Overview Information

Cordyceps is a fungus that lives on certain caterpillars in the high mountain regions of China. Natural cordyceps is hard to get and may be expensive. Most supplements are made with cordyceps grown in a laboratory. 

Cordyceps is most commonly used for kidney disorders and male sexual problems. It is also used after a kidney transplant. It is also used for liver problems, improving athletic performance, and many other conditions.

How does it work?

Cordyceps might improve immunity by stimulating cells and specific chemicals in the immune system. It may also have activity against cancer cells and may shrink tumor size, particularly with lung or skin cancers.

Uses & Effectiveness

• Athletic performance: Several studies have shown that taking cordyceps or a combination of cordyceps and roseroot does not improve endurance in trained male cyclists.

• Kidney damage caused by the drug amikracin: Early research shows that using cordyceps with the drug amikracin might reduce kidney damage caused by the drug in older people.
• • Asthma: Early research suggests that taking cordyceps alone can reduce asthma symptoms in adults. However, other early research suggests that taking cordyceps along with other herbs for 6 months does not reduce the need for medication or improve asthma symptoms in children.
  • • Chemotherapy: Early evidence shows that taking cordyceps by mouth during or after chemotherapy might improve quality of life and improve tolerance to the treatments.
  • Chronic kidney disease (CKD): Early research suggests that taking cordyceps along with standard therapy for chronic kidney disease may improve kidney function.
  • Hepatitis B: Early evidence shows that taking cordyceps by mouth might improve liver function in people with hepatitis B.
  • • Sexual desire: Early research suggests that taking a specific cordyceps product (CordyMax Cs-4) daily for 40 days can improve sex drive in people with low sex drive.
    • • Kidney transplant: Early research shows that taking cordyceps with low-dose cyclosporine can improve 1-year survival, prevent transplant rejection, and reduce the risk of infection similar to taking standard dose cyclosporine in people who received a kidney transplant. Also cordyceps seems to improve kidney transplant survival, kidney transplant rejection, and infection similar to azathioprine when taken with medications to prevent organ rejection. It might also reduce the risk of long-term impaired kidney function called chronic allograft nephropathy. This is the leading cause of kidney transplant failure.
      • Diabetes: Cordyceps has long been used as a traditional treatment for diabetes in China.
      • High Blood Pressure: Cordyceps are believed to have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, both of which may help prevent or treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Many of these benefits have been attributed to a compound known as cordycepin, which is similar in molecular composition to adenosine. Like adenosine, cordycepin appears able to relax blood vessels, improving circulation and lowering blood pressure.
      • Breast Cancer: Preliminary studies suggest that cordyceps may offer protection against breast cancer. Similar results have been seen with colon cancer cells. The cordycepins in the cordyceps mushroom also appear to be toxic to leukemia cells.

      • Special Precautions & Warnings:

      • Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There is not enough reliable information about the safety of taking cordyceps if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

        "Auto-immune diseases" such as multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or other conditions: Cordyceps might cause the immune system to become more active. This could increase the symptoms of auto-immune diseases. If you have one of these conditions, it's best to avoid using cordyceps.

        Bleeding disorders: Cordyceps might slow blood clotting. Taking cordyceps might increase the risk of bleeding in people with bleeding disorders.

        Surgery: Using cordyceps might increase the risk of bleeding during surgery. Stop taking cordyceps 2 weeks before surgery. 

      • Interactions

      • Moderate Interaction

        Be cautious with this combination:

        Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) interacts with CORDYCEPS

        Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) is used to decrease the immune system. Cordyceps seems to increase the immune system. Taking cordyceps along with cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) might decrease the effectiveness of cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar).

        Medications that decrease the immune system (Immunosuppressants) interacts with CORDYCEPS

        Cordyceps might increase the immune system. By increasing the immune system, cordyceps might decrease the effectiveness of medications that decrease the immune system. Some medications that decrease the immune system include azathioprine (Imuran), basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), daclizumab (Zenapax), muromonab-CD3 (OKT3, Orthoclone OKT3), mycophenolate (CellCept), tacrolimus (FK506, Prograf), sirolimus (Rapamune), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), corticosteroids (glucocorticoids), and others.

        Prednisolone interacts with CORDYCEPS

        Prednisolone is sometimes used to decrease the immune system. Taking cordyceps might make prednisolone less effective for decreasing the immune system.