Need a boost in the bedroom this Valentine’s Day?
Let’s be honest: even Casanova would say yes to this question, regardless of how accomplished one is in the amorous department.
Throughout history, countless herbs, animal parts, and mystical concoctions have been touted for their purported ability to heighten sensual arousal, extend stamina, and amplify orgasmic bliss.
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One of the most celebrated aphrodisiacs of all time is a mushroom called cordyceps, and it’s found its way from the obscure annals of Himalayan history into the superfoods aisles at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Costco.
So what are cordyceps, and how do they fit into Valentine’s Day?
Cordyceps: an ancient aphrodisiac
The Cordyceps sinensis fungus has been celebrated across the Himalayas and in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years for its purported aphrodisiacal and generally life-affirming qualities. It’s a rare fungus that hijacks the nervous systems of caterpillars above 10,000 feet in the alpine environment, killing the caterpillar and fruiting out of the head of its rotting carcass. Sounds sexy, right?
Legend has it that Yak herders on the Tibetan plateau first registered the invigorating effects of the ‘caterpillar fungus’ after noticing that animals who found and consumed the fungus became invigorated with energy. This origin story mirrors the legend of how coffee was first discovered – in that case, it was goat herders in Ethiopia who observed their animals to be energetically charged after consuming ripe coffee cherries from the native bushes.
Cordyceps entered recorded history around the first century BCE when a written reference to the medicinal properties of the curious fungus appeared in a volume of the Traditional Chinese Medicine pharmacopeia known as ‘Sheng Nung Bon Cas Chien.’
Over the next two thousand years, cordyceps were revered as prescription aphrodisiacs in the practices of various celebrated medical practitioners throughout multiple dynasties of the Chinese empire. They were likely used continuously throughout the Himalayas in folk medicine traditions as well, regardless of historical record preservation.
Cordyceps began their penetration of the global market in the 20th Century when lab cultivation techniques for the variety Cordyceps militaris offered industrial-scale yields rather than the sparse and expensive foraged options preceding the arrival of this strain to the market.
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Cordyceps militaris possesses a similar pharmacological profile to Cordyceps sinensis, though the latter is still highly prized for its rareness and perceived heightened vigor due to the complex synergy of environmental factors underpinning the organism’s vitality. Cordyceps sinensis can go for over $100,000 a kilo in China, while Cordyceps militaris are readily available at $25 a kilo or so.
When the Chinese female running team set world records in the 1500, 3000, and 10,000-meter events at the 1993 Olympics in Austria, their coach highlighted the team’s incorporation of cordyceps into their diets and training regimen as an important factor in the remarkable success of the athletes.
Clinical research has substantiated that Cordyceps may help increase oxygen utilization in the body – especially during intense exercise or well…sex. It may also aid in the production of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), known to boost male stamina. ATP production is crucial to optimized energy levels and overall peak health.
As Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and affection, a boost in the bedroom is surely a welcome addition to any and all who celebrate.
Go big and…
I consume cordyceps multiple times in multiple formats on a daily basis, kicking off my mornings with Mycroboost mushroom coffee. This coffee is infused with cordyceps extract, enhanced with cocoa, and several other powerful functional mushrooms like Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Reishi, and Chaga.
In the afternoon, I bite into some Mycoday functional mushroom chocolate to keep my cordycepin levels high – plus, a little chocolate goes a long way in saying ‘I love you’ to your beloved.
The synergistic combination of cacao + cordyceps is a romancer’s delight; the coconut sugar adds a mild sweetness to the dark chocolate while the mushrooms blend in seamlessly to synergistically heighten the adaptogenic and medicinal effects of the deliciously divine chocolate. After all, chocolate is for lovers.
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Cordyceps have earned their place in the global market as a powerful adaptogenic herb with a growing customer base – while still remaining integral to the apothecaries of herbal medicine practitioners across the world regardless of its commercialization. When something works, it works. This Valentine’s Day, surprise your loved one with the gift of virility by adding cordyceps to your daily energy intake – As I like to say, go big and go home.
*This article was submitted by a guest contributor. The author is solely responsible for the content.
