Why Cordyceps is the Mushroom of the Moment

What Exactly Is Cordyceps?

Cordyceps is a fascinating genus of fungi long used in traditional Eastern practices to support energy, vitality and endurance. And despite what pop culture might have you believe, the cultivated Cordyceps militaris used in modern supplements is a completely different species — perfectly safe, well studied and absolutely not casting you as the next fungal villain in a post-apocalyptic series.

In the real world, Cordyceps is valued for its naturally occurring compounds like cordycepin and adenosine, which interact with the body’s energy pathways.

It helps your body use oxygen more efficiently, supports natural energy production and delivers more of those “I could keep going” moments that make training feel smoother and stamina feel stronger.

Cordyceps and Oxygen Utilisation

If you’ve ever wished you could squeeze a little more performance out of every breath, this is where Cordyceps shines. 

Research suggests it may help improve VO₂ max, the gold-standard measure of aerobic capacity, when taken consistently over several weeks. In that study, participants supplementing with Cordyceps showed a significant increase in VO₂ max compared to placebo, pointing to more efficient oxygen utilisation during exercise.

Other human research has found improvements in aerobic performance among amateur endurance athletes supplementing with Cordyceps, adding further support to its reputation as a natural ally for stamina and long-distance efforts.

Natural Energy with Cordyceps

Cordyceps isn’t a stimulant. There’s no jittery takeoff, no crash landing — just a steady, grounded sense of energy that comes from supporting your body’s natural systems rather than overriding them.

Early research into traditional Yang and Yin tonifying herbs suggests Cordyceps may help stimulate mitochondrial ATP generation (the process your cells use to create their main source of energy). This isn’t a quick-hit effect, but a behind-the-scenes nudge that may help your body sustain energy more efficiently over time. 

Because of this, endurance athletes, hikers, cyclists and even busy professionals often turn to Cordyceps when they want a longer-lasting battery feeling without relying on caffeine. It’s a natural way to stay switched on and performing well, minus the spike-and-crash routine.

Cordyceps for Immune Support 

Progress only happens when you can keep showing up, and nothing disrupts training faster than feeling run down. While Cordyceps is well known for supporting energy and endurance, early research suggests it may also play a role in keeping the immune system functioning at its best.

Scientists first explored this by looking at the natural polysaccharides inside Cordyceps — special compounds that, in lab and animal studies, appeared to help immune cells communicate and coordinate more effectively. That early work hinted at why Cordyceps has long been associated with resilience and vitality.

More recently, researchers have begun testing Cordyceps in healthy adults, and the findings are encouraging. In one study, participants who consumed a fermented Cordyceps militaris beverage for several weeks showed changes in immune activity that suggested their cells were staying alert and responsive without tipping into overdrive

This suggests Cordyceps may help support a balanced, well-functioning immune system — the kind that keeps you feeling well enough to train, recover and get on with life even when things get busy.

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Recovery, Hormonal Balance and Feeling Your Best 

Cordyceps doesn’t clock off once your training session ends.

Early research suggests it may help support your body’s natural inflammatory response — a key part of how we recover, repair and rebuild after exercise. In laboratory studies, Cordyceps extracts have helped calm overactive inflammatory signals and supported antioxidant activity, two processes the body relies on during post-workout recovery.

There’s also emerging evidence that Cordyceps may interact with hormone-related pathways involved in energy regulation and stress response. Animal studies have shown that certain Cordyceps extracts can influence these pathways in ways that hint at a role in maintaining balance within the body. 

While we can’t assume the same effects occur in humans, this early evidence suggests Cordyceps may help the body stay regulated and recover more comfortably from the demands of training and everyday stress.

Why Cordyceps Has a Reputation for Boosting Vitality

Cordyceps has long been celebrated as a natural vitality and libido tonic, and modern research is starting to explore what might be behind that reputation.

Early animal studies found that Cordyceps and its key compound, cordycepin, can interact with hormone-related pathways, including those involved in natural testosterone production.

In these studies, Cordyceps helped activate the cells responsible for producing reproductive hormones, offering a scientific clue as to why it’s traditionally been associated with male vitality and overall drive. 

While these findings come from animal research and can’t be applied directly to humans, they offer helpful insight into why Cordyceps has maintained such a strong reputation for supporting natural vitality and that extra spark in everyday life.

Why Athletes Keep Coming Back to Cordyceps

Athletes love Cordyceps for one simple reason: it supports the fundamentals of performance. By helping the body use oxygen more efficiently, sustaining natural energy production, and supporting recovery and overall vitality, Cordyceps creates a foundation that lets you move better, feel stronger and perform at a higher level. 

It doesn’t hype you up — it holds you up. And in the endurance world, that kind of steady, reliable support is worth its weight in gold.

How to Use Cordyceps for Performance and Wellbeing 

Cordyceps is most commonly taken as a daily capsule, and many people find it works best when used consistently. Some take it before training to support stamina and oxygen utilisation, while others use it daily to back up immune health, recovery and natural energy levels. 

It can be stacked with well-loved performance ingredients like creatine, beta-alanine or green tea extract if you’re building a broader training routine, but Cordyceps also stands strong on its own as a natural endurance and vitality support tool.

Cordyceps as Your Natural Performance Upgrade 

Cordyceps has truly earned its place as one of nature’s most compelling performance-supporting mushrooms. Whether you’re chasing peak endurance, smoother energy, a balanced immune system, faster recovery or simply more day-to-day vitality, this ancient fungus brings a surprisingly modern edge to your training and wellbeing. 

Nick Telesca

Nick is Bulk's Customer Service team's Technical Support Officer.

Which is our way of saying he's the guy whose job it is to answer your obscenely technical supplement questions.

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