Full Spectrum Extract
Additive & Filler Free
Gluten Free
Packed in Glass
Cordyceps Militaris Extract · Full Spectrum · Pure & Potent
✧ What are Cordyceps Militaris?
Wild Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) is one of the rarest herbs in the world: a mushroom that grows from the mummified remains of a caterpillar it has grown upon. Its Chinese name translates as "winter worm, summer grass", because the spores take root in a living caterpillar and, in time, grow up out of it into a fruiting body shaped like a blade of grass. It has been treasured in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries.
Our product is Cordyceps Militaris, a cultivated cousin that lets us offer the prized fruiting body without depleting the rare wild species.
✧ Why do people take Cordyceps?
Cordyceps is the energy mushroom. Where reishi and chaga are calming, this one is enlivening, the one people reach for when they want to meet a demanding day, or a hard training session, with more in the tank.
The lift it gives is clean and even, not the spike and crash of a stimulant. Many take it before exercise, for endurance, or stir it into their morning coffee for a smoother kind of energy.
✧ What's in our Cordyceps?
Ingredients
100% Pure - Cordyceps Militaris Full Spectrum Extract
- 10:1 full spectrum extract of Cordyceps Militaris, 100% pure fruiting body
- Fruiting body only, grown on a silkworm-larvae substrate (not grain, not pure mycelium)
- Free from GMOs, grains, dairy and gluten
- Free from fillers, preservatives, bulking agents, and humectants
- Supplied in dark glass
Tested for heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants. Product carefully sourced from China. Click here for info on our sourcing policy. View the Certificate of Analysis.
✧ Wild Cordyceps, CS-4 and Militaris: what's the difference?
Wild Cordyceps is harvested in the high Himalayas of Tibet, Nepal and China, found only above 3,800 metres for a few months of the year. Its reputation as a prized tonic led to enormous demand, and wild Ophiocordyceps sinensis is now classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and is a protected species in China.
Because of that rarity, Chinese mycologists developed two cultivated routes. The first is CS-4, a pure mycelium product. The second, and the one we use, is Cordyceps Militaris grown on a solid substrate of silkworm larvae pulp, which mirrors the caterpillar the wild mushroom naturally grows on. This lets the true fruiting body form, so the end product is very close in composition to the wild version, without taking from a vulnerable wild species.
✧ How is our Cordyceps extract made?
Only the fruiting bodies are used, extracted and processed in line with the traditions of Chinese herbalism. A gentle, temperature-controlled extraction is matched to the mushroom's characteristics so the naturally occurring compounds are captured to mirror the composition of the living mushroom. The liquid extract is then dried using fine spray technology into a micro-fine 10:1 powder that dissolves cleanly back into warm water or any liquid.
✧ How do you take Cordyceps?
1g (approx half a level teaspoon) with warm water, or added to your favourite tea, smoothie or beverage of choice. It can also be sprinkled on salad or hot foods. There is no brewing or steeping needed, the extraction has already been done.
Cordyceps sits naturally alongside our Reishi, Chaga or Lion's Mane in a daily blend. Explore the full range of Medicinal Mushroom extracts.
Many enjoy it stirred into their morning coffee. For the fuller story, read Cordyceps: the energy mushroom from the roof of the world.
New to mushroom extracts? Our guide explains how to choose a quality mushroom extract, and you will find Cordyceps among the eight mushrooms in our Tonic Gold M blend.
✧ Your questions, answered
› Why has my Cordyceps set hard in the jar, and is it still good to use?
Because our Cordyceps is a pure fruiting-body extract with no anti-caking agents, bulking agents or humectants, the powder is naturally hygroscopic. It draws in moisture and humidity from the air, especially once the jar has been opened, and over time it can clump or set firm, sometimes quite hard. This is normal, and it is still perfectly safe to use.
The extract dissolves readily in warm water, so it works just as well in a hot drink even after it has set. To slow the clumping, keep the jar tightly sealed and away from steam and humidity, and leave the little silica sachet in with the powder. We include these to absorb moisture from the air (silica is a natural, food-approved drying agent), which our pure powders would otherwise take up. If the powder does set hard, chip off a piece with a teaspoon, and a small grinder makes short work of breaking it back up.
› Is it grown on insects, and is it suitable for vegetarians or vegans?
Our Cordyceps Militaris is the true mushroom fruiting body, cultivated on a solid substrate of silkworm larvae pulp. This mirrors the caterpillar that wild Cordyceps naturally grows upon, and it is what allows the prized fruiting body to form, rather than grain-grown mycelium. What you receive in the jar is the mushroom itself, prepared as a 10:1 extract.
Because the growing substrate is derived from silkworm larvae, Cordyceps Militaris is not a vegetarian or vegan product, unlike many of our plant-based extracts. We mention this openly so you can decide what suits you.
› Is anything added to make the powder, such as maltodextrin or a carrier?
No. The jar holds 100% pure Cordyceps Militaris fruiting-body extract and nothing else. There is no maltodextrin, no rice flour, no fillers, bulking agents, preservatives or humectants of any kind.
The liquid extract is dried using a fine spray technology into a micro-fine 10:1 powder, so it is the extract itself you are taking, with nothing added to carry it or bulk it out. That purity is also why the powder is so quick to draw in moisture, as covered in the storage question above.
› Is your Cordyceps standardised to a percentage of cordycepin or beta-glucans?
No, and this is a deliberate choice. We do not standardise our extracts to a set percentage of any single compound, such as cordycepin or beta-glucans. Instead we keep the full spectrum of the mushroom's naturally occurring constituents, in the proportions the fruiting body grew them, as a gentle 10:1 extract.
Our testing looks at purity, meaning heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants, rather than measuring the level of individual actives. We would rather source an excellent fruiting body and preserve the whole of it than narrow the extract down to one number on a label.
› Do you test it for heavy metals, and can I see the certificate?
Yes. Every batch is tested for purity, including heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants, before it reaches you. Our Cordyceps is carefully sourced from China, where the cultivated fruiting-body method was first developed, and testing is how we make sure each batch is clean rather than simply assuming it.
You can view the current Certificate of Analysis for the details.
