The Best Way to Consume Cordyceps militaris

Containing potent molecules such as cordycepin, cordycepic acid, adenosine, and polysaccharides, Cordyceps militaris has shown potential in various areas like anticancer, antioxidant, antiaging, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral effects, enhancement of male fertility, and more. Its remarkable properties include antiallergic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, bidirectional immunomodulatory, adaptogenic effects, making it a valuable resource for combating Disease X. As a powerful adaptogen, regular consumption of Cordyceps militaris can significantly enhance both physical and mental health.

To fully harness the benefits of Cordyceps militaris, it is crucial to prepare it correctly. In this regard, we will now explore its availability and different forms of utilization.

1. Extract and Tincture vs Wholesome Cordyceps

Like other organisms, the Cordyceps militaris fungi is composed of the same four classes of biomolecules, namely Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids, and Nucleic acids. Of these, nucleic acids have no nutritional importance. Some carbohydrates and proteins are soluble in water, while others are not. Lipids show higher solubility in organic solvents.

A few of the molecules in the soluble and insoluble fractions of Cordyceps militaris extract are listed below-

		Soluble (Water / Ethanol) Fraction	Insoluble Fraction
Cordycepin	Antitumor, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, etc.	Exopolysaccharide Fraction	Anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, Immunomodulatory
Adenosine	Anti-inflammatory, Anti-tumor	Acid polysaccharides	Antioxidant, Immunomodulatory effect
Cordycepic acid	Diuretic, anti-tussive and anti-free radical activities	CPS-1, CPS-2	Antioxidant, Cell proliferation inhibition
Ergosterol	Antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-arrhythmic effects	PS-A	Inhibits cholesterol esterase, anti-tumor
Cordymin	Anti-diabetic effect, antifungal	CME-1	Antioxidant

The soluble fraction contains cordycepin, the most important pharmaceutical molecule of this mushroom, while the insoluble fraction mainly comprises different polysaccharides. These polysaccharides impart antitumor and anticancer properties and should be utilized.    

Given that aqueous and alcoholic extracts typically eliminate the polysaccharides (insoluble fraction), the consumption of whole cordyceps militaris is consistently much more beneficial than using extracts and tinctures.

2. The worthiness of Cordyceps militaris extract ?

Both aqueous and organic extracts are prepared in order to separate the target molecule(s) from the substrate matrix. Additionally, the method can be utilized to acquire the desired molecule(s) such as cordycepin in a significantly more concentrated form compared to its original source, the fruiting body.

Many extracts and tinctures of Cordyceps militaris do not specify the cordycepin content, which is the active compound determining the pricing of Cordyceps militaris; the greater the cordycepin content, the higher the cost.

One manufacturer mentions 4.0 g dried fruiting body extracted to 25 mL liquid, and to take 2 mL daily; with a price tag of INR 1500 (USD 15.0). That is, this tincture costs approx. INR 375.0 (USD 3.75) / g or INR 3,75,000 (USD 3750) / kg dry mass of the fruiting body.

The process of extraction is resource-intensive and can significantly raise the price based on the process complexity and extract purity. Despite the extract costing 4-5 times more than the dried fruiting body, the benefits do not justify this higher price tag.

In this scenario, 2 mL of the extract corresponds to 0.320 g of dried fruiting body (calculated as 4 g fruiting body multiplied by 2 mL daily dose, divided by 25 mL extraction volume). This amount falls short of the required 2-gram quantity of dried fruiting body of moderate quality (with a cordycepin content of 8-10 mg/g). While such tincture or extract may offer some benefits, it will not reach the optimal level. Additionally, the extract lacks the health advantages of polysaccharides as they have been excluded from it.

3. Is the Cordyceps militaris extract even relevant?

Solubility of cordycepin in water at 25 degree C is 7 mg per mL. This solubility remains nearly the same in the pH range of 4.5 - 12.0. [Ref: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiosc.2015.04.008].

Consider a good quality sample of dried cordyceps militaris with cordycepin content of 10 mg per gram dried fruiting body. A tea cup (150 mL) volume of water can dissolve around 7 mg mL-1 x 150 mL = 1050 mg cordycepin, equivalent to 105 grams dried fruiting body- far beyond the daily required dose of 2-4 grams for adults in general, and 6-8 grams as an adjuvant for cancer treatment.

This 4-gram dried fruiting body with higher cordycepin content and greater health benefits costs around INR 280.0 (USD 2.88) whereas the extract of same quantity of fruiting body costs INR 1500 (USD 15.0).

In terms of both cost and health benefits, the dried fruiting body has higher value than the extracts and tinctures.

4. Dried Fruiting Body: Intact vs Powder form

Previous sections have shown that the cordycepin content and pricing of dried fruiting bodies are superior to those of the extracts.

Next, we will explore whether consuming the intact fruiting body or the powder form would be the most beneficial.

