{
  "dataset": "cordyceps-cost-by-brand",
  "title": "Cordyceps Supplements Compared — cost, fruiting body vs mycelium-on-grain, and beta-glucan disclosure",
  "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/cordyceps/best-overall/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Cordyceps Cost & Form Comparison",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-16",
  "methodology": "Most US \"cordyceps\" is MYCELIUM-ON-GRAIN (MOG): mycelium grown on and dried with a rice/oat substrate, largely starch, low in the actives (beta-glucans, cordycepin). Premium products are FRUITING BODY / Cordyceps militaris, which produce real cordycepin (Singpoonga 2020, PMID 33134685) and disclose a beta-glucan %. Beta-glucan is the validated active and is measured by an enzymatic method that separates true (1->3)(1->6)-beta-glucan from alpha-glucan/STARCH (McCleary 2016, PMID 26957216); a \"polysaccharide %\" on a label counts starch and is NOT a beta-glucan figure. Independent industry lab analysis (Nammex / J. Chilton, 2016, ~100 samples via the McCleary method) found mycelium-on-grain products averaged ~35-40% starch (up to ~64%) versus <3-5% in fruiting body, with beta-glucan ~1.5-7.6% in mycelium vs ~34% in whole fruiting body -- this is industry lab data, not a peer-reviewed paper, but it rests on the peer-reviewed method above and is spot-checkable at home with an iodine-starch test (starch turns blue-black; a low-starch fruiting-body extract stays amber). \"verdict\": fruiting-body-disclosed (fruiting body / C. militaris AND an on-label beta-glucan %), fruiting-body (genuine fruiting body, beta-glucan tested via COA not on-label), mycelium-on-grain (starch-heavy mycelium, no beta-glucan %), red-flag-polysaccharide (discloses a \"polysaccharide %\" that counts starch). costPerServing = live Amazon price / servings; costPer100mgBetaGlucan is computed only where an on-label beta-glucan % is given. Clinical evidence is modest: the best-designed trial found no VO2max change (Chen 2010, PMID 20804368); dose is heterogeneous.",
  "headline": {
    "productsCompared": 11,
    "fruitingBody": 4,
    "myceliumOnGrain": 6,
    "discloseBetaGlucanPct": 2,
    "cheapestPer100mgBetaGlucan": 0.21,
    "cheapestPer100mgBetaGlucanBrand": "FreshCap",
    "note": "Of the products compared, only 2 disclose an on-label beta-glucan %, and 6 are mycelium-on-grain (starch-heavy). The marketed \"milligrams\" mostly count grain substrate, not active."
  },
  "columns": [
    "brand",
    "product",
    "slug",
    "form",
    "verdict",
    "mgPerServing",
    "betaGlucanPct",
    "betaGlucanMgPerServing",
    "servings",
    "price",
    "costPerServing",
    "costPer100mgBetaGlucan",
    "thirdParty"
  ],
  "units": {
    "mgPerServing": "mg cordyceps (labeled)",
    "betaGlucanMgPerServing": "mg beta-glucan (computed)",
    "price": "USD",
    "costPerServing": "USD/day",
    "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": "USD per 100 mg beta-glucan"
  },
  "citations": [
    {
      "claim": "Enzymatic method separates true beta-glucan from alpha-glucan/starch in mushrooms and mycelial products.",
      "source": "McCleary BV, Draga A. 2016, J AOAC Int",
      "pmid": "26957216"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Cordycepin is high in C. militaris fruiting body (~2.75 mg/g, up to ~9.7).",
      "source": "Singpoonga N, et al. 2020, ACS Omega",
      "pmid": "33134685"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Mycelium-on-grain products averaged ~35-40% starch (up to ~64%) vs <3-5% in fruiting body; beta-glucan ~1.5-7.6% vs ~34%.",
      "source": "Nammex / J. Chilton 2016 (industry lab analysis, ~100 samples; not peer-reviewed)"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Cs-4 (~1 g/day, 12 wk) did not change VO2max; submaximal thresholds rose ~8-10%.",
      "source": "Chen S, et al. 2010, J Altern Complement Med",
      "pmid": "20804368"
    },
    {
      "claim": "A C. militaris mushroom blend (4 g/day, 3 wk) improved VO2max in a small trial (n=10).",
      "source": "Hirsch KR, et al. 2017, J Diet Suppl",
      "pmid": "27408987"
    }
  ],
  "products": [
    {
      "brand": "FreshCap",
      "product": "Organic Cordyceps 10:1 Fruiting Body Extract (120 Capsules)",
      "slug": "freshcap-cordyceps",
      "form": "Fruiting body (C. militaris)",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "betaGlucanPct": 32,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": 320,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 39.99,
      "costPerServing": 0.67,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": 0.21,
      "verdict": "fruiting-body-disclosed",
      "thirdParty": "Third-party tested; CCOF Organic"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Longevity Botanicals",
      "product": "Organic Cordyceps Militaris Fruiting Body (120 Capsules)",
      "slug": "longevity-cordyceps",
      "form": "Fruiting body (C. militaris)",
      "mgPerServing": 900,
      "betaGlucanPct": 30,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": 270,
