Cordyceps LONGEVITY

Water-alcohol extract from the Cordyceps fruiting body (DER 10:1, standardised to a minimum of 30% beta-glucans and a minimum of 0.3% cordycepin) 50%, powdered Cordyceps fruiting body 50%. Capsule shell: HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, plant-derived). Pack: 90 capsules. No fillers, no maltodextrin, no magnesium stearate, 100% vegan.

Cordyceps is among the most thoroughly characterised functional mushrooms in chemical terms. What does the Cordyceps fruiting body hold? Above all nucleosides, led by cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine), along with adenosine, uridine and related compounds.

Beyond that, β-1,3/1,6-glucans (water-soluble polysaccharides), cordycepic acid (D-mannitol), ergosterol and peptidopolysaccharide fractions.

Cordycepin is sensitive to high temperature, which is why we dry and extract the raw material at controlled, low temperatures to preserve it. This is one of the reasons a cheap, aggressively dried powder rarely has anything to do with the full profile of the mushroom.

The molecule that draws the most attention from researchers of the raw material is cordycepin, or 3′-deoxyadenosine, a molecule built like adenosine but missing one hydroxyl group on the sugar ring. It is a simple, well-defined structure, for which both the biosynthetic pathways within the mushroom itself and methods of chemical synthesis have been described in detail.

Cordyceps militaris also contains adenosine, mannitol (known in this context as cordycepic acid) and polysaccharides; our raw material is standardised to over 30% beta-glucans and a minimum of 0.3% cordycepin. These are two distinct families of molecules: low-molecular-weight nucleosides and polyols on one side, and on the other large carbohydrate chains, including β-glucans, whose architecture (molecular weight, branching, conformation) is described separately.

The characteristic orange colour of the militaris fruiting body comes from carotenoids and is one of the reasons this species is so easy to tell apart from others.

We test every batch of extracts in the independent EUROFINS laboratory, with particular emphasis on purity. We check for the presence of heavy metals and pesticide residues. We determine β-glucans by the Megazyme method and cordycepin and adenosine by HPLC. Every batch has its own individual certificate.

Let us be honest: these are studies of the raw material and its molecules, most often conducted in the laboratory, not of our supplement. They do not show that cordyceps is a medicine or that it resolves any health problem on its own; they show what this mushroom is at the chemical level. Standardising to over 30% beta-glucans is, for us, a reason to care about the quality and repeatability of the extract, not a basis for health promises. Bibliographic data: PubMed.

We work only with the mature fruiting body (not mycelium) of Cordyceps from controlled cultivation in non-industrial regions, grown on a rice-based medium enriched with mushroom components. Standardised to a minimum of 30% beta-glucans and a minimum of 0.3% cordycepin in the extract, with every batch tested at EUROFINS (including heavy metals and pesticide residues).

In a tightly closed package, in a dry, cool and dark place, preferably at room temperature, away from direct light. Protect from moisture. Keep away from children. Shelf life 24-36 months in the original packaging.

Consult your doctor before use if you take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines (warfarin, NOAC medicines, acetylsalicylic acid), take antidiabetic medicines (insulin, metformin, sulfonylureas), take blood-pressure-lowering medicines, plan surgery or a dental procedure (stop the product at least 14 days beforehand), have an autoimmune disease in an active phase or take immunosuppressive medicines. The product is not intended for pregnant or breastfeeding women or people under 18.

Cordyceps is a functional mushroom with orange, club-shaped fruiting bodies, used for over a thousand years in traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine. In Polish it is called maczużnik.

In nature it is a parasite of insects: it grows inside the host body and in spring sends out an orange structure with a fruiting body, in which it accumulates the highest concentration of bioactive compounds.

It is precisely this type of fruiting body (in our case grown in controlled cultivation on a rice-based medium, not on an insect) that we use in our extract.

We will not answer “what it does”, because cordyceps is a food supplement, not a medicine. Promising an effect on specific diseases or bodily functions would be against the law. What we can honestly say is what cordyceps is: a standardised fruiting-body extract of Cordyceps militaris with a well-described composition, present in Far-Eastern culture for centuries. What you make of that is up to you.

Cordyceps is traditionally linked to daytime hours, so you take 3 capsules once a day in the morning or before noon, until around 2 p.m., with warm water. Many people prefer not to take a serving in the late afternoon or evening. The 5/2 rhythm: five days a week, with a weekend break. This is a guide to the rhythm of your day, not a strict rule or a promise of an effect; choose the timing that works for you and keep it regular.

We suggest a minimum of 90 days of regular use, the minimum time to get to know functional mushrooms.

A 90-capsule pack at a serving of 3 capsules a day on the 5/2 rhythm (five days of use, a weekend break) lasts about 30 days of use, roughly six calendar weeks. A few such packs in a row take you through the full 90-day cycle, which is why a subscription delivered every 30 days works well here.

First observations usually come after 2-4 weeks of regularity, a fuller picture after 8-12 weeks. Cordyceps is often used in courses, during periods of greater load.

LONGEVITY is the everyday, value line: a gentle entry into functional mushrooms, meant as a steady part of your diet.

PRIME is the stronger, more concentrated variant with a larger extract fraction, for those who want a more intensive extract within a deliberate protocol. Cordyceps with its MOC signature is available in both lines.

Both are built on the same care for raw-material quality; they differ in concentration and positioning. If you are just starting out, consider LONGEVITY first; if you are after a stronger accent, choose PRIME.

In industrial cultivation, mycelium grows for a few weeks on grain (rice or barley), and the end product is largely a cereal substrate in which cordycepin is usually present only in traces.

We work with a mature fruiting body grown on a rice-based medium enriched with mushroom components, in sterile, controlled conditions.

The fruiting bodies are harvested at full maturity, when they reach an intense orange colour, before sporulation. This difference determines the cordycepin content and the fullness of the nucleoside profile.

Cordycepin is sensitive to high temperature. Drying and extraction at controlled, low temperatures protect it from breaking down; aggressive drying lowers its content. This is one of the reasons a cheap, aggressively dried powder rarely has anything to do with the full profile of the mushroom.

Brands today race over who has the higher percentage of β-glucans, the higher percentage of cordycepin, the higher DER. Standardising to a minimum of 30% beta-glucans and a minimum of 0.3% cordycepin in the extract is our minimum, verified in the laboratory at EUROFINS.

A higher marketing number usually means one of two things: either a dishonest measurement method (β-glucans counted together with α-glucans from the starch of cereal cultivation, which artificially inflates the result), or lower raw-material quality somewhere else in the process.

Cordyceps is living matter, every batch can be different, which is why we do not sell you a number, but a carefully selected extract.

We work with cultivated Cordyceps militaris.

Wild Cordyceps sinensis from the Himalayas is today rare, expensive and burdened with contamination risk, hard to verify for purity. The quality standard is repeatable cultivation of the fruiting body under strict, sterile conditions (a stable temperature, humidity and a photoperiod that stimulates fruiting), not gathering from natural sites.

The militaris fruiting body has a repeatable composition standardised to over 30% beta-glucans, in a 10:1 extract, and does not strain high-altitude ecosystems.

It is the same LONGEVITY line and the same extract, just in a different form. You choose capsules when you want a steady serving without measuring and without the earthy taste, for example for a morning routine on the go or to take when travelling. If you prefer a ritual with a warm drink, you will find the same extract in the LONGEVITY powder. The more intensive PRIME protocol with a larger extract fraction is available in PRIME capsules.