Cordyceps vs Ginseng: What to Choose and for Whom

If you already know that cordyceps is a fungus and ginseng a root, the next question is practical: which of them to buy for yourself. The answer depends on your goal, your state of health, the medications you take, and even on how willing you are to check the quality of the product. The editorial team has laid out the choice by typical scenarios.

Define your goal: energy, endurance or mental clarity

Most people buy these supplements with a vague goal — "for energy". But "energy" can mean the ability to run longer, a feeling of alertness through the workday, or better concentration. For each of these tasks the evidence base of cordyceps and ginseng differs, so formulating the goal is the first step of the choice.

If you are interested in aerobic performance — time on the exercise bike, tolerance to interval loads — cordyceps has more targeted research, though it is small and ambiguous. If it is about subjective fatigue and mental performance, ginseng is discussed more often.

It is important to assess expectations soberly. Neither of these products has an effect comparable to caffeine or creatine, whose ergogenic action is confirmed far more convincingly. Even in positive studies the improvements were moderate and were not seen in all participants.

Finally, it is worth taking timing into account. In studies of both remedies the effects more often appeared after several weeks of regular intake rather than after a single dose. For a person looking for a "pre-workout" boost for today, neither of them is likely to suit.

Who cordyceps may suit

Cordyceps is logical to consider for amateurs in cyclic sports and for middle-aged and older people who want to support their aerobic fitness. It was precisely in the study of Chen and colleagues (2010) in healthy older people that the Cs-4 product was associated with an improvement in aerobic measures, whereas in trained cyclists (Parcell et al., 2004) there was no effect.

This difference between groups is telling: the higher the baseline fitness, the less chance of seeing a noticeable effect from a supplement. For a professional athlete cordyceps is unlikely to give a tangible advantage, while for a beginner the main gain will come from the training process itself.

Amateurs of interval and mixed loads can pay attention to Cordyceps militaris. In the study of Hirsch and colleagues (2017), it was precisely prolonged intake of a C. militaris–based blend that improved tolerance to high-intensity work. However, this is a single study with a small sample, and it needs confirmation.

In studies, roughly 1–3 g of raw material per day for several weeks was most often used. These figures describe study conditions rather than a universal recommendation: the composition of products varies greatly, so it is best to follow the instructions of a specific manufacturer with a verified composition.

Who ginseng may suit

Ginseng is more logical to consider for people whose main problem is not physical endurance but a sense of fatigue and reduced mental performance amid an intense pace of life. The meta-analysis by Bach and colleagues (2016) described a possible moderate reduction in fatigue, though the quality of the studies varied.

The monograph of the European Medicines Agency recognizes Panax ginseng as a traditional herbal remedy for symptoms of asthenia — fatigue and weakness. This is a status of "traditional use" rather than proven efficacy in the modern sense, but it means that safety under standard use is considered acceptable.

• students and knowledge workers during periods of high load;
• people recovering from a period of overwork (after ruling out medical causes of fatigue);
• adults without chronic heart disease or diabetes and not taking anticoagulants.

In studies of ginseng extract, doses from several hundred milligrams to several grams of root per day were usually used. The EMA monograph provides for a limited duration of self-administration — if symptoms of fatigue persist, a doctor's consultation is needed.

Korean and American ginseng differ in their ginsenoside profile. For a "tonic" effect Korean ginseng, including red, is more often chosen. American ginseng is traditionally considered "milder". For people prone to insomnia and anxiety, the milder option may be a better start.

How to read the label and what counts as a quality product

For cordyceps the first question is the species and part of the fungus. The designation "Cordyceps sinensis" without further detail often means fermented mycelium. If the label says Cordyceps militaris, it is useful for the manufacturer to indicate whether fruiting bodies were used, and standardization by cordycepin or polysaccharides.

Products of "mycelium on grain" may contain a significant share of starch from the substrate. An indirect sign of quality is a stated content of beta-glucans and a low content of alpha-glucans (starch). If the manufacturer does not provide these data, the product is hard to assess.

For ginseng the most important data are the Latin name of the Panax species, the part of the plant (root, not leaves or stems) and the percentage of ginsenosides in the extract. The absence of standardization does not mean the product is bad, but it substantially complicates comparison and prediction of the effect.

In both cases it is preferable to choose products with a certificate of analysis from an independent laboratory, including tests for heavy metals and pesticides. For athletes who undergo doping control, products with certification from supplement-testing programs for banned substances are advisable, since herbal blends are sometimes contaminated.

Who is better off avoiding both

People taking warfarin and other anticoagulants should coordinate ginseng intake with a doctor: the study of Yuan and colleagues (2004) showed that American ginseng reduces the effect of warfarin. For cordyceps, because of a possible effect on blood clotting, the same caution is logical.

Patients with diabetes on glucose-lowering medications should remember ginseng's ability to lower glucose. People with autoimmune diseases or after transplantation who receive immunosuppressants need caution with cordyceps because of its immunomodulatory properties.

For pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children, taking either remedy is not recommended due to a lack of safety data. For people with uncontrolled hypertension, insomnia and anxiety disorders, ginseng may worsen well-being.

And finally, if fatigue lasts for weeks, does not pass after rest and is accompanied by other symptoms, this is a reason not for adaptogens but for examination. Anemia, thyroid dysfunction, depression, sleep apnea are just a few possible causes that no supplement will fix.

Editorial conclusions

Cordyceps is more sensible to consider for those seeking possible support of aerobic performance, especially amateurs and older people; for professionals it will probably give little. Ginseng suits better those troubled by fatigue and mental overload.

In any case expectations should be moderate: the effects, if they appear, develop over several weeks and are weaker than those of well-studied supplements.

The key to results is product quality: the species, the part of the raw material, standardization and independent analyses. Without these, comparing products is practically impossible.

The editorial team also recommends reading the piece "Cordyceps or Ginseng: What's the Difference", a review of the evidence on caffeine and an article on rhodiola rosea as another popular adaptogen.

References

1. 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.
2. 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.
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. 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.
5. 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.
6. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. European Union herbal monograph on Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, radix. London: EMA; 2014.
7. Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J, et al. IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(7):439–455.