Cordyceps is not one product: wild fungus, fermented powders and grain-grown mushrooms differ in chemistry and evidence. Best support is as an add-on in long-term kidney disease, airway disease and cancer treatment. In healthy people, a modest rise in workload held before breathing becomes laboured — larger when untrained or older, absent in trained cyclists. Many products contain little cordyceps. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| eGFR | Above 90 mL/min/1.73 m² | Kidney benefit in disease; confirms no loss in health |
| Serum creatinine | 0.7–1.1 mg/dL (men), 0.6–0.9 mg/dL (women) | The endpoint the kidney meta-analyses moved |
| Haemoglobin and haematocrit | Haemoglobin 13.5–15.0 g/dL (men), 12.5–14.0 g/dL (women); haematocrit below 52% / 48% | Cordyceps raised both in trained runners |
| Ferritin | 50–150 ng/mL | Iron stores were the route to the blood-marker benefit |
| White cell and platelet count | White cells 4.0–7.0 ×10⁹/L; platelets 175–350 ×10⁹/L | Immune-activating and theoretical antiplatelet effects |
| ALT | Below 25 U/L (men), below 20 U/L (women) | No liver signal from an unregulated fungal product |
| Fasting glucose and HbA1c | Glucose 75–86 mg/dL; HbA1c 4.8–5.4% | Additive glucose lowering seen in rodents |
| Urinary total arsenic | No established target; track against own pre-supplement baseline | The one exposure marker specific to wild material |
| Ventilatory threshold or time to exhaustion | No established target; track change from own baseline | Best-replicated benefit, invisible on any blood test |
Cadence: Full blood count and kidney panel at 8–12 weeks, then every 6–12 months for continuous use; functional test again at 12 weeks