You might have seen the popular
video from the BBC, which shows Cordyceps fungus turning ants into Zombies. Or maybe you’ve played the video game “The Last of Us”, where Cordyceps infects humans and causes a global collapse. You might be wondering…
“Is there any truth to this? Should I be concerned about Cordyceps turning me into a zombie?” The truth is, there are hundreds of species of Cordyceps, and yes, they are all parasitic - mainly infecting ants and other insects,
hijacking their behavior. Scary stuff if you’re an ant, but we humans don’t need to be concerned. So what about functional
Cordyceps? Does it really grow on bugs?
Different Species of Cordyceps
When it comes to functional mushrooms, there are two types of Cordyceps that are important. Namely, Cordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris.
The most well-known, Cordyceps sinensis (now formally reclassified as Ophiocordyceps sinensis), does grow on insects. It parasitizes the larvae of ghost moths, and eventually grows from the head of a dead caterpillar high in the Himalayan mountains. That’s why it is sometimes referred to as the “Caterpillar fungus.” It's a remarkable, if unsettling, life cycle.
C. sinensis has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine and is best known for its potential to support oxygen efficiency, endurance, and athletic performance.*
The challenge with C. sinensis is that the fruiting body cannot currently be cultivated commercially. It must be wild-harvested— and that creates a real problem.
Because of its rarity, C. sinensis fruiting body commands extraordinary prices. A 10-gram bag can retail for the equivalent of $700 USD. To put that in perspective, 10 grams of gold is worth approximately $500—making C. sinensis worth more than its weight in gold. At that price point, using it as a daily supplement simply doesn't make sense.
Even worse, C. sinensis is considered at risk from overharvesting, and is listed as endangered in several regional assessments. Its mycelium can be grown on grain or via liquid fermentation, but these methods don't yield the valuable fruiting body. So if you see a supplement claiming to be "Cordyceps sinensis fruiting bodies" at an affordable price, it almost certainly isn't what it claims to be.
Cultivated Cordyceps: Why C. militaris Is the Supplement Standard
There's another species with a comparable — and in some respects, superior — bioactive profile that can be cultivated commercially, with no insects required. It's called Cordyceps militaris, and it's the species you'll find in the vast majority of quality supplements today.
Like C. sinensis, C. militaris has a long history of traditional use for energy and respiratory support.* It's often called the "athlete's mushroom" for a good reason. Research suggests C. militaris may contain up to 90 times more cordycepin than wild C. sinensis, making it a more potent source of this key bioactive compound.
How It Grows
C. militaris grows differently than most other functional mushrooms. Mushrooms like Turkey tail and Reishi are grown on logs, but Cordyceps grows best on a substrate of white rice and soy.
Keep in mind: even though it grows on rice, true C. militaris is not a "mycelium on grain" product. The mushroom produces a genuine fruiting body that can be harvested and processed into a supplement.
The process begins with a tray filled with a sterilized mix of rice and soy. Typically a 6:1 ratio. The tray is sealed with plastic, with a cloth-filtered rim to allow airflow while blocking contaminants. Steam sterilization eliminates competing bacteria, molds, and fungi, giving the Cordyceps mycelium a clean environment to colonize. Once the tray has cooled, it's inoculated with C. militaris mycelium. With competing organisms eliminated, the mycelium moves freely through the substrate until it's fully colonized, then the trays move into the fruiting room.
The fruiting room is kept cool—around 13°C (55°F)—which slows growth but increases the concentration of active compounds in the mushroom. Blue LED lighting encourages additional fruiting body formation. After approximately a month, the mushrooms are fully developed and ready to harvest: vibrant orange clusters that look almost otherworldly. From there, the mushroom can be dried, powdered, extracted - and ready to be used as a supplement.
Strain Management Is Key
The cultivation process looks straightforward—but getting consistent, high-quality results is genuinely difficult. Cordyceps cultivation is really dependent on rigorous strain quality and ongoing strain management. It needs to be constantly grown out and cloned in order to maintain viability.
For example, if you store a strain in the fridge without fruiting it for 8 months - which is common practice for most other mushrooms- it probably won’t ever fruit. With disciplined management, however, it can be grown out repeatedly—no insects required.
To sum it up, Cordyceps does indeed grow on bugs, but depending on the species, it doesn’t have to.
Now you know the key difference between the two most important
Cordyceps species—and why C. militaris is the one you'll find in a quality supplement.
