Cordyceps or Ginseng: What's the Difference

Cordyceps and ginseng are two of the best-known "adaptogens" of traditional Eastern medicine, sold today as remedies for energy and endurance. They are often placed in the same category, although one is a parasitic fungus and the other the root of a perennial plant. The editorial team has examined how they differ from the standpoint of chemistry, pharmacology and scientific evidence.

Fungus and root: the origin of the raw material

Cordyceps is the general name for a group of entomopathogenic fungi that parasitize insects. The best-known species, now classified as Ophiocordyceps sinensis, grows in the highlands of Tibet and the Himalayas on butterfly larvae. The wild raw material is extremely expensive and is practically never found in mass-market supplements.

The market is therefore dominated by two options. The first is mycelium grown by fermentation on nutrient media; the classic example is the Cs-4 strain, on which some of the clinical research has been done. The second is Cordyceps militaris, another species that is easily cultivated and forms fruiting bodies under laboratory conditions.

Ginseng is the root of plants of the genus Panax. The best-known species are true, or Korean, ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). The root is usually harvested in the 4th–6th year of the plant's life. "Red" ginseng is root that has been steamed and dried; "white" is simply dried.

An important caveat: "Siberian ginseng" (eleuthero) and "Indian ginseng" (ashwagandha) do not belong to the genus Panax at all. These are other plants with a different chemical composition that acquired their trade names through marketing. When comparing cordyceps and ginseng, we are talking specifically about Panax.

Active substances

The main "calling card" of Cordyceps militaris is cordycepin — 3'-deoxyadenosine, an analogue of the nucleoside adenosine. It may influence processes related to adenosine receptors and RNA synthesis. Wild O. sinensis contains far less cordycepin than C. militaris, which is one of the explanations for the differing research results.

Besides cordycepin, cordyceps contains adenosine, polysaccharides (in particular beta-glucans), ergosterol and mannitol. It is the polysaccharides that are credited with immunomodulatory properties. The composition depends heavily on the species, strain, growth medium and whether the fruiting body or the mycelium together with its substrate is used.

The active components of ginseng are ginsenosides, triterpene saponins. Several dozen have been described; the best studied are Rb1 and Rg1. The ratio of ginsenosides differs in Korean and American ginseng, which may explain why in traditional medicine they were considered "tonic" and "calming" respectively.

For the consumer a practical conclusion follows from this: a ginseng extract can more often be compared across manufacturers by its ginsenoside content, whereas cordyceps products are far more heterogeneous. "500 mg of cordyceps" from different brands may contain entirely different substances.

Mechanisms of action: what the research says

For cordyceps, several potential mechanisms have been described in laboratory and animal models: an effect on energy metabolism through adenosine compounds, improved oxygen utilization, and an antioxidant and immunomodulatory action of the polysaccharides. However, most of these data were obtained in cells or rodents, and transfer to humans requires caution.

Ginsenosides have a steroid-like structure and interact with various targets: they affect the release of nitric oxide in blood vessels, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and glucose metabolism. Ginseng is able to lower blood glucose, which has been confirmed in human studies as well.

• Cordyceps:hypotheses about improved tissue oxygenation, effects on ATP-dependent processes, immunomodulation.
• Ginseng:effects on the stress axis, vascular tone via NO, glycemia, cognitive function and the sense of fatigue.
• In common:both are positioned as adaptogens, yet the term itself has no clear pharmacological definition.

The concept of "adaptogens" deserves a separate remark. It took shape in Soviet pharmacology of the mid-20th century and describes substances that supposedly non-specifically increase resistance to stress. Modern evidence-based medicine considers each plant separately, by specific effects and specific studies.

The difference in pharmacology is thus fundamental: cordyceps is more associated with energy metabolism and oxygen, ginseng with neuroendocrine regulation, fatigue and cognitive function. But in both cases the mechanisms in humans have been insufficiently studied.