In general, smaller particle sizes facilitate higher extraction efficiency.

Assuming a simplified case, the size of a cylindrical-shaped dried fruiting body is 4 cm (length) x 0.4 cm (diameter), with a surface area of 5.28 cm2 and a volume of 0.5 cm3 or 0.5 mL. Further, this fruiting body is ground to a spherical particle size of 50 microns, or 0.05 mm or 0.005 cm.

Now, the volume of one spherical particle is 6.54 x 10^-8 cm3

The surface area of a particle is 7.85 x 10^-5 cm2

So, the number of particles in powder is 0.5 cm3 / (6.54 x 10-8 cm3) = 7.65 x 106

And, total surface area of powder = surface area of one particle x total number of particles

                                                   = 7.85 x 10^-5 cm2 x 7.65 x 106 = 600 cm2

That is, grinding a fruiting body with a surface area of 5.28 cm2 yields a total surface area of 600 cm2, i.e., a (600 cm2 / 5.28 cm2) = 114.29 times increase in surface area. In other words, with keeping the assumptions simplified, grinding into powder increases the surface area, and in turn, extraction, by 114 times.

In summary, the powder form yields around 100 times better extraction than the intact fruiting body.

5. Choices of Power forms: Crude powder, Capsule, Tea bags

So far, it is obvious that the ground powder form is far superior to the intact fruiting body, extract, and tincture.

There are several forms of powder on the market, including crude powder, capsules, and tea bags. Out of these, the crude powder and tea bag offer hot water extraction, whereas the capsule and tablet forms are ingested as such. Different people may prefer different forms depending of their knowledge about the form, availability, cost, ease of usage, etc.

6. Ease of Use

The extract, tincture, and capsule are the most convenient options as they do not need any preparation. Opt for the capsule instead of the tincture as it provides the full range of benefits, while the tincture and extract offer only a portion. The capsule can be easily taken through security checks at airports. The powder form required boiling for tea preparation.

7. Speed of Observed Effect

When consuming tea made from crude powder and a tea bag, the effects can be felt within 30 minutes to 1 hour for common cold, throat sores, and other upper respiratory tract infections due to the absorption of cordycepin and other water-soluble molecules in mouth and oesophagus regions. On the other hand, the digestion of capsule material, the release of powder from the inert capsule, and subsequent digestion and absorption take several hours, resulting in a delayed onset of effects.

The extract and tincture may offer similar effects to the tea, but due to their dilution and smaller intake volume, the benefits may not be as pronounced as those from the teas.

8. Wholesomeness of Benefits

Both the soluble and insoluble fractions are essential for achieving the best effects, as discussed in Section 1. Therefore, the crude powder and capsules are recommended for maximizing the health benefits of Cordyceps militaris mushroom.

Tea bags, extracts, and tinctures only provide the soluble fraction, lacking the comprehensive benefits of this mushroom.

9. Boiling to Enhance Digestibility and Bioavailability

Cordyceps militaris is a type of fungus. Its cell wall is mainly composed of chitin, which is not easily digested by the human body due to the absence of the chitinase enzyme. Boiling the fungus in hot water helps break down the chitin, releasing its cellular content into the water. Chitin is a valuable source of dietary fiber and antioxidants.

When the powdered mushroom is boiled, it cooks in just around 5 minutes, resulting in soft and easily palpable granules. Boiling also helps eliminate any potential biological contaminants present in the powder.

By boiling the powdered Cordyceps militaris, it becomes more digestible and the nutrients are more readily absorbed, making it the optimal form of this mushroom for maximizing health benefits.

10. Summary

It is difficult to present an exact comparison table for the different forms of Cordyceps militaris. To simplify it, the following generalizations are opted-

I. An arbitrary comparison scale of 1-5 is chosen where 1 is the least recommended and 5 is the best.

II. The cost is equated with 1 gram of the dried fruiting body in any form. The cost of the tea bag could not be fetched as such teas were mixed with other foreign ingredients like herbs, lavender leaves, etc.

III. The efficacy of the extract and tea bag is accounted the same because the extract has greater diversity of molecules in it but has lower cordycepin content (3.60 mg in 2 mL extract) than the tea bag (10 mg in 1 g tea bag).

IV. Digestibility accounts the ease of digestion (wherever applicable, like Capsule vs boiled powder). Bioavailability indicates the diversity and abundance of molecules being adsorbed in our body upon consumption.

	Powder FB	Intact FB	Capsule (Powder FB)	Extract	Tea bag (Powder FB)
Digestibility & Bioavailability	5	1	4	2	2
Ease of Use	2	4	5	5	5
Wholesomeness of Benefits (At quantity instructed by manufacturer)	5	1	4	2	2
Cost (for 1 g dried mushroom in the form)	INR 72.0 USD 0.72	INR 72.0 USD 0.72	INR 75.0 USD 0.75	INR 120 USD 1.20	Not available