9 Best Cordyceps Supplement Brands + Health Benefits

Best Cordyceps Supplement Brands

The following brands meet most or all of the criteria for quality cordyceps products: organic, full-spectrum, and high potency. Most also contain no fillers and undergo 3rd party testing. 

Cordyceps powders are the preferred form of cordyceps because it is simply a dried form of cordyceps. You can add the amount you want without taking a pill. 

However, many brands offer a capsule form as well, so if they do, I mention it.

Medicinal Foods Cordyceps Supplement

Medicinal Foods Cordyceps Supplement checks all the boxes for quality and potency.  It is organic, full-spectrum, and contains the highest amounts of cordycepin out there. This one is of the highest quality because it was chosen out of 400 strains of cordyceps to contain the most cordycepin. 

I personally use these powdered cordyceps on a daily basis and can easily say my energy and focus are better.

Sourced from Aloha Medicinals, which is a fully organic mushroom grower in the United States.

Also, this supplement is the only bio-identical cordyceps supplement to the cordyceps grown in nature making it our top pick. Not only that, but it is also the best value with 100 servings per package at $37.97, making each serving only $0.37 cents.

Real Mushrooms Cordyceps Supplement

Real Mushrooms Cordyceps are high on the list of best quality cordyceps because they are grown at low temperatures to simulate natural growing conditions and they are also full-spectrum, 3rd party tested, and organic. 

Importantly, Real Mushrooms contains 100% Cordyceps Militaris mushrooms and nothing else. For convenience, they come in both powder and capsule form.

For the highest potency, it is also steam extracted. If you are looking for the most effective capsule varieties, these are the most potent, with 525 mg per capsule. They are also grown in the United States. 

The Real Mushrooms company guarantees that you get potency with over 10% beta-glucan per capsule. It also is convenient because it comes in both capsule and powder form.

At only $29.99 for 60 servings, you can get this Real Mushroom’s powerful cordyceps supplement for your health for less than $0.50 cents per day.

Fresh Cap Cordyceps Supplement

Fresh Cap Cordyceps Supplement is a great way to get cordyceps because they are 100% certified organic Cordyceps Militaris mushrooms. 

They contain an impressive 32% beta glucan for immune and brain benefits. Another benefit is that Fresh Caps are from the highest-quality mushroom grower. Not surprisingly, they also are grown under carefully regulated conditions in the United States.

Additionally, they are free of fillers, and flow agents, and have no artificial ingredients. It comes in both cordyceps capsules and cordyceps powder to meet your lifestyle. All of these features make them very similar in quality to the previous cordyceps brands.

At only $29.99 for 60 servings, you can get a powerful cordyceps supplement in your diet daily for less than $0.50 cents.

Fresh Nutrition Organic Cordyceps Capsules

Fresh Nutrition Organic Cordyceps meet all the standards for quality, including organic, 3rd party certification by GMP standards, no fillers, and is gluten-free. This is a new brand that focuses on meeting rigorous quality standards, which I love.

It is also DNA-verified which sets it apart from other brands.

The only downside I can find about this product is that the cost is higher than most with a price of $0.61 cents per serving. 

Host Defense Cordyceps Supplement

Host Defense Cordyceps is the highest-rated capsule form of cordyceps supplement because it is high in quality and effectiveness. 

This company has been made famous by Paul Stamets who is a famous mycologist featured in the movie Fantastic Fungi. The label claims that these cordyceps help with sexual health and stamina.

Containing cordyceps mycelium (not full-spectrum) of Cordyceps militaris.  Because this product is so highly rated, it makes third in the rankings.

Grown on a brown rice grain so it contains traces of rice.

Paradise Herbs Cordyceps Capsules

Paradise Herbs Tibetan Cordyceps is a high-quality Cordyceps capsule. In other words, Paradise Herbs is organic, and NSF certified. It also meets GMP requirements according to FDA standards. 

Paradise Herbs contains mycelia from Cs-4, which is a researched form of cordyceps.

My only critique of this supplement is that it is a lower dose per capsule than most at 400 mg, but it gets high ratings. Each serving costs less than $0.40 cents too.

Double Wood Supplements Cordyceps Mushroom Extract

Double Wood Supplements Cordyceps is a cordyceps supplement with a standardized extract of 7% cordycepin and is made in the United States.

With a price of $19.95, the value is hard to beat- a daily dose is less than $0.50 cents. It is high quality because it is standardized, GMP certified, is gluten-free, and contains no fillers.

