Cordyceps
Summary
Cordyceps is promoted for exercise performance, but a 5-week trial in trained cyclists found no effect on aerobic capacity or time-trial results. A small trial of a mushroom blend found gains only after 3 weeks in 10 people. One 4-week trial reported higher immune cell activity. Human trials are small and short.
Key facts
- Cordyceps sinensis products (such as CordyMax Cs-4), Cordyceps militaris, and Cordyceps cicadae mycelium[1][3][5]
- Endurance performance in trained cyclists: no effect (C); high-intensity exercise tolerance with a mushroom blend: mixed (D); immune cell activity ↑ (C); cognition with a cordyceps–reishi product: no effect (C)[1][2][3][4]
- No significant adverse reactions in a 4-week trial; no changes in kidney or liver tests over 3 months of C. cicadae mycelium in an uncontrolled study[3][5]
- 4 graded human outcomes on this page
- October 9, 2026
How it works
ProposedCordyceps is purported to improve oxidative capacity, and immune effects were reported in animal testing (proposed). In people, a single 1 g amount before intense cycling sped stem-cell recruitment in muscle biopsies, an early finding.[1][3][7]
What the human research says
Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form column shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.
At a glance: strongest evidence per outcome
| Outcome | Grade | Effect | Strongest evidence | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Grade C | No effect | RCT · n = 96 · 2017 | 1 row |
| Immune | Grade C | Improved | RCT · n = 79 · 2015 | 1 row |
| Performance | Grade C | No effect | RCT · n = 22 · 2004 | 2 rows |
Every graded row
| Outcome | Effect | Grade | Best evidence | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive function | No effect | Grade C | RCT · n = 96 · 2017 Healthy young physical-education students Form: Commercial Ophiocordyceps sinensis + Ganoderma lucidum supplement (high or low dose) vs placebo · Dose: Not stated in the abstract · Duration: 30 days No significant differences between groups in global cognition, memory, executive function, attention, processing speed, visuospatial, verbal or motor skills. | 29199566 (opens PubMed)Source [4] |
| Natural killer cell activity and lymphocyte proliferation | Improved | Grade C | RCT · n = 79 · 2015 Healthy Korean men Form: Ethanol-treated Cordyceps militaris vs placebo · Dose: 1.5 g/day · Duration: 4 weeks NK cell activity, lymphocyte proliferation, IL-2 and interferon-gamma rose more than with placebo; other Th1 cytokines did not. No statistically significant adverse reactions. | 26284906 (opens PubMed)Source [3] |
| Aerobic capacity and endurance time trial | No effect | Grade C | RCT · n = 22 · 2004 Endurance-trained male cyclists Form: Cordyceps sinensis (CordyMax Cs-4) vs placebo · Dose: 3 g/day · Duration: 5 weeks VO2peak, ventilatory threshold and time-trial performance did not change and did not differ from placebo (time trial 62.1 vs 61.4 min). | 15118196 (opens PubMed)Source [1] |
| High-intensity exercise tolerance | Mixed | Grade D | RCT · n = 28 · 2017 Young adults (mean age 22.7) Form: Mushroom blend containing Cordyceps militaris vs maltodextrin · Dose: 4 g/day blend · Duration: 1 week (all) and 3 weeks (10 volunteers) After 1 week, no significant effects on VO2max, ventilatory threshold, time to exhaustion or power. After 3 weeks, VO2max rose 4.8 ml/kg/min in the 10 who continued, and confidence-interval analysis showed longer time to exhaustion. | 27408987 (opens PubMed)Source [2] |
Forms
| Form | Elemental % | Absorption (human data) | GI tolerance | Studied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cordyceps sinensis products (for example CordyMax Cs-4) | Varies[1] | No head-to-head human data[1] | No tolerance problems reported in the opened abstracts.[1] | Endurance performance |
| Cordyceps militaris | Varies[3] | No head-to-head human data[3] | No statistically significant adverse reactions at 1.5 g/day for 4 weeks.[3] | Immune markers, exercise tolerance, reaction time |
| Cordyceps cicadae mycelium (HEA-enriched) | Varies[5] | No head-to-head human data[5] | No changes in kidney, liver, electrolyte or lipid tests and no reported side effects at 1.05 g/day for 3 months (no control group).[5] | Safety |
Studied doses
Doses studied in human trials ranged from 1 to 4 g of cordyceps products a day, from a single amount before exercise to 3 months.[7][2][5]
Interactions
Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.
None found in our sources.
Who should be careful
- Product variability
- Trials used different species and products, including blends, so results from one product may not apply to another.[1][2][3]
- Before you start
- Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before adding this supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a chronic health condition.[3]
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.
Articles about Cordyceps
Plain-English answers to common questions, built on the evidence above.
Frequently asked questions
Does cordyceps improve endurance?
In 22 trained cyclists, 3 g/day of a Cordyceps sinensis product for 5 weeks did not change VO2peak or time-trial performance versus placebo.[1]
Does cordyceps help high-intensity exercise?
A blend containing Cordyceps militaris had no effect after 1 week; after 3 weeks, VO2max rose in the 10 people who continued. A single amount of C. militaris raised resting oxygen uptake but not peak VO2 in a small crossover trial.[2][6]
Does cordyceps affect immunity?
In a 4-week trial of 79 healthy men, 1.5 g/day of C. militaris raised NK cell activity and lymphocyte proliferation versus placebo. These are lab markers, not infection outcomes.[3]
Sources
- [1]Cordyceps Sinensis (CordyMax Cs-4) supplementation does not improve endurance exercise performance.. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2004. RCT
- [2]Cordyceps militaris Improves Tolerance to High-Intensity Exercise After Acute and Chronic Supplementation.. J Diet Suppl, 2017. RCT
- [3]Cordyceps militaris Enhances Cell-Mediated Immunity in Healthy Korean Men.. J Med Food, 2015. RCT
- [4]Clinical Effects of a Commercial Supplement of Ophiocordyceps sinensis and Ganoderma lucidum on Cognitive Function of Healthy Young Volunteers.. Int J Med Mushrooms, 2017. RCT
- [5]Safety Assessment of HEA-Enriched Cordyceps cicadae Mycelium: A Randomized Clinical Trial.. J Am Coll Nutr, 2021. open-label
- [6]Acute Cordyceps militaris supplementation and elevated resting oxygen uptake with faster reaction times: A randomized crossover trial.. PLoS One, 2026. crossover-RCT
- [7]Cordyceps sinensis accelerates stem cell recruitment to human skeletal muscle after exercise.. Food Funct, 2024. crossover-RCT
What changed
- First draft. Every evidence-row PMID checked with NCBI E-utilities (esummary + efetch abstract) and re-read in an independent adversarial pass.