Wholesome in bulk™ Cordyceps Mushroom Powder and Extract
Bulk ingredient prices vary with supply and order size. Please complete the quote request form with the ingredient, package size, and quantity you need. We'll email you a current quote.
Explore our bottled supplements
Bulk Cordyceps Mushroom Powder and Extract for Supplement Manufacturing
Cordyceps powder is a dried, milled ingredient made from cultivated cordyceps fungi, most often the orange fruiting body of Cordyceps militaris. The trade also sells Cs-4, a fermented mycelium, under the cordyceps name. Buyers specify it by species, material, cordycepin content, and growing substrate. We supply it in bulk to supplement brands, contract manufacturers, and formulators. You can request testing documents and samples on the quote form.
A cultivated fungal ingredient with a measurable marker
Cordyceps is easy to specify once you know which of three materials you are buying. The species, the growing method, and the cordycepin result on the COA tell them apart.
Three materials, one trade name
Cordyceps militaris is grown for its orange fruiting body. Cs-4 is a mycelium of Paecilomyces hepiali made by fermentation. Wild Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a separate, scarce material from high mountain grasslands.
Cordycepin as a marker
Cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) is a nucleoside found mainly in C. militaris. Specs report it by HPLC, often beside adenosine, which gives you a number to compare across lots.
Cultivated supply
Bulk cordyceps is cultivated or fermented, which keeps supply steady. C. militaris fruiting bodies are grown on prepared media, and Cs-4 is grown in fermentation tanks.
A color you can see
C. militaris fruiting bodies are bright orange, and their powder runs yellow to orange. Cs-4 mycelium powder is usually darker and more brown.
Fine powder for dry formats
Hot water extracts are fine, light brown to yellow powders that disperse in drink mixes. Whole fruiting body powder is more fibrous and suits capsules and tablets.
Price tells you the material
Wild cordyceps trades at more than $10,000 per kilogram, so it is not a bulk ingredient. A spec that names the species and process shows which cultivated material you are getting.
Where formulators use cordyceps powder and extract
Both forms fit measured formats where fill weight and serving size are controlled, including:
- Capsules
- Compressed tablets
- Single ingredient powders
- Mixed mushroom blends
- Mushroom coffee and cacao mixes
- Powdered drink mixes
- Sports nutrition powders
- Stick packs and sachets
- Private label programs
Plan fill weights from the confirmed cordycepin figure on each COA. A C. militaris extract and a Cs-4 powder are not interchangeable gram for gram, so recalculate your serving math whenever you change material.
What to check before you buy cordyceps powder
Two powders sold as cordyceps can differ in species, material, substrate, and assay. Review these points together, and ask for lot documents before you approve a supplier.
Species and material
Confirm C. militaris fruiting body, Cs-4 mycelium, or a blend on both the spec sheet and the certificate of analysis (COA). The species name on your label should match it.
Cordycepin and adenosine by HPLC
Ask for cordycepin and adenosine by HPLC, and whether results are on a dry or as is basis. A grade stated without a method is hard to compare.
Growing substrate
Ask what the fungus was grown on. C. militaris can be grown on grain media or on insect material, which shapes your vegan and allergen statements.
Beta-glucan and alpha-glucan
Ask for both by the Megazyme enzymatic method. A high alpha-glucan result can point to grain substrate or an added starch carrier.
Extraction, ratio, and carrier
Confirm the solvent (usually hot water), the native extract ratio, and whether maltodextrin or another carrier is added to reach the stated grade.
Contaminant limits and origin
Check heavy metals by ICP-MS, microbial limits, pesticide residues, and the country of cultivation. Compare each limit with your finished product spec.
Label wording: Name the species and material on your label to match the COA, for example Cordyceps militaris fruiting body or Cs-4 mycelium. Settle the exact wording with your regulatory team.
Typical specification for cordyceps extract
These values reflect a common C. militaris fruiting body hot water extract. Cs-4 and whole powder have their own specs. Final figures come from the specification sheet and COA for your lot. NLT means not less than, and NMT means not more than.
