Cordyceps History: From Winter Worm to Sports Supplement
Cordyceps began as a caterpillar fungus valued in Tibet and China for centuries. The sports label rests on a handful of small trials, and they disagree. Check the species name on the label before you assume it matches the research.
The history of cordyceps begins with a parasite. According to PubMed, the fungus germinates inside a living caterpillar, kills it, mummifies the body, and then grows out of the host ([Dworecka-Kaszak, 2014](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25281812/)). The wild form became expensive enough that a 2013 review reported prices of roughly USD 20,000 to 40,000 per kilogram, and noted that the trade calls it "soft gold" in China ([Lo et al., 2013](https://doi.org/10.4103/2225-4110.106538)). The value came first from tradition. The athletic story came later, and it rests on trials that are small and disagree with each other. ## Tibet and China: centuries of use before the trials The Chinese name is dong chong xia cao, which the 2013 review renders as "winter worm-summer grass" ([Lo et al., 2013](https://doi.org/10.4103/2225-4110.106538)). In Tibet the same material is called yartsa gunbu. It grows only in alpine grasslands in the Himalayan region and on the Tibetan Plateau, and it has been used in Tibetan and Chinese medicine for centuries ([He, 2018](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.04.022)). The Chinese record is just as old. In a 1998 review, Zhu and colleagues wrote that the extant records show continued use of the fungus for centuries, and they described it as a tonic food and herbal medicine highly valued in China ([Zhu et al., 1998, part I](https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.1998.4.3-289)). The two-part review gathered preclinical work and clinical trials covering more than 2,000 patients, and it listed lab activities such as oxygen-free radical scavenging ([Zhu et al., 1998, part II](https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.1998.4.429)). The traditional use is well documented. The titles and dates of the individual Chinese texts are not, in the sources I could check, so this post does not name them. Traditional herbs with a similar arc, from ancient texts to isolated compounds, show up in the [turmeric history](/blog/history/history-of-turmeric-and-curcumin-from-ayurveda-to-isolation). ## The name changed under the fungus The taxonomy has moved more than once. A 2007 phylogenetic revision rejected the old family and genus boundaries and proposed the family Ophiocordycipitaceae, built on the genus Ophiocordyceps ([Sung et al., 2007](https://doi.org/10.3114/sim.2007.57.01)). Reviews now call the species Ophiocordyceps sinensis ([Dworecka-Kaszak, 2014](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25281812/)). Under a naming rule that took effect in 2013, the anamorph Hirsutella sinensis was folded into that name, so one fungus now has one name ([Lo et al., 2013](https://doi.org/10.4103/2225-4110.106538)). The name change matters at the shelf. The 1998 and 2010 studies used Cordyceps sinensis, and the 2026 study used Cordyceps militaris. A label that says only "cordyceps" tells you neither. ## Wild, cultured and a different species Wild material is the caterpillar fungus itself. The 2013 review also covers the mycelia and culture supernatants of Ophiocordyceps sinensis, and it lists more than 20 bioactive ingredients across these forms, mainly polysaccharides, cordycepin, adenosine and mannitol ([Lo et al., 2013](https://doi.org/10.4103/2225-4110.106538)). A 2014 review says the fungus is now cultivated in artificial media on an industrial scale ([Dworecka-Kaszak, 2014](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25281812/)). Cordyceps militaris is a different species. The 2007 revision based its family Cordycipitaceae on C. militaris as the type ([Sung et al., 2007](https://doi.org/10.3114/sim.2007.57.01)). The trials below did not all test the same organism, which is why the species name is the first thing to check. ## What the exercise trials measured The first human trial in this section gave 20 healthy adults aged 50 to 75 a Cordyceps sinensis product called Cs-4, 333 mg three times a day for 12 weeks, against placebo. Metabolic threshold rose 10.5% and ventilatory threshold rose 8.5%, but VO2max did not change in either group. The authors called it a pilot study ([Chen et al., 2010](https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2009.0226)). A second trial reached a different result. Earnest and colleagues tested a commercial herbal formula with 1,000 mg of CS-4 and 300 mg of Rhodiola rosea root extract in 17 competitive amateur cyclists. Peak oxygen uptake, time to exhaustion and peak power output