When Is the Best Time to Take Cordyceps?

With a market size of well over $1 billion dollars, Cordyceps mushrooms are all the rage. But when’s the best time to take this powerful adaptogenic mushroom? Let’s investigate.

Key Takeaways

• Cordyceps mushrooms have a wide range of potential health benefits, from immune support to a natural energy boost. 
• Because Cordyceps can be taken for so many different purposes, there's no single "best" time to take it. Instead, when you take Cordyceps depends on why you're taking it. 
• If you're taking Cordyceps for your overall health, consider adding it to your daily routine. Depending on your health goals, you can take it either in the morning or evening.
• For more specific purposes, like supporting physical performance or reducing fatigue, you can take your Cordyceps supplements before or after your workout.

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Introducing: Cordyceps, the Helpful Parasite

Cordyceps has shot to fame recently. If you've heard the name from popular media like The Last of Us, you might have the wrong idea.

Luckily for us, Cordyceps is only bad news for insects. For humans, it's quite the opposite. Cordyceps is thought to have a range of health benefits.

But what, exactly, is it?

Cordyceps is a parasite. A parasitic fungus, to be precise. It grows on insects.

First, Cordyceps hijacks the body of its unfortunate host. Then, when it's ready, it bursts out of the body with long, thin stems.

These stems are called fruiting bodies. They release spores, which (hopefully) land on other insects and begin the whole cycle again.

That's where we come in. Humans have collected Cordyceps at this stage for hundreds of years. It's a staple in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and more recently has become increasingly popular around the world.

Species of Cordyceps

Though there are various types of Cordyceps, two species are most well-known.

The first is Cordyceps militaris. This is the species of Cordyceps that is most commonly grown for commercial purposes.

Cordyceps militaris can survive and thrive on a wide range of insects, making it relatively easy to grow on a large scale. It's also found naturally in both North America and Asia, making it easier to harvest.

The other species of Cordyceps you might encounter is Cordyceps sinensis. Unlike its relative, Cordyceps militaris, Cordyceps sinensis is picky. It only grows on the ghost moth.

As you can imagine, the rarer, pickier version of Cordyceps is far more expensive. 

Can Cordyceps Infect Humans?

Rest easy. Cordyceps might be a good subject for horror stories, but it can only infect insects.

Potential Health Benefits of Cordyceps

Cordyceps might not be able to infect humans, but it can certainly help us. This unique mushroom has all kinds of potential health benefits. 

Let's discuss some of them. We'll start with the most common and then touch on some less well-known possible benefits.

• Energy: One of Cordycep's most popular purported benefits is boosting energy. It's thought to do this by increasing the levels of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, a molecule that helps release energy in the body. In turn, that's made Cordyceps popular for all kinds of situations. Athletes take it for improved performance. Office workers take it to reduce fatigue. As a general source of natural energy, Cordyceps' energy support may help boost energy levels when you need it.
• Immune System: Cordyceps contain a lot of polysaccharides, which are thought to help support the immune response.
• Stress: Cordyceps is thought to help balance your body's levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.
• Blood Sugar: Cordyceps contains vanadium. It's thought to boost the effectiveness of insulin, potentially helping to regulate blood sugar levels in your body.
• Libido: People have been using Cordyceps to treat sexual dysfunction in both men and women for centuries. In fact, it's one of the ways that mushrooms were used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. While it’s confirmed that many people use Cordyceps supplements to boost libido, its success in doing so hasn't yet been proven scientifically. 
• Inflammation: Like some other functional mushrooms, Cordyceps is packed full of antioxidants. These powerful molecules are thought to help reduce inflammation in the body. That's another reason why Cordyceps supplements are popular with those looking to improve athletic performance and have a speedier post-workout recovery.
• Tumors: One component of Cordyceps, called cordycepin, is thought to interfere with the growth of tumor cells.

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Side Effects of Taking Cordyceps

While Cordyceps consumption is generally safe, there is the chance you'll experience a few mild side effects. 

These are usually related to the stomach. A stomachache, some nausea, and mild diarrhea are all possible side effects of taking Cordyceps. 

That being said, taking Cordyceps shouldn't make you feel worse than you did before. If that's the case, consider trying a different functional mushroom with similar benefits.

Taking Cordyceps With Other Supplements

Alternatively, you might want to try combining multiple functional mushrooms together. Fortunately, it's quite common to take a functional mushroom blend. 

Each mushroom is thought to have different benefits, so mixing them might help you unlock the full benefits of each one.

That's why our Functional Mushroom Gummies and Functional Mushroom Tincture contain extracts from five of the most popular adaptogenic mushrooms out there: Cordyceps, Lion's Mane, Turkey Tail, Reishi, Chaga, and Shiitake.

How to Take Cordyceps

As you likely know, mushrooms generally can be consumed in a wide variety of ways. Taking Cordyceps is no different. 

We'll start with the easiest, though possibly not the tastiest, and work our way from there.

Raw

Taking Cordyceps raw isn't for the faint of heart. By raw, we don't necessarily mean literally eating it off the insect it's growing from. 

