A Time-Tested Natural Remedy Shows Promise for Hormonal & Metabolic Health
Used for over three hundred years in Traditional Chinese Medicine, cordyceps is a unique medicinal mushroom known to be anti-diabetic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-aging, anticancer, and antiviral. It is also famous for improving exercise endurance as well as reducing the harmful effects of stress. Now, researchers have identified another use for cordyceps: balancing the hormonal system and lowering the risk of menopausal weight gain and metabolic dysfunction.
Science-Backed Anti-Obesity Benefits
A 2022 study published in BMC Complementary Medicine Therapy found that Cordyceps militaris extraction (CME) has a positive effect on reducing menopausal obesity and its mechanisms in animal models.1 CME was shown to prevent “overweight, fat accumulation, liver hypertrophy, and lowered triglyceride levels” by targeting genes that are related to insulin resistance and estrogen signaling pathways. This led the researchers to conclude “[t]hese results suggest that CME has anti-obesity effects in menopause and estrogenic agonistic activity. Compounds in CME have the potential to regulate obesity-related and menopause-related pathways.”
What’s more, cordyceps is an adaptogen and balances the hormonal system during the fluctuations of perimenopause and menopause. It also calms the stress response and subsequent release of cortisol — which is famous for encouraging weight gain, particularly in the midsection.3
Menopause also impacts your ability to manage blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity as estrogen levels drop, leading to insulin resistance and an increased incidence of metabolic syndrome — including an increased risk of obesity.4 Cordyceps can help here too.
A study published in the Journal of Diabetes Research found that cordyceps extract exhibited anti-hypoglycemic activity and helped to regulate blood sugar levels in animal models.5 The researchers note that the medicinal mushroom was shown to help lower blood glucose levels by increasing insulin sensitivity and “possesses strong hypoglycemic, anticholesterolemic, and anti-hypertriglyceridemic actions.” Two active compounds in cordyceps are responsible for these effects: d-mannitol cordycepin and 3’-deoxyadenosine, which help to balance blood sugar levels by mimicking the activity of insulin. Likewise, research published in the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences confirmed these findings by establishing the effectiveness of cordyceps to improve insulin sensitivity.6
Cordyceps can also help with other menopausal symptoms, such as boosting libido plus anti-aging benefits. It is known to assist with exercise endurance, which can help you maintain a healthy weight.2
“Cordyceps has adaptogenic properties, which means they may assist with the optimal function of progesterone, estrogen, and cortisol. In addition, it further supports hormone health for women by providing estrogen balance due to its phytoestrogen properties,” says Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RDN, national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
For additional support in balancing the female hormonal system during menopause, see our Menopause Blend in the apothecary.
Unlocking the Benefits of Herbal Medicine Begins with High-Quality Extracts
As we have seen, cordyceps has a wide range of applications for menopausal support — from anti-obesity effects to adaptogenic benefits and blood sugar support. It’s important to note that the quality of the cordyceps extract is crucial for experiencing the full benefit. This is why we employ dual-extraction and spagyric methods — and only use the fruiting body for our cordyceps tincture in the apothecary.
Some herbs (like mushrooms and lichens) require a double-extraction in both water and alcohol to access the full spectrum of medicinal compounds. We not only utilize this dual-extraction process, we go one step further by employing spagyric extraction. With this unique method, the spent herb is processed with pressure and heat to produce a mineral-rich ash that’s derived from the entire plant, lichen, or mushroom. With this process, nothing goes to waste. The medicinal properties of the herb are fully accessed from the ash and herbal extraction, which creates a tincture that embodies a complete spectrum of intracellular minerals and plant cell salts. Extracts that employ the spagyric method are highly energized and concentrate the full medicinal properties, nutrients, and enzymes of the botanical. Instead of simply capturing one aspect of the plant, this method ensures the tincture integrates all the synergistic elements.
We also only utilize the cordyceps fruiting bodies without fillers or mycelium. The mushrooms are cultivated in a manner that is time and labor-intensive, but that ultimately yields a superior medicinal product. This creates the most potent extract available. Fruiting body extracts contain 30 to 40 percent beta-glucans — compared to mycelium extracts, which typically have only 5 to 7 percent. These compounds are known to boost and regulate the immune system, improve glucose tolerance, support heart health, and more. In short, if you are seeking the most potent medicinal mushroom extract, tinctures that utilize the whole fruiting mushroom body are essential.
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My apothecary is an excellent resource of health and wellness information — including the science behind cordyceps and why our extract is considered the gold standard of medicinal tinctures. Visit today to learn more!
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Dual-Extracted Cordyceps Mushroom Tincture
References
- Jang, Dongyeop et al. “System-level investigation of anti-obesity effects and the potential pathways of Cordyceps militaris in ovariectomized rats.” BMC complementary medicine and therapies vol. 22,1 132. 12 May. 2022, doi:10.1186/s12906-022-03608-y
- Hirsch, Katie R et al. “Cordyceps militaris Improves Tolerance to High-Intensity Exercise After Acute and Chronic Supplementation.” Journal of dietary supplements vol. 14,1 (2017): 42-53. doi:10.1080/19390211.2016.1203386
- Ashraf, Syed Amir et al. “Cordycepin for Health and Wellbeing: A Potent Bioactive Metabolite of an Entomopathogenic Cordyceps Medicinal Fungus and Its Nutraceutical and Therapeutic Potential.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 25,12 2735. 12 Jun. 2020, doi:10.3390/molecules25122735
- “Consumer Health: Diabetes and menopause” by Laurel Kelly, Mayo Clinic, November 16, 2021. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/consumer-health-diabetes-and-menopause/
- Yu, Sung-Hsun et al. “Hypoglycemic Activity through a Novel Combination of Fruiting Body and Mycelia of Cordyceps militaris in High-Fat Diet-Induced Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Mice.” Journal of diabetes research vol. 2015 (2015): 723190. doi:10.1155/2015/723190
- Guo, Peng et al. “Cordycepin prevents hyperlipidemia in hamsters fed a high-fat diet via activation of AMP-activated protein kinase.” Journal of pharmacological sciences vol. 113,4 (2010): 395-403. doi:10.1254/jphs.10041fp
