Cordyceps has a unique chemical composition that can alter the way you feel and perform. Although used for centuries as a libido enhancer and performance booster its reintroduction to the wider population happened when six new Chinese runners, using herbal drink based on Cordyceps, broke the world records 17 times, on Olympics in Beijing 1993.[3] Thorough researches took place afterward, highlighting.
Three amazing ways how Cordyceps alters and improves our body function:
- Energy production
- Endurance and stamina enhancement
- Testosterone and sex drive boost
Energy production
Causes of Energy Shortage
Physical stress, emotional stress, oxidative stress, damage to your mitochondria, body toxins and normal wear and tear of your cells can all diminish your mitochondria’s ability to produce and thereby deplete your body’s ATP* supply and ultimately cause energy shortage. Cordyceps increases cellular energy production and oxygen uptake and has been clinically proven[5,7,8] to increase cellular bio-energy (the ATP/IP ratio) by 28% up to as much as 55%. What this basically means is that we become more efficient in producing energy within our bodies. Try it yourself – thank us later!
*ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecules provide the energy that runs most of your metabolic pathways. Without them, you would die in 4 seconds.
Endurance and stamina enhancer
In the 1993 National Games in Beijing, China and the World Games at Stuttgart, Germany, six new Chinese runners from Liaoning province under the “Ma’s Army” team broke world records in the track and field events 17 times with nine records of these events being completely surpassed:
Qu Junxia broke the 1,500-meter world record by 2 seconds
Wang Junxia broke the 3,000-meter world record by 10 seconds and 10,000-meter world record by 42 seconds
In the 3,000-meter race, five of these Chinese athletes broke the 9-year old world record with one of them being only 17 years old.
It was found out later that all of them were consuming cordyceps based herbal supplement.[3]
A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial proved that Cordyceps Sinensis supplements improve oxygen uptake or aerobic capacity and ventilation function and resistance to fatigue of elderly people in exercise.
Cordyceps acid is recognized to play a major role in alleviating conditions such as bronchitis or asthma due to its anti-inflammatory components. In a study entitled “Anti-asthmatic activities in mycelial extract and culture filtrate of cordyceps sphecocephala J201″ it was shown that Cordyceps extract reduced the undesirable immune responses and/or cytokine expression exhibited in asthma.”
On top of the study mentioned in “Aerobic capacity and respiratory function” paragraph, another one showed that swimming endurance capacity of mice orally administered with the hot water (HW) fraction of mycelia of Cordyceps Sinensis (150 and 300 mg/kg/d) was significantly prolonged from 75 to 90 min with a lessening of fatigue. The HW Cordyceps fraction also significantly inhibited the increase in total cholesterol and the decrease in alkaline phosphatase levels as biochemical parameters of immobilization stress in rats[4].
Testosterone and sex drive
Enhances Sexual Function
Traditionally, people of both sexes took tonics made from cordyceps to enhance libido and improve reproductive function. Based on animal models, it appears that cordyceps supplements can help the body utilize oxygen more efficiently and improve blood flow, which is important for physical health and sexual function. [9]
Improved endurance, increased energy and lower levels of inflammation are several other reasons that cordyceps may improve fertility and libido. Thus, cordyceps may be used as a natural treatment for infertility as well as a natural remedy for impotence.
A trial with cordyceps supplementation showed a significant impact on boosting testosterone levels and sperm count. [9]
The results of human clinical trials[1] published in The Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine demonstrated that Cordyceps is effective in increasing sex drive and affects sexual functions either via sex hormone systems or by directly acting on the sexual organs. The administration of C. Sinensis enhanced libido and sexual activity in both sexes.
The results of another controlled study[2] conducted on elderly men with decreased libido, impotence and other sexual dysfunctions who were given 3g per day of Cordyceps for 40 days, showed increased sperm survival time and increased sperm count as well as a majority of patients reporting improvement in libido and sexual health.
The pharmaceutical industry is aware of this, wherefore, they have slowly started to add cordyceps extract, to their bedroom formulas.
Side effects
Cordyceps has been proven[6] to be a nontoxic fungal substance with wide-ranging physical and chemical effects on the body. No human toxicity has been reported, and animal models failed to find any. LD50 (median lethal dose) injected i.p. in mice at up to 80 g/kg per day, had no fatalities after 7 days. Given by mouth to rabbits for 3 months, at 10 g/kg per day (n = 6), no abnormalities were seen from blood tests or in kidney or liver function.
There are some potential side effects to be aware of, especially for pregnant women and people with a history of autoimmune diseases. If you’re pregnant or breast-feeding, you likely want to steer clear of taking cordyceps since their safety hasn’t been well-researched or confirmed in this population.
For anyone with a known autoimmune disease (for example, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis), some doctors warn that cordyceps might worsen the problem. Because they stimulate the immune system, it’s possible that cordyceps can interfere with medications for these diseases or over-activate certain immune cells. The same warning goes for anyone with a known bleeding or blood clot disorder, since medical mushrooms can sometimes interfere with proper blood clotting. You also should not take cordyceps two weeks before any scheduled surgery, due to its influence on blood clotting.
- Zhu, J. et al. The Scientific Rediscovery of an Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicine: Cordyceps Sinensis The Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine [part 1] Volume 4, Number 3, 1998, pp. 289—303 [part 2] Volume 4, Number 4, 1998, pp. 429 – 457.
- Zhu, J. et al. The Scientific Rediscovery of an Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicine: Cordyceps Sinensis The Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine [part 1]Volume 4, Number 3, 1998, pp. 289—303 [part 2] Volume 4, Number 4, 1998, pp. 429 – 457.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110835/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12736514
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16423520
- Huang Y, Lu J, Zhu B, Wen Q, Jia F, Zheng S, Chen T, Li Y, Cheng G, Yi Z. [Toxicity study of fermentation Cordyceps mycelia B414.] Zhongchengyao. 1987;10:24–5 (in Chinese).
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1847515/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8822093
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10743500