Science · Cordyceps
Cordyceps and muscle: how it accelerates post-exercise recovery
A new study published in Food & Function (2024) provides the first human evidence that Cordyceps sinensis supplementation significantly accelerates skeletal muscle recovery after intense exercise. The results are concrete: less damage, more stem cells, sooner.
Key study finding
Cordyceps accelerated the recruitment of CD34+ cells to damaged muscle by +51% as early as 3 hours post-exercise, compared to 24 hours in the placebo group.
The study
The research team, led by Luthfia Dewi and Chia-Hua Kuo, designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with 14 young adults (mean age: 24 years). Participants performed high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on a cycle ergometer at 120% of their maximum aerobic power.
Before exercise, participants took 1 g of Cordyceps sinensis or placebo (corn starch). Multiple biopsies of the vastus lateralis were taken before, 3 hours, and 24 hours after exercise to analyze the muscle tissue in detail.
What they found
Muscle damage
-284%
Reduction in necrotic infiltration at 3h with Cordyceps vs placebo
Stem cells
+51%
More CD34+ cells recruited at 3h with Cordyceps
Regeneration
4x
Expansion of Pax7+ cells with immunofluorescent double staining
Intense exercise doubled VEGF mRNA in muscle at 3 hours. However, the placebo group showed elevated necrotic infiltration (+284%) that took 24 hours to resolve. In the Cordyceps group, this inflammatory response was significantly lower, and CD34+ stem cells appeared in the damaged tissue 21 hours earlier than in the control group.
This triggered a four-fold expansion of Pax7+ cells, a key marker of muscle fiber regeneration, demonstrated by CD34+/Pax7+ double immunofluorescence staining.
Why it matters
Muscle recovery is not just about rest — it's an active process where stem cells migrate to damaged tissue, proliferate, and repair fibers. The sooner they arrive, the faster and more complete the recovery.
This study is the first to demonstrate in humans that a natural supplement can measurably accelerate this process. The 21-hour difference in stem cell recruitment is clinically relevant for athletes, amateur sportspeople, or anyone looking to maximize their training adaptations.
Cordyceps at Madre Tierra
At Madre Tierra, we cultivate functional mushrooms in Tenerife. The scientific evidence surrounding Cordyceps continues to grow — and this study is one of the most robust human studies published to date.
Our line of Cordyceps supplements will be available soon, with standardized fruiting body extract and independent laboratory analysis.
Scientific reference
Dewi L, Liao YC, Jean WH, Huang KC, Huang CY, Chen LK, Nicholls A, Lai LF, Kuo CH. (2024). Cordyceps sinensis accelerates stem cell recruitment to human skeletal muscle after exercise. Food & Function. PMID: 38501161. DOI: 10.1039/d3fo03770c