scavenging activity of a C. militaris extract (CM extract) and its “neuroprotective effects in H2O2-induced C6 glial cells.” The findings were impressive. “The CM extract showed high scavenging activities against DPPH” (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), the damaging, highly reactive hydroxyl radical, “·OH” and “NO radicals” i.e. negatively charged nitrous oxide ions (anions) “at [a] concentration of 1,000 µg/mL.” Furthermore, C6 glial cells with H2O2-induced oxidative stress which were treated with C. militaris extract showed “significantly increased cell viability, and decreased ROS production.” [6]

Libido & Sexual Function

In a 2019 study comprised of fifty male rats (forty 12-month-old and ten 2-month-old subjects) and divided into five groups of ten, young control (YC) and aged control (AC) rats were given distilled water and pellet food. The three other groups received 5 mg/kg Cordyceps militaris (COR-5), 10 mg/kg (COR-10), and (COR-20) per day, respectively, for 6 months. COR was mixed homogeneously with the sterilized standard diet and administered orally, after pelletization.

“Sex hormone receptors, such as AR, LHR, and FSHR, play significant roles in maintaining male sexual function… Their altered expression may be involved in aging-related testicular disorders.” The aged rats showed “significant downregulation of AR, LHR, and FSHR in the testes”…which, in COR-20 was “significantly ameliorated by COR, suggesting that 20 mg/kg COR protects rats’ Leydig and Sertoli cells from aging-induced testicular dysfunction.”

It was concluded that C. militaris “may provide an excellent nutritional potential and medicinal value in ameliorating age-related male sexual dysfunction.” [10]

Energy, Stamina, and Fighting Fatigue

In a study on the antifatigue activity of Cordyceps militaris conducted on mice who were measured doing various physical activities, it was found to strongly reduce the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde, both products of physical stress and fatigue.

Lactate (lactic acid) increases in tissues during physical exercise and interferes with muscle contraction and nerve impulses. In female mice treated with 2.0 g/kg of C. militaris, a reduction between 17%–36.6% in lactate after 20 minutes of exercise was demonstrated when compared with the control group. In male mice treated with 1.0 g/kg C. militaris fruit body extract, lactic acid was reduced between 17.0%–38.9% after 20 minutes of exercise was demonstrated when compared with the control group.

Adenosine-5’-triphosphate, abbreviated ATP, is the fundamental energy unit used by all living organisms. It is produced through a process called cellular respiration in which oxygen and glucose are converted into water and carbon dioxide, producing energy during this process in the form of ATP. ATP is then broken down in a process called hydrolysis, which releases energy and the byproducts of adenosine diphosphate and inorganic phosphate.

Boosting Immunity & Fighting Chronic Inflammation

The Correlation Between Immunity and Inflammation

Contrary to what many may think, some level of inflammation is actually a natural, normal process of the immune system. When we sprain an ankle, for example, it is through the process of inflammation that blood flow to the area is increased and white blood cells rush into the site of the injury to start healing and repairing the damage.

According to Harvard Health, chronic inflammation may occur in the same way, with the body trying to heal itself and get rid of “foreign adversaries.” But where chronic inflammation and “acute inflammation” (the term used to describe inflammation that occurs at the site of an injury) differ is that chronic inflammation is persistent and “may continue to simmer under the surface” for many years. [25]

The National Institutes of Health says “Chronic inflammatory diseases are the most significant cause of death in the world… The prevalence of diseases associated with chronic inflammation is anticipated to increase persistently for the next 30 years in the United States… Worldwide, 3 of 5 people die due to chronic inflammatory diseases like stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes.” Other chronic inflammatory diseases include cardiovascular diseases, arthritis and joint diseases, allergies, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). High in antioxidants and polysaccharides, Cordyceps militaris has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. [15]

“Due to its inhibitory effect on the immune system, cordyceps can be used for treatment of autoimmune diseases and for immunosuppression after organ transplant… Increasing evidence shows that cordyceps is a bidirectional modulator with both potentiating and suppressive effects on the immune system through regulating innate and adaptive immunity.” [13]

Cancer

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells with the potential to metastasize. [28] Cordyceps militaris may support apoptosis (programmed cell death) as well as “anti-proliferation, and anti-metastasis in cancer cells.” Cordycepin, a compound extracted from C. militaris or Cordyceps sinensis, is currently being studied for its potential as an anticancer agent. The findings have been significant.

In recent decades, “cordycepin has been suggested to have anticancer potential due to its structural similarity to adenosine.” Adenosine is a signaling molecule that affects various types of cells, tissues, and organ systems within a cell (at an intracellular level) and between different cells (at the extracellular level) via signaling pathways. The “overexpression” of the enzymes which generate adenosine and adenosine receptors, are “correlated with tumor progression.” As a “nucleoside analogue” cordycepin has the ability to enter into cells and possibly “provoke termination of elongation” and thereby thwart polymerase activity.

“Cordycepin treatment” delivered “in a cell type-specific manner to “human leukemia cells…reduced PAP activity” i.e. prostatic acid phosphatase, a specific protein and known marker of tumor activity.

It has been postulated that cordycepin mediates apoptotic signaling via cell surface receptors such as adenosine receptors (ADORAs), death receptors, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In so doing, it interrupts the proliferation of cancer cells in “melanoma, and lung carcinoma cell lines” and “colon and prostate cancer cell lines” as well as gliomas (a cancer occuring in the glial cells and located in the spine or brain).

“It is important to acknowledge that cordycepin not only exhibits proapoptotic and anti-proliferative effects in cancer cells, but also inhibits cell metastasis in tumor cells, demonstrating its potential as a therapeutic agent in the larger scope of cancer.” [28]

Cordyceps Militaris and Lung Metastatic Melanoma

Published in 2022, a study on Cordyceps militaris’ ability to inhibit lung metastatic melanoma invasion showed evidence of its ability to “inhibit and treat melanoma.” Performed in triplicate, statistical analysis of the findings reaffirmed that C. militaris (CM) has “antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, and CD8+ T cell activation properties.” Three main conclusions on its efficacy as a potential therapeutic against metastatic melanoma of the lungs were confirmed as follows:

First, C. militaris showed “significant ability in dismissing ROS by reducing power, ferrous ion chelating, and DPPH elimination, and CM could also decrease the intracellular ROS level.”

Second, C. militaris enhanced the apoptosis progress, depressed tumor cell viability, and suppressed the migration rate of melanoma.

Lastly, the addition of C. militaris helps “immune cells to identify cancer cells and transform them into killer T cells to attack cancer cells… Those three pieces of evidence indicate that CM could inhibit and treat melanoma.” [11]

cordyceps Nutritional Information

View Verdant Leaf’s Cordyceps mushroom products for the whole family.

Medicinal Compounds

(Beta-Glucans, Phenols, etc.)