Instead, you can purchase raw Cordyceps. That means the fruiting bodies, without the unfortunate insect that was sacrificed for our medicinal mushrooms benefit. 

If you are so inclined, you can simply eat that raw Cordyceps straight from the packet. Or jar. You get the idea.

As Tea

A more common method of taking Cordyceps is by brewing a tea. This might take a little longer than just popping a few fruiting bodies in your mouth, but it's likely to be far more palatable.

The process of making Cordyceps tea is straightforward. All you do is boil some in water for a minute, then simmer on very low heat for another 15 minutes. 

The best part about this method is you can still eat the boiled Cordyceps, separate from the tea. One common method is to incorporate Cordyceps into stews or blend them into soups to get any nutrients remaining after the tea-making process.

If you make a big batch of Cordyceps tea, take note that it won't last as long as the dried mushroom itself. Store it in the fridge and don't leave it too long before drinking it.

Capsules

Cordyceps capsules are one of the most popular ways of taking Cordyceps supplements. There are two main reasons for this.

You can likely guess the first. Simplicity! Taking a couple of capsules is about as simple as it gets when it comes to taking Cordyceps supplements. 

The second reason is dosage. Fresh Cordyceps are made up of mostly water. That can make it difficult to know exactly how much you should take.

Cordyceps capsules, though, are precisely formulated. You know exactly how much you're taking. That makes calculating dosage straightforward.

Dried Powder

You can also get Cordyceps supplements in the form of a dried powder. Actually, this is often what's inside Cordyceps capsules. 

Calculating your Cordyceps dosage is much easier when taking it in dried powder form than fresh. You can simply measure the powder out by the teaspoon.

Gummies

If you want something a little more exciting (or enticing) than capsules, powder, or raw fruiting bodies, consider trying gummies.

Our Functional Mushroom Gummies, for example, have an all-natural delicious peach flavor. 

Adaptogenic mushrooms might be known for their health benefits, but they're certainly not known for being tasty. If you're finding that incorporating cordyceps supplements into your routine is difficult because of their taste, these gummies might be the perfect solution.

Tinctures

An alternative option for taking Cordyceps mushrooms is in the form of a tincture. Taking Cordyceps supplements as a tincture is as easy as squeezing a couple of drops onto your tongue.

We offer a Honey Lemon tincture with just a few simple ingredients, including raw honey and lemon juice. It’s cruelty-free, natural, and tested by a third-party lab.

And it contains extracts from six adaptogenic mushrooms: Cordyceps, Lion's Mane, Turkey Tail, Reishi, Chaga, and Shiitake.

When to Take Cordyceps

Timing is everything. Well, maybe not everything, but it's certainly important.

When you take your Cordyceps supplements really depends on why you're taking them.

Cordyceps for Energy Levels

For instance, let's say you're taking Cordyceps mushrooms to support energy and mental clarity as part of your daily routine. In that case, the best time to take your Cordyceps supplements would be in the morning.

You could even think of your Cordyceps mushrooms as a replacement for a morning coffee. By taking it in the morning, your body responds in time for you to feel the benefits during your working day. 

Cordyceps for Physical Performance

Alternatively, you might be taking Cordyceps mushrooms specifically to support your physical activities. 

Maybe you want to boost your workout performance. You might be interested in improving lung function, oxygen utilization, or in having sustained energy while being active. 

If any of that rings true, consider taking your Cordyceps supplements before your workout. 

Then again, you might be interested in Cordyceps less for exercise performance and more for recovery. 

Maybe you want to boost your muscle repair. Or you just want to meet your health goals without feeling quite so sore after each workout.

If that sounds about right, then the best time to take your Cordyceps supplements could be after your workouts. 

Cordyceps for Sleep

This might sound counterintuitive. Aren't Cordyceps mushrooms for boosting energy levels?

Yes, but they might also help improve your sleep quality.

Let us explain. Remember, Cordyceps is thought to help your body respond to stress. And it's also believed to assist your body in recovery, as we've discussed.

Ultimately, that's what sleep is all about. It's when your body recovers from all the stressors it went through while awake. 

By helping your body recover, Cordyceps might help you get a better night's rest.

If that's your aim, then an evening intake might be best.

Cordyceps for General Health

Of course, not everyone will take Cordyceps mushrooms for specific reasons. Perhaps your health goals are more general, and you simply want to add Cordyceps supplements to your wellness routine. 

If that's the case, consider taking Cordyceps with your other supplements. Or, barring that, at a time most convenient for you.

After all, the most important part is taking the right dose regularly. You can't benefit from Cordyceps if you always forget to take it!

Conclusion

Ultimately, there's no single perfect time to take Cordyceps. The most important thing is that you remember to take them in the first place.

With that in mind, consider why you're taking Cordyceps. Once you've got that locked down, you'll be able to figure out the most appropriate time to take Cordyceps to help achieve your goals.

Keep Reading: What Are the Best Ways to Handle Stress?

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