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Cordyceps (dongchong xiacao)
Also called: cordyceps militaris, dongchongxiacao, caterpillar fungus
A fungus that grows on caterpillars in the Tibetan plateau. Wild cordyceps is very expensive; most products use mycelium grown in factories (such as Cs-4).
- Why people take it
- Energy, stamina, lungs and kidneys, and as a tonic.
- What the evidence says
- Evidence in people is limited and mostly from small studies of the cultivated form.
- Be careful
- In 2016 China's food and drug regulator warned that cordyceps products can contain high levels of arsenic and ended their trial use in health foods. Wild cordyceps is often faked. Talk to a doctor if you take immune-suppressing medicines.
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Common questions
What is Cordyceps?
A fungus that grows on caterpillars in the Tibetan plateau. Wild cordyceps is very expensive; most products use mycelium grown in factories (such as Cs-4).
Why do people take Cordyceps?
Energy, stamina, lungs and kidneys, and as a tonic.
Does Cordyceps work?
Evidence in people is limited and mostly from small studies of the cultivated form.
Is Cordyceps safe?
In 2016 China's food and drug regulator warned that cordyceps products can contain high levels of arsenic and ended their trial use in health foods. Wild cordyceps is often faked. Talk to a doctor if you take immune-suppressing medicines.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed 31 October 2026. Written by Satya Babu.
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