| Parameter | Specification | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical source | Cordyceps militaris (L.) Fr., cultivated fruiting body | DNA identification or HPLC fingerprint |
| Appearance | Yellow to light brown fine powder | Visual |
| Cordycepin | NLT 0.3% | HPLC |
| Adenosine | Reported on the COA | HPLC |
| Beta-glucans | Reported on the COA when the grade states one | Megazyme enzymatic (K-YBGL) |
| Alpha-glucans | Reported on the COA | Megazyme enzymatic (K-YBGL) |
| Growing substrate | Grain based medium, named on the COA | Supplier declaration |
| Extraction solvent | Hot water | Supplier declaration |
| Carrier | None, or as named on the specification sheet | Supplier declaration |
| Particle size | NLT 95% through 60 mesh | USP <786> |
| Moisture | NMT 7.0% | USP <921> |
| Ash | NMT 9.0% | USP <561> |
| Lead | NMT 3.0 ppm | ICP-MS |
| Arsenic | NMT 1.0 ppm | ICP-MS |
| Cadmium | NMT 1.0 ppm | ICP-MS |
| Mercury | NMT 0.1 ppm | ICP-MS |
| Total aerobic count | NMT 10,000 cfu/g | USP <2021> |
| Yeast and mold | NMT 500 cfu/g | USP <2021> |
| E. coli and Salmonella | Negative in 10 g and 25 g | USP <2022> |
| Shelf life | 36 months, unopened | Stability data |
Quality standards for cordyceps powder and extract
Cordyceps quality rests on three published tools. They are an HPLC method for nucleosides, an ISO standard for fermented cordyceps powder, and a botanical adulterants bulletin on the genus. Together they show how to confirm the species and read the marker figures.
A botanical adulterants bulletin on cordyceps
The botanical adulterants program run by ABC, AHP, and NCNPR (BAPP) published a cordyceps bulletin in October 2024. It is the program's first document on a fungus. It reviews which species are sold as cordyceps and the lab methods used to confirm them.
HPLC for cordycepin and adenosine
China's NY/T 2116-2012 sets an HPLC method for cordycepin and adenosine in cordyceps products. A good method separates cordycepin from 2'-deoxyadenosine, a close relative. In some cordyceps species, a peak first reported as cordycepin turned out to be 2'-deoxyadenosine.
ISO 4754 for fermented cordyceps powder
ISO 4754:2022 covers dried mycelium powder from liquid fermentation of an Ophiocordyceps sinensis strain. It sets identity by TLC, HPLC, amino acid analysis, and DNA sequencing. Its content tests are adenosine and mannitol, with limits for heavy metals, aflatoxins, and microbes.
Species identity by DNA and HPTLC
Real time PCR on the ITS region can tell Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Cordyceps militaris, and related species apart, even in processed foods. HPTLC against a fruiting body reference is the common lot check. Use DNA when you qualify a new supplier and HPTLC on every lot.
Beta-glucan and alpha-glucan
In one supplier's published screening, C. militaris read 33.7 to 34.4% beta-glucan and 1.65 to 1.8% starch by Megazyme kits. A 2026 lot report for a C. militaris fruiting body product listed more alpha-glucan than beta-glucan. Set your alpha-glucan limit from several lots of your own supplier's material.
Contaminant limits to build on
USP <2232> sets component limits of 0.5 µg/g for lead and cadmium. Inorganic arsenic and total mercury are set at 1.5 µg/g, for intakes up to 10 g a day. Some lot specs for C. militaris products set 0.5 ppm for each of the four metals by ICP-MS.
Sourcing and processing practices for cordyceps
Most differences between cordyceps lots start with the organism, the growing medium, and the harvest. These practices give QA teams specific points to check and record.
Name the growing medium
C. militaris is usually grown on grain media, and some growers in Korea have used live silkworm larvae and pupae. Ask your supplier to name the medium in writing. Get an insect free statement before you print a vegan statement.
Keep fruiting body and spent substrate apart
After harvest, the leftover growing medium can hold more cordycepin than the fruiting body. One 2026 analysis found 1.13% cordycepin in spent substrate, over four times the fruiting body level. A high cordycepin figure alone does not show which material you have.
Ask how the fruiting bodies were dried
Among four drying methods compared in 2026, vacuum freeze drying kept the most cordycepin in C. militaris. Oven and sun drying kept less. Ask for the drying method and temperature, and keep them in the lot file.
Know the fermented grades
Cs-4 style powders are fermented mycelium of Paecilomyces hepiali, renamed Samsoniella hepiali in 2020. In one CE-MS survey, cultured mycelium sold as C. sinensis showed no detectable cordycepin. Ask for the organism, the strain, and the fermentation type, and specify these grades by adenosine and mannitol.
Ask for chromatograms with the numbers
Ask for the HPLC chromatogram with the cordycepin and adenosine peaks labeled, and for the HPTLC plate image. Read each COA result against its own limit, line by line, before you look at the pass line. Keep both images in the lot file.
Formulator tips for cordyceps
Use these points when you set label figures, fill weights, and incoming tests. Figures come from method papers, lot COAs, and supplier sheets.
- Do the cordycepin math from the COA. 1 g of extract at 0.3% cordycepin gives 3 mg per serving. Confirm the dry or as is basis first.
- Convert per capsule specs to percentages. NLT 1 mg cordycepin in a 500 mg fill equals NLT 0.2%.
- Plan fill from a real lot. In a 2026 lot report, one size 0 capsule held 530 mg of C. militaris fruiting body powder.
- Pair cordycepin with identity. Spent substrate can give a higher cordycepin result than fruiting body, so require HPTLC identity and an alpha-glucan result on the same lot.
