Botanical authentication program addresses adulteration and mislabeling of cordyceps fungi

The latest publication of the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) documents how cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) is mislabeled or adulterated. It is the program’s first bulletin focusing on a fungal ingredient. Cordyceps is harvested from the wild and is considered one of the most valued ingredients in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

“This has been a challenging bulletin to write, especially figuring out what is currently offered as ‘cordyceps’ in various regions around the globe,” comments co-author Stefan Gafner, chief science officer of the nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABC). “The main takeaway for the dietary supplement industry is that better methods to authenticate the various products marketed as cordyceps are needed.”

Cordyceps supplements are marketed to support kidney, immune and cardiovascular health, enhance athletic performance and increase endurance. 

Spores of the parasitic fungus infect the larva of a ghost moth, and the fungus then develops via fungal mycelium that grows inside the larva. As a result, the fungus’ club-shaped, spore-releasing fruiting body emerges from the larva’s body. 

The Botanical Adulteration Prevention Bulletin includes a review of the available literature on cordyceps adulteration, nomenclature and taxonomy, supply chain or network and market importance and analytical approaches to detect contaminants. 

Cordyceps authentication

While Ophiocordyceps sinensis is the primary species that grows in the wild, the name cordyceps can refer to several species. Due to the high costs of wild cordyceps, up to US$50,000/kg, lower-cost alternatives dominate the supplement market, such as Cordyceps militaris or Paecilomyces hepiali (reclassified as Samsoniella hepiali in 2020). Both species can be marketed as cordyceps in the US. 

Lead author Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., a renowned herbalist, botanist and mycologist, highlights: “This was a complex and challenging process from start to finish. Research on the related genera Cordyceps, Ophiocordyceps, Samonsoniella and others, as well as the nature of the traditional Tibetan medicine yartsu gunbu (the Tibetan name for the medicine, also known as dōng chóng xià căo) were and are still undergoing rapid change.”

“New research, particularly our ability to identify and characterize DNA sequences from a complex soil microbiome and delineate the genera and species growing on the surface of wild cordyceps, has allowed analytical labs to accurately identify the genera and species in commercial products.”

He details that this research has led to the understanding that the most popular commercial “cordyceps” products sold in China, other Asian countries, the US and Europe come from a variety of species with differing chemistry, pharmacological properties and potential benefits.

The bulletin was peer-reviewed by 21 experts from academia, contract analytical laboratories and the US and international botanical ingredient industries. 

Cordyceps spores infect ghost moth larva, and then develop via fungal mycelium that grows inside the larva.Adulteration risks

Sales of the fungus have increased in recent years. For example, the apocalypse series “The Last of Us” has helped bring cordyceps to the attention of a general audience. In the series, the fungi turn humans into zombies. In addition, research shows that Cordyceps sinensis may combat pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting mitochondrion-mediated oxidative stress. 

Artificial commercial cultivation has recently been developed to yield a product similar to wild cordyceps. Meanwhile, cordyceps adulteration occurs in “many shapes and forms,” according to the bulletin authors. 

In some Asian countries where the wild fungus is sold at high prices, there have been reports of the undeclared addition of pieces of sticks or wires or soaking the fungus in concentrated mineral solutions to increase its weight. 

In addition, the authors note some cases of “cordyceps look-alikes” made from flour and dyes, which are modeled into a caterpillar shape with sticks glued to the material to imitate the cordyceps fruiting body. 

In North America and Europe, the authors note that economically motivated adulterants in supplements include using different fungal species (e.g., Tolypocladium inflatum), grain-based media with little or no cordyceps mycelium or adding undeclared excipients or fillers. 

Hobbs underscores: “I hope that our publication will help consumers, manufacturers, practitioners and researchers understand the origins and biology of these fascinating traditional medicines, along with considerations of the design and conduction of further studies to help define the potential efficacy and range of health benefits of these traditional products as well as how to produce them in the most efficacious way.”

Botanical industry

The bulletin on cordyceps is one in a series of publications available on the ABC website, one of the partners in BAPP. Last year, the program published guidance on adulterating European elderberries and their extracts to help ensure the ingredients’ authenticity. 

ABC emphasizes that adulteration is an ongoing challenge in the botanical industry. The practice is partly driven by a growing demand for botanicals and suppliers’ cost and supply chain issues. 

In a recent study, BAPP revealed the adulteration rates of five popular botanicals in supplements, ranging from 16.5% in turmeric rhizomes to 56.7% in ginkgo leaf extract samples.