      "servings": 40,
      "price": 29.99,
      "costPerServing": 0.75,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": 0.28,
      "verdict": "fruiting-body-disclosed",
      "thirdParty": "Organic; third-party"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nootropics Depot",
      "product": "Cordyceps 10:1 Whole Fruiting Body Extract 250 mg (60 Capsules)",
      "slug": "nootropics-depot-cordyceps",
      "form": "Fruiting body (C. militaris)",
      "mgPerServing": 250,
      "betaGlucanPct": null,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 26.99,
      "costPerServing": 0.45,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": null,
      "verdict": "fruiting-body",
      "thirdParty": "Third-party COA"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Real Mushrooms",
      "product": "Cordyceps-M Fruiting Body Extract (120 Capsules)",
      "slug": "real-mushrooms-cordyceps",
      "form": "Fruiting body (C. militaris)",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "betaGlucanPct": null,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 60,
      "price": 34.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.58,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": null,
      "verdict": "fruiting-body",
      "thirdParty": "Third-party beta-glucan verified (COA)"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Terrasoul Superfoods",
      "product": "Organic Cordyceps 4:1 Extract Powder (5.5 oz)",
      "slug": "terrasoul-cordyceps",
      "form": "Extract powder (form not disclosed)",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "betaGlucanPct": null,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 150,
      "price": 14.99,
      "costPerServing": 0.1,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": null,
      "verdict": "mycelium-on-grain",
      "thirdParty": "USDA Organic"
    },
    {
      "brand": "NOW Foods",
      "product": "NOW Cordyceps 750 mg, Cordyceps sinensis (90 Veg Capsules)",
      "slug": "now-cordyceps",
      "form": "Mycelium (C. sinensis)",
      "mgPerServing": 750,
      "betaGlucanPct": null,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 90,
      "price": 13.07,
      "costPerServing": 0.15,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": null,
      "verdict": "mycelium-on-grain",
      "thirdParty": "cGMP (NPA)"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Swanson",
      "product": "Cordyceps 600 mg, Cultured Mycelia (120 Capsules)",
      "slug": "swanson-cordyceps",
      "form": "Mycelium-on-grain (cultured mycelia)",
      "mgPerServing": 600,
      "betaGlucanPct": null,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 120,
      "price": 19.39,
      "costPerServing": 0.16,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": null,
      "verdict": "mycelium-on-grain",
      "thirdParty": "cGMP"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nutricost",
      "product": "Cordyceps 1100 mg (90 Capsules)",
      "slug": "nutricost-cordyceps",
      "form": "Mycelium-on-grain (likely)",
      "mgPerServing": 1100,
      "betaGlucanPct": null,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 45,
      "price": 14.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.33,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": null,
      "verdict": "mycelium-on-grain",
      "thirdParty": "CCOF made-with-organic"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Om Mushrooms",
      "product": "Om Mushroom Superfood Cordyceps (90 Capsules)",
      "slug": "om-cordyceps",
      "form": "Mycelium-on-grain (mycelial biomass on oats)",
      "mgPerServing": 2000,
      "betaGlucanPct": null,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 30,
      "price": 22.82,
      "costPerServing": 0.76,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": null,
      "verdict": "mycelium-on-grain",
      "thirdParty": "USDA Organic; third-party (purity)"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Host Defense",
      "product": "Cordyceps, Myceliated Brown Rice (60 Capsules)",
      "slug": "host-defense-cordyceps",
      "form": "Mycelium-on-grain (myceliated brown rice)",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "betaGlucanPct": null,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 30,
      "price": 25.46,
      "costPerServing": 0.85,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": null,
      "verdict": "mycelium-on-grain",
      "thirdParty": "USDA Organic (not potency-tested)"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Double Wood",
      "product": "Cordyceps Sinensis Extract 1000 mg (210 Capsules)",
      "slug": "double-wood-cordyceps",
      "form": "Mycelium / mixed extract",
      "mgPerServing": 1000,
      "betaGlucanPct": null,
      "betaGlucanMgPerServing": null,
      "servings": 105,
      "price": 19.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.19,
      "costPer100mgBetaGlucan": null,
      "verdict": "red-flag-polysaccharide",
      "thirdParty": "Third-party tested"
    }
  ]
}