- Write separate specs for each material. Set cordycepin limits only for C. militaris, and adenosine and mannitol limits for fermented mycelium.
- Add water activity to the spec. One brand sets it below 0.73, and its C. militaris lot read 0.24.
- Set an incoming test plan. Run HPTLC identity, cordycepin and adenosine by HPLC, Megazyme glucans, and ICP-MS metals on every lot. Add DNA testing for each new supplier.
- Recheck cordycepin and moisture before you use stock past its retest date. Published lot dates run two to three years from production.
Helping shoppers read a cordyceps label
Brands and their customer service teams field the same label questions again and again. These answers stick to what the ingredient is and how it is labeled.
What the label line means
A typical line reads cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) fruiting body extract. A fermented mycelium product may read Cs-4 mycelium or name the fungus used. Both are cultivated materials with their own specs.
How to read a cordycepin figure
A cordycepin percentage tells you how much of the extract is cordycepin by the stated test. A note such as by HPLC names the method, which matters because methods differ in how they separate similar compounds.
Independent quality programs
Programs such as the USP Dietary Supplement Verification Program and NSF/ANSI 173 certification check finished products against their labels and contaminant limits. Shoppers can ask a brand which program, if any, covers the product they buy.
Normal look, taste, and home storage
C. militaris powder is yellow to light brown, often with an orange tint, with a mild, savory taste. Color can vary a little from lot to lot. Keep the container closed in a cool, dry, dark place, and use it by the date on the label.
Storage and handling for bulk cordyceps powder
Mushroom powders and extracts hold their spec longest when they stay sealed, dry, and out of light. These steps keep the powder in good condition between production runs.
Keep it sealed
Close the inner liner after each use and press out the air. Hot water extracts pick up moisture from the air and can cake when left open.
Store cool and dry
Keep bags off the floor in a dry room, away from heat sources. Follow the temperature range on the spec sheet.
Keep away from light
Leave the powder in its original opaque packaging. Light can fade the yellow to orange color of C. militaris powder over time.
Rotate stock
Record the lot number and retest date for each bag. Send older lots to production first.
Cordyceps buyer FAQ
Quick answers to the questions procurement and quality teams ask most.
What is the difference between Cordyceps militaris and Cs-4?
Cordyceps militaris is a separate species grown for its orange fruiting body. Cs-4 is a mycelium of Paecilomyces hepiali, a fungus first isolated from wild Chinese cordyceps, produced by fermentation. They have different compositions and specs.
Is bulk cordyceps made from wild Cordyceps sinensis?
No. Wild Ophiocordyceps sinensis is collected by hand in high mountain grasslands and sells for more than $10,000 per kilogram. Bulk cordyceps is cultivated C. militaris or fermented Cs-4.
How is cordycepin measured in cordyceps extract?
Cordycepin is measured by HPLC against a reference standard, usually alongside adenosine. Ask whether the result is on a dry or as is basis, and compare lots only when the method matches.
What is Cordyceps militaris grown on?
It is grown on prepared media, most often grain based, though some producers use insect material. Ask your supplier to name the substrate, since it affects vegan and allergen statements.
Is cordyceps powder made from the fruiting body or the mycelium?
It can be either, so the spec sheet should say which. C. militaris products usually use the fruiting body, while Cs-4 products are mycelium.
Does a high cordycepin result prove the powder is fruiting body?
No. The leftover growing medium after harvest can hold more cordycepin than the fruiting body, in one 2026 analysis over four times as much. Pair cordycepin with an HPTLC identity test and an alpha-glucan result on the same lot.
Is there a standard for fermented cordyceps powder?
Yes. ISO 4754:2022 covers dried mycelium powder made by liquid fermentation of an Ophiocordyceps sinensis strain. It sets identity by TLC, HPLC, and DNA sequencing, with adenosine and mannitol content tests.
What documents can I get with an order?
A certificate of analysis (COA) and a specification sheet ship with every order. An allergen statement and a safety data sheet may also be available, depending on the lot in inventory. Contact us to request them.
Can I get a sample before a bulk order?
You can request one by choosing sample options on the quote form. We will confirm availability, size, and timing.
How should I store an opened bag?
Close the liner, press out the air, and keep the bag in a cool, dry place away from light. Use the powder within the shelf life shown on the COA.
Request a quote for bulk cordyceps powder or extract
Tell us the species, form, grade, quantity, and timing. We will reply with current pricing. Select testing documents and sample options on the quote form.
Order Cordyceps MushroomBulk orders: Choose a pack size above, or use the quote form for larger volumes, testing documents, and sample options. We serve supplement brands, contract manufacturers, product developers, and formulators.
This bulk ingredient is sold for further manufacturing and formulation. The information on this page describes the ingredient and how commercial buyers evaluate it. It is not medical advice. Each finished product brand is responsible for its own labeling and product claims.
