heading_title

Cordyceps mushrooms are a very popular dietary supplement, known for their many cool properties for humans, including immune boost, adaptogenic action or optimization of energy management. They have played a significant role in Traditional Chinese Medicine. So why are they called "zombie mushrooms"? Well, for other organisms they are not as kind as for humans....

• Cordyceps, or zombie fungus
• Properties of Cordyceps - now and in tradition
• What effects can be expected in practice?
• Cordycep supplementation - how to dose it?

Cordyceps, or zombie fungus

Fungi of the genus Cordyceps are parasites that have a unique nature. Namely, they can infect the brains of insects, taking control of them and controlling them so that they can spray their spores as efficiently as possible on their next victims and simply prolong their species. The zombie fungus motif was adapted in the popular computer game The Last Of Us, on which a hugely successful TV series was also later filmed. The plot of these productions is based on a worldwide apocalypse due to a pandemic of Cordyceps, a mutated variant of which began infecting humans. In fact, it is impossible for Cordyceps to infect humans; it only attacks small invertebrates and possibly other fungi. For humans, on the other hand, Cordyceps mushrooms bring a wealth of health-promoting properties that have been used for millennia in China's traditional medical systems.

Properties of Cordyceps - now and in tradition

Cordyceps sinensis enjoys a great reputation. It is one of the most important raw materials used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Due to the fact that it is mainly found in high mountainous regions (Himalayan parts of China, Nepal, India and Tibet), and its harvesting was time-consuming, it used to have a very high value and was a highly desirable raw material. The fruiting bodies have a distinctive shape, resembling a mace, which was the inspiration for the mushroom's name. "Cordyceps" is a conglomeration of the Latin words "cord" (mace) and "ceps" (head), and in Polish we call it Mace.

In practice, TCM Cordyceps was treated as a very versatile preparation. It served as a general tonic to strengthen the body, reduce fatigue, increase vitality and improve sexual function. It was also used in the belief of reducing the symptoms of various diseases.

Today we have many scientific publications available on Cordyceps, both discussing clinical trials on humans and numerous studies on animal models and cell lines. One component of this fungus, 3'-deoxyadenosine, known as cordycepin, has received a great deal of attention. In a number of publications, the authors suggest that cordycepin dressed in the right form, such as conjugated to an ion of some mineral, could be a promising tool for medical use in the future.

Cordyceps by nature contains quite a variety of vitamins, amino acids, sterols, volatile substances, nucleosides and carbohydrates - mono-, oligo- and polysaccharides. A unique type of polysaccharides are beta-glucans, which are largely responsible for the immunomodulatory effects of Cordyceps.

What effects can be expected in practice?

Immunomodulation is one of the most potent benefits. As a result, Cordyceps, like other vital mushrooms, works well as an immune booster. For this reason, it is often considered as a complementary treatment in the fight against cancer, but such a process must be supervised by the doctor in charge of the case. Instead, the effect on the immune system can be a hindrance in some autoimmune diseases.

One of the most commonly reported effects is general physical enhancement and fatigue reduction. There are some clues in scientific publications that may lead to just such an effect, such as effects on ATP synthesis, respiratory function and hormonal balance. Cordyceps is often chosen by athletes.

In areas where Cordyceps is naturally found, it is popular to drink the mushroom powder with milk and alcohol in the evening for increased sex drive, or without alcohol in the morning for general enhancement.

The main components of Cordyceps are considered antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances, which contributes to a wide range of preventive properties. Anti-aging effects or reducing the risk of inflammatory diseases are the benefits attributed to Cordyceps. We are talking, among others, about cardiovascular diseases (hyperlipidemia, etc.), or diabetes, which is mainly due to the aforementioned cordycepin.

Cordycep supplementation - how to dose it?

For extracts, doses of about 500 mg are usually used , up to 3 times a day.

Cordyceps can be supplemented classically in capsule form, but it can also be used in powder form as an addition to beverages (coffee, tea, cocoa) or nutritional shakes. It enriches their properties, and does not particularly affect the taste.

It is worth bearing in mind that Cordycep extracts dissolve in water and work well as an ingredient in beverages. What is different is dried and powdered mushroom, which is not an extract. Such powders do not dissolve, they form an unpleasant ooze in the drink, and the fact that there is no extraction means that we have to use such powder more.

Sources:

• Tuli HS, Sandhu SS, Sharma AK. Pharmacological and therapeutic potential of Cordyceps with special reference to Cordycepin. 3 Biotech. 2014;4(1):1-12. doi:10.1007/s13205-013-0121-9

• Ashraf SA, Elkhalifa AEO, Siddiqui AJ, et al. Cordycepin for Health and Wellbeing: A Potent Bioactive Metabolite of an Entomopathogenic Cordyceps Medicinal Fungus and Its Nutraceutical and Therapeutic Potential. Molecules. 2020;25(12):2735. Published 2020 Jun 12. doi:10.3390/molecules25122735

• Das G, Shin HS, Leyva-Gómez G, et al. Cordyceps spp.: A Review on Its Immune-Stimulatory and Other Biological Potentials. Front Pharmacol. 2021;11:602364. Published 2021 Feb 8. doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.602364