Cordyceps Militaris Organic 10:1 Extract

Biohacker Review: An Invigorating Military-Grade Mushroom

This adaptogenic mushroom has a very cool name, doesn't it?

As a Nootropic its effect is pretty subtle, I didn't note much of an uptick in cognition but it does make you more energetic. I used it before the gym several times resulting in some kickass workouts but my go-to pre-workout supplement will remain HMB and Creatine. The past few weekends, my project has been cleaning out a very messy old attic of a bunch of old dusty junk and furniture so I can transform it into my doomsday prepping storehouse. Cordyceps gave me a bit of extra physical energy to spend hours carry stuff down 5 flights of stairs to the dumpster.

It has a pleasant taste and texture. I enjoyed it in a hearty adaptogenic tea with Turkey Tail, Chaga, Schisandra, Eleuthero, Matcha, and a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar.

The immuno-fortifying effects are one of the main things that make it attractive to me, along with the other Adaptogens it kept me and Mrs. Roseland from getting sick during the chilly Eastern European winter here.

I took it in a moderate dosage of several hundred milligrams once daily, as a Nutraceutical you don't need to worry about being really precise in your daily dosing. I would dump about a half-teaspoon into my mug. I didn't notice a big difference in effect varying the dosage.

I wouldn't take Cordyceps daily forever, I would cycle it. in my interview with Ergogenic Biohacker Lucas Aoun, he explained that it stimulates thyroid hormones, taking it in excess chronically could result in hypothyroidism. But, he remains a big fan of it...

Cordyceps has been a long-term staple in my life for many years. It consistently improves my immune system, energy levels and workout tolerance. I find it can make me much more decisive, and also improves libido (no surprise here).

 Summary of Cordyceps Science

On Pubmed, you can find +500 scientific papers referencing Cordyceps Militaris and two clinical trials in the past 5 years. I'll summarize some of the recent interesting findings...

A 2019 study was done at the General Hospital of Daqing Oil Field which found it protected against kidney disease. I can just imagine how hard and dirty a job working in a Chinese oil field must be, so it speaks to the potent stoicism enabling properties of adaptogenic mushrooms.

Cordyceps militaris may show good promise in protecting against chronic kidney disease (CKD) but the molecular mechanism remains unclear. CKD risk is associated with the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B (TLR4/NF-κB) signaling pathway.

A Korean placebo-controlled study of 79 healthy men found it produced an uptick in immune activity.

Cordyceps militaris is a mushroom traditionally used for diverse pharmaceutical purposes in East Asia, including China, and has been found to be effective for enhancing immunity... C. militaris enhanced the NK cell activity and lymphocyte proliferation and partially increased Th1 cytokine secretion. Therefore, C. militaris is safe and effective for enhancing cell-mediated immunity of healthy male adults.

It also noted that no adverse side effects occurred.

Another recent Korean paper noted an anti-cancer effect, it induced apoptosis in cancer cells, which is great the problem with Iatrogenic mainstream cancer treatments are that they do so much damage to our bodies and organs while killing cancer cells.

These results suggest that C. militaris inhibited ovarian cancer cell proliferation, survival, and migration, possibly through the coordination between TNF-α/TNFR1 signaling and NF-κB activation. Taken together, our findings provide a new insight into a novel treatment strategy for ovarian cancer using C. militaris.

Purity is a concern with Nutraceuticals, especially mushrooms

Mushrooms tend to absorb the toxins in the environment around them, making many of the mushroom supplement that you might find possibly Iatrogenic - they may actually do you more harm than good. This is why I wouldn't buy any old Cordyceps that I found on store shelves or online, especially if it's cheap. I'd also prefer not to get my Cordyceps in a "multi-vitamin" stack that combines it with a bunch of other things unless they proved its purity with a certificate of analysis. I enthusiastically recommend Lost Empire Herbs as they have the highest standards in the industry for quality assurance and purity testing.

Cordyceps Militaris Organic 10:1 Extract Powder

The Mushroom Loved by Athletes

Cordyceps has been popular among athletes ever since it was reported that the Chinese female track teams of nine members used it for great effect, setting nine world records in the 1993 National championship.

Part of the athletes’ training regime included drinking a special drink which included cordyceps after every training session. Further medals came in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

Originally thought to be magical by the Chinese people, it is not a mushroom in the conventional sense. Cordyceps is a parasite that attaches itself to various insects. The spores invade their body, killing the host, then sprouting a club-like mushroom from their head. A rarity in Chinese medicine, this is considered both a strong Yin Jing and Yang Jing herb.[1]*

It is also considered a premier Lung tonic, which may lend to its fatigue diminishing capabilities.*

Science is still in its infancy with regards to cordyceps. This is further complicated by different species, mycelium vs. fruiting bodies, and qualities of extracts. What follows is some of the science done around components found inside Cordyceps militaris as well as whole extracts.