With a 100-day supply, this supplement meets most of the quality checkmarks and gets positive reviews overall.

However, it isn’t organic, so it ranks below the previous brands.

Microingredients Organic Cordyceps Powder

Microingredients Organic Cordyceps powder is an economical way to get some cordyceps into your diet.  It is USDA organic and filler-free. At only $0.19 per serving, this is the best value for the money too. Grown in the US and from a very reputable company. This cordyceps gets very high ratings as well.

You can even download lab reports of its chemical composition. Additionally, the value is unbeatable with 30% polysaccharide content including beta-glucan.

The only downside is that extraction method is unknown.

Nutricost Organic Cordyceps Powder is 3rd party certified, organic, gluten-free, and contains Cordyceps Sinensis powder. 

The container is 100 Grams and contains 50 servings for $18.95.

This brand is also a very reputable brand that stands by their products.

However, this company doesn’t necessarily specialize in mushrooms and mushroom growing conditions, so I would choose mushroom-specific brands personally.

Host Defense Cordyceps Extract

Host Defense Cordyceps Extract is for people who prefer cordyceps tincture. 

Meets all but the full spectrum quality standards.

For instance, this bottle contains 60 servings of cordyceps that are USDA tested, are organic, highly rated, and gluten-free.  In a base of alcohol and grown on brown rice medium.

This costs less than $0.50 cents per serving as well.

Didn’t Make the Cut

Many brands appear to be organic and high quality, but they have a few flaws.  These companies I found include:

Perfect Organic Cordyceps Sinensis-didn’t make the cut because there is no third-party testing and not many customer ratings. 

Solaray Cordyceps Capsules are organic but contain fillers like magnesium stearate.

How to Use Cordyceps

You can find cordyceps products in three forms: powders, extracts, and capsules.  Cordyceps powder is great because it is so easy to mix into your favorite beverages, such as coffee or tea. You can make cordyceps recipes by simply stirring in a half teaspoon into virtually anything you make. 

If you want an easy way to get cordyceps into your diet, mix cordyceps into your food.

They are so mild-tasting, you will never know it’s there. 

What are Cordyceps Mushrooms?

Not actually a true mushroom, cordyceps is an Ascomycetes fungus, but most people classify them as mushrooms. 

There are hundreds of kinds of cordyceps in nature.  Research has focused its attention on two types: Cordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris. 

Cordyceps is a type of mushroom that grows in very extreme and unusual conditions in the high altitudes of the Himalayan mountains.  Also known as caterpillar mushrooms, cordyceps mushrooms have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and Tibetan for thousands of years.

Interestingly, these little mushrooms are so sought after that it is virtually impossible to find them in natural form. 

In 2016, wild cordyceps sold for $20,000 dollars per kilogram due to their high demand according to the BBC.

Luckily, mushroom growers have been able to learn precise methods for growing cordyceps in a culture so that we too can enjoy the benefits of cordyceps without breaking the bank. 

Still, cordyceps is safe to include in a healthy diet and may reduce the harmful damages of diabetes in the body. 

Best Cordyceps Supplement: How to Choose

When looking for cordyceps mushrooms, quality matters.  Here are the criteria that I recommend using so that you know you are getting the best possible cordyceps product. These are the same criteria I follow for the best vitamin brands.

Organic: 

• I recommend seeking out organic cordyceps so that you don’t have any added chemicals or harmful ingredients.

Full-spectrum: 

• When possible, choose full-spectrum cordyceps.  This means that the cordyceps mushrooms supplements have all parts of the mushroom, including the mycelium, the fruiting body, primordia, and the spores. *Note: I found only 2 brands that meet this criterion and they are listed at the top. 

No fillers: 

• The best cordyceps won’t have any fillers or artificial ingredients, such as magnesium stearate or gluten. 

Third-party testing: 

• Choose products with independent testing of cordyceps assures potency of cordyceps, the safety of cordyceps, and consistency of quality, which is called 3rd party testing or GMP certification. 

Cordycepin: 

• Make sure that the type of mushroom brand you choose contains consistent amounts of the most active component so that you get the active ingredient called cordycepin. 

Grown in the United States:

• Brands on the list below are both grown and harvested in the United States because the USDA has strict organic certifications.

Cordyceps Doses

Research studies typically use cordyceps doses between 1000 mg to 3000 mg, which is a pretty low dose.  Cordyceps supplements contain varying amounts of mushrooms. 