did not differ from placebo. The formula was marketed to increase endurance, which is the sports-shelf claim in its simplest form ([Earnest et al., 2004](https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000125157.49280.af)). The newest trial, published in July 2026, gave 12 young men 1 g of a standardized Cordyceps militaris extract before a maximal cycling test. Reaction time after exercise was faster with the extract, but peak exercise oxygen uptake did not change ([Farzan and Koushkie Jahromi, 2026](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351725)). None of these three trials measured mitochondria directly. The [mitochondrial health guide](/health/mitochondrial-health-complete-guide) covers what human trials of energy-production claims have and have not measured. Sports supplements have their own origin story, which the [creatine history](/blog/history/history-of-creatine-from-meat-extract-to-sports-shelf) tells from a different angle. Taken together, the exercise evidence is preliminary. The trials are small, and they disagree about what changed. ## Where the wild supply comes from today A 2016 review of the Sikkim Himalaya says the wild resource there is still not formally harvested, though it is traded illegally. The authors argue that formal legalization with community involvement would protect the species ([Pradhan, 2016](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27481300/)). In the Tibet Region, a 2018 study of six Tibetan communities interviewed 157 harvesting households and 14 traders in 2015 and 2016. It found that harvest practices differed from one community to the next ([He, 2018](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.04.022)). ## Bottom line Check the species name before you assume a product matches the research. A label that says only "cordyceps" does not tell you whether the material is wild Ophiocordyceps sinensis, cultured mycelium, or Cordyceps militaris. The athletic claims rest on small trials that disagree, so treat them as open questions. ## Frequently asked questions **Why was cordyceps called winter worm, summer grass?** The Chinese name, dong chong xia cao, is rendered as "winter worm-summer grass" in a 2013 review. The life cycle is a caterpillar host that the fungus kills and mummifies before growing out of its body ([Lo et al., 2013](https://doi.org/10.4103/2225-4110.106538); [Dworecka-Kaszak, 2014](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25281812/)). **Which Chinese medical texts describe cordyceps?** The 1998 reviews confirm centuries of recorded use. The sources checked for this post do not give individual text titles and dates that can be confirmed, so this post does not name them. **What is the difference between wild and cultivated cordyceps?** Wild material is the caterpillar fungus itself. Cultivated products use mycelium grown in artificial media, and Cordyceps militaris is a separate species. The 2013 review lists more than 20 bioactive ingredients across these forms, mainly polysaccharides, cordycepin, adenosine and mannitol. **What did the early exercise trials measure?** They measured exercise thresholds, peak oxygen uptake, time to exhaustion, peak power and post-exercise reaction time, in 12 to 20 people per trial. The 2010 trial found higher thresholds in older adults. The 2004 trial found no change in cyclists. The 2026 trial found faster reaction time but no change in peak oxygen uptake. **Why do cordyceps products differ so much in active compounds?** The starting material differs. Wild caterpillar fungus, cultured mycelium and Cordyceps militaris are different inputs, and the 2013 review lists a wide range of active ingredients across them. A label that says only cordyceps does not state which of those is present or how much. **Where is cordyceps harvested today?** The wild form grows on alpine grasslands in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. A 2016 review says the Sikkim supply is traded illegally and not formally harvested, and a 2018 study of Tibet Region communities found that harvest practices varied by community. Cultivated mycelium is grown in artificial media at industrial scale ([Dworecka-Kaszak, 2014](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25281812/)). ## Next reads - [Mitochondrial health: the complete guide](/health/mitochondrial-health-complete-guide): the reference page for what human trials have measured on energy production. - [Creatine: from a meat extract to the sports shelf](/blog/history/history-of-creatine-from-meat-extract-to-sports-shelf): the other sports-shelf origin story on this site. ### Related reading - [The history of reishi, the next mushroom in this series](/blog/history/history-of-reishi-from-shennong-to-triterpenes)