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Cordyceps

Cordyceps has been used for years in Traditional Chinese Medicine, cordyceps is known to protect the lungs and boost the libido while balancing “Qi,” which represents “energy for life.” In fact a few years ago, several Chinese athletes were taking cordyceps to boost their energy and broke world records in swimming and running. Some sources of cordyceps come from a parasitic organism that grows on a Tibetan caterpillar until it dies. However in modern medicine, cordyceps supplements come from parasitic sprouts grown on soybeans.

 

Claimed Health Beliefs

 

Food Sources

None

 

Dosage

2-4 grams per day is shown to increase maximal oxygen uptake and reduce feelings of fatigue

 

Evidence for Health Beliefs

  • There have been very few scientific studies conducted in the U.S. on cordyceps, but several scientists from China have studied the supplement. A few animal studies have shown that supplementation with cordyceps enhances adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in the liver by 45-55%, which is responsible for energy release.

  • A study done on mice looked at the effect cordyceps had on oxygen uptake in a low oxygen environment. Results showed that the mice supplemented with cordyceps were able to utilize oxygen more efficiently (30-50% increase).

  • Several studies conducted in China on elderly subjects have shown that cordyceps decreases feelings of fatigue, increases the ability to tolerate cold temperatures, enhances cognitive capacity, and sex drive. Subjects with respiratory diseases reported feeling stronger after taking cordyceps.

  • A study done by the American College of Sports Medicine in 1999 showed that cordyceps increased maximal oxygen utilization by tissues, which improved exercise performance.

 

Cautions

No serious side effects are known.

 

Reference

1. SupplementWatch, Inc. (2002) Supplement Decisions Made Easy. http://www.supplementwatch.com/supatoz/supplement.asp?supplementId=93 Accessed May 7, 2003.