Evidence on physical performance

Studies of cordyceps in athletes have given contradictory results. In the work of Parcell and colleagues (2004), the Cs-4 preparation did not improve endurance in trained cyclists. By contrast, in the study of Chen and colleagues (2010) in healthy older people, Cs-4 was associated with a moderate improvement in aerobic performance measures.

For C. militaris, the study of Hirsch and colleagues (2017) showed an improvement in tolerance to high-intensity exercise, primarily after three weeks of intake rather than after a single dose. The samples in all these works were small, and the products used were not always comparable to one another.

Ginseng has been studied more broadly, but also with ambiguous results. The review by Bahrke and Morgan (2000) concluded that well-controlled studies predominantly do not confirm an ergogenic effect of ginseng on physical performance. The meta-analysis by Bach and colleagues (2016) described a possible reduction in subjective fatigue, but without a convincing effect on physical measures.

So the key difference in the evidence is this: cordyceps has a small number of studies, some of which are positive specifically for aerobic measures, while ginseng has a larger body of data where the signal concerns the sense of fatigue and cognitive function rather than athletic performance.

Safety, interactions and product quality

Ginseng in short-term studies is usually well tolerated. Among the reported adverse effects are insomnia, nervousness, headache and gastrointestinal discomfort. Because of its ability to lower glucose, caution is needed for people with diabetes who take glucose-lowering medications.

An important interaction: in the study of Yuan and colleagues (2004), American ginseng reduced the effect of warfarin in healthy volunteers. Interactions with antidepressants and stimulants are also possible. The monograph of the European Medicines Agency does not recommend the use of ginseng in children, pregnant women and breastfeeding women due to a lack of data.

For cordyceps there are far fewer systematic safety data in humans. The theoretical risks are related to its immunostimulatory action (caution in autoimmune diseases and after transplantation) and a possible effect on blood clotting. People taking anticoagulants or immunosuppressants should discuss its use with a doctor.

A separate problem is the quality of the raw material. The high cost of wild cordyceps encourages adulteration, and mycelium products may contain a significant share of the substrate (grain) on which the fungus was grown. With ginseng, problems relate to insufficient ginsenoside content or substitution of the species. Certificates from independent laboratories are of great importance here.

Editorial conclusions

Cordyceps and ginseng are products of a different nature: the first is a fungus with cordycepin, adenosine and polysaccharides, the second the root of a plant with ginsenosides. All that unites them is their status as traditional "tonic" remedies.

As for endurance, individual small studies of cordyceps look encouraging, but the results are heterogeneous. For ginseng there is more evidence, and it points to an effect on subjective fatigue rather than on athletic performance.

Ginseng's safety is better studied, and its interactions with warfarin and glucose-lowering drugs are well known. For cordyceps there are fewer data, so caution is appropriate with chronic diseases and medication use.

The editorial team has gathered practical advice on choosing in the article "Cordyceps vs Ginseng: What to Choose and for Whom". We also recommend reading our pieces on ashwagandha and rhodiola rosea.

References

1. Parcell AC, Smith JM, Schulthies SS, et al. Cordyceps sinensis (CordyMax Cs-4) supplementation does not improve endurance exercise performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2004;14(2):236–242.
2. Chen S, Li Z, Krochmal R, et al. Effect of Cs-4 (Cordyceps sinensis) on exercise performance in healthy older subjects: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(5):585–590.
3. Hirsch KR, Smith-Ryan AE, Roelofs EJ, et al. Cordyceps militaris improves tolerance to high-intensity exercise after acute and chronic supplementation. J Diet Suppl. 2017;14(1):42–53.
4. Bahrke MS, Morgan WP. Evaluation of the ergogenic properties of ginseng: an update. Sports Med. 2000;29(2):113–133.
5. Bach HV, Kim J, Myung SK, Cho YA. Efficacy of ginseng supplements on fatigue and physical performance: a meta-analysis. J Korean Med Sci. 2016;31(12):1879–1886.
6. Yuan CS, Wei G, Dey L, et al. Brief communication: American ginseng reduces warfarin's effect in healthy patients: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141(1):23–27.
7. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. European Union herbal monograph on Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, radix. London: EMA; 2014.