If you are looking to feel more energy, I find that using 250 mg of cordyceps mushroom supplement per serving, or around ¼ tsp is a good starting point. 

What Do Cordyceps Mushrooms Do?

As a sought-after fungus, cordyceps has some very unique compounds that have active roles in the body.

Cordyceps contains the following beneficial compounds:

• D-mannitol (cordycepic acid)-may work as a diuretic and may reduce swelling
• cordycepin-is only found in cordyceps mushrooms and is linked to many health benefits of cordyceps.
• adenosine-our body makes adenosine to help provide energy and cordyceps naturally has adenosine
• vitamins-essential compounds that support vitality
• polysaccharides-active compounds found in mushrooms
• enzymes-facilitate reactions in the body

Cordyceps Health Benefits

Research is emerging about the health benefits of cordyceps mushrooms so that we can feel confident about their use.  

Keep in mind, the studies are of fairly short duration and pretty small, so any conclusions of health benefits are still preliminary.  Still, cordyceps mushrooms are considered safe without any known toxicity.  

Energy and stamina

When taking 3 grams of Cordyceps Sinensis per day for 6 weeks, elderly people had:

• increased oxygen uptake
• improved exercise performance
• reduced fatigue 

Cordyceps boosts energy by increasing the compound in the body called ATP.

In a swimming test, cordyceps increased endurance between 30-75% in mice.

Tip: Many cordyceps reviews claim that cordyceps really help with energy and brain function. I agree with these reviews because I get similar benefits and don’t have the mid-day mental slump.

Related post: 7 of the Best Turkey Tail Mushroom Supplement Brands + Benefits (thehealthyrd.com)

Kidney health

Numerous studies show that cordyceps mushrooms may help with kidney health, especially chronic kidney disease.

In these studies, cordyceps:

• Increased creatinine clearance
• Reduced serum creatinine
• Reduced protein in the urine

While all 22 studies of cordyceps are small, they all show kidney benefits.  As a bonus, cordyceps did not have any negative side effects in these studies.

Heart health

Cordyceps are used traditionally to help treat and prevent heart disease.

• Modern research shows that cordyceps may help reduce inflammation, cholesterol, and increase ATP.
• For these reasons, cordyceps may help improve heart health and is used in China for irregular heart rhythms.  

Cordyceps have important antioxidants that also may help protect the heart.

Tip: while cordyceps are possibly good for the heart, more research is needed. They can be safely included as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Lung health

Cordyceps have been used since around the 1600s in China for lung health. 

In a review of 15 studies,  cordyceps proved beneficial and safe for lung health in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).   

Cordyceps extract:

• improved lung function (FEV1)
• increased exercise ability
• improved quality of life

Keep in mind that these studies were small and preliminary. 

Immune health

Cordyceps may help our immune systems too. 

This is because they contain polysaccharides like beta-glucans that may help with innate immune function.

Beta-glucans in cordyceps may also reduce cancer risk. 

Adrenal health and thyroid health

Mushrooms like cordyceps may help balance hormones in the body as well. They may do this by helping protect the gut lining according to early research. 

Some research shows that cordyceps and other mushrooms may reduce thyroid antibodies and also may help with fertility. 

By supporting energy or ATP, cordyceps may help support adrenal health and reduce fatigue.

Reduce cancer risk

Cordyceps supplements may reduce the growth and spread of cancer cells, but research is early. 

The cancer types studied include liver cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer. 

Tip: mushrooms are generally healthy and may reduce cancer risk, so adding cordyceps into your diet is possibly helpful in reducing cancer risk too.

Diabetes-friendly

Rich in antioxidants, cordyceps mushrooms may help reduce diabetes symptoms.

Keep in mind, this research is still early, so we can’t make any big conclusions about cordyceps and diabetes yet.

Best Cordyceps Supplement Brand Summary

In conclusion, finding a high-quality cordyceps supplement is worth your time. Finding the best cordyceps supplement may reward you with many health benefits, such as energy, better, sleep, and better kidney, heart, and lung health.  Make sure to choose high-quality cordyceps that are 3rd party tested, organic, free of fillers, gluten-free, and with high potency for the best effects.

This post is not meant as medical advice and is for informational purposes only. As with anything, make sure to check with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement. All rights reserved.

Heidi Moretti, MS, RD is The Healthy RD.  A registered dietitian for 20 years, has a passion for functional nutrition and natural medicine.  Has researched supplements and plants as medicine throughout her career.  Loves helping people gain function and vitality by tackling the root causes of illness.