What Are Cordyceps Mushrooms? Can they really turn their hosts into zombies?

Cordyceps mushrooms have officially hit the zeitgeist thanks to HBO’s hit series The Last of Us.

However, if the super-scary series served as your introduction to this fascinating genus of mushrooms, you may have a slightly skewed view of how cordyceps reproduce and the myriad benefits they offer us.

In The Last of Us (both the HBO series and the video game that inspired it), a species of Cordyceps infects humans and turns them into violent zombies, fueling a complete societal collapse. (I’m glad Pedro Pascal is alive, anyway.) While mycologists have unsurprisingly suggested that won’t happen, The Last of Us does contain a grain of truth about Cordyceps.

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Create ant zombies

Outside of a laboratory, Cordyceps spreads by infecting insects and other fungi in various parasitic relationships. A tropical species, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, has become known as the “zombie ant fungus.” It infects the bodies of ants before eventually invading their brains and tricking the ant into climbing a plant stem, where the fungus grows a stalk from the (now dead) ant’s head, which releases new spores onto the ground below shoots.

Alternatively, various non-tropical species of Cordyceps have been used in traditional medicine for centuries – and more recently adopted in the West – for a variety of reasons: They have a reputation for increasing energy and libido, and supporting good heart health.

Read on to learn more about Cordyceps benefits, the species you are most likely to encounter in America, and how to grow them.

What are Cordyceps?

Cordyceps form a genus of fungi; Scientists have cataloged hundreds of species of them. However, only two species of Cordyceps are available for commercial use: Ophiocordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis: The world’s most expensive mushroom

Historical records show that Ophiocordyceps sinensis has been part of traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. The fungus grows in the caterpillars of the ghost moth. The supply of this Cordyceps species is still small: it is rarely cultivated, but fed.

As demand for these cordyceps has increased, so has their cost: at over $20,000 per kilogram, Ophiocordyceps sinensis has earned a reputation as the world’s most expensive mushroom.

Only a tiny fraction of the cordyceps supplements available in North America come from Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

Cordyceps militaris: Affordable and popular

If you’ve tried a cordyceps supplement yourself, chances are it came from cordyceps militaris.

Manufacturers can easily cultivate Militaris in the lab, but it also grows naturally on insects.

“Cordyceps militaris is the most popular [species of cordyceps that’s being cultivated,” William Padilla-Brown, a well-known mycologist and leading expert on cordyceps, told Leafly.

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Benefits of cordyceps

Let’s first stress that cordyceps have not received FDA approval. China TK 2 approved. Manufacturers and researchers nonetheless believe that cordyceps present a range of health benefits.

Libido enhancement

Cordyceps have long been used to enhance libido, and recent research—albeit via studies conducted on mice—supports this theory.

Energy enhancement 

Cordyceps may boost the body’s production of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecule, which helps us fight fatigue and sustain exercise.

“You feel the energy from them. [For example]you get a boost when you hike,” Padilla-Brown, the mycologist, told Leafly.

cardiac support

Research shows that cordyceps can help stabilize our heartbeat and reduce arrhythmias.

Padilla-Brown pointed out that Cordyceps contains adenosine, which doctors use to help patients with heart problems. Padilla-Brown says one dose of the mushrooms “contains almost exactly the same thing [dose] that a doctor would do. “Cordyceps produces biologically active compounds that are beneficial for heart function. The proof is in the pudding,” he added.

Other Potential Benefits

Herbalists, scientists, and consumers alike are touting additional benefits of cordyceps, including its potential to fight type II diabetes, reduce inflammation, and slow tumor growth.

Is Cordyceps Legal to Buy and Possess?

Yes. Americans can buy cordyceps supplements online or at grocery and health food stores.

Manufacturers typically sell Cordyceps in powder, capsule, or liquid form.

Padilla-Brown told Leafly that pre-adolescent children and pregnant women shouldn’t take cordyceps, but it’s otherwise generally safe for adults to consume.

Cordyceps supplements typically cost between 10 and 25 cents per capsule.

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Are cordyceps easy to grow yourself?

Padilla-Brown recommends Cordyceps Militaris as a great choice for amateur growers. “If you have a passion for mushrooms at all, you can grow cordyceps mushrooms,” he told Leafly.

He pointed out that cordyceps need to stay at 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and suggests that aspiring cordyceps cultivators use a basement or slightly air-conditioned space to grow them.

Finally, Padilla-Brown encouraged mushroom-loving entrepreneurs to lean on Cordyceps.

“It’s really a cash harvest. I think more young people should engage in it to develop wealth for themselves. [People] can grow cordyceps on rice. The ingredients are not very expensive and can range from $600 to $1,200. I think it’s a win-win situation,” he said.