The Truth Behind The Last of Us Fungus
You may have seen cordyceps as the infectious fungus in HBO’s The Last of Us—which could leave you wondering, why drink a cordyceps coffee? 😱
Don’t worry, while the show’s version is terrifying, the real-life cordyceps is nothing like its fictional counterpart. In fact, it’s a game-changing functional mushroom known for boosting energy and endurance, not for taking over and altering your behavior.
That’s why Four Sigmatic is the official coffee sponsor of The Last of Us.
Together, we’ve crafted Cordyceps Coffee—organic Arabica coffee infused with cordyceps mushrooms powerful enough to deliver unstoppable mental clarity and energy. No infections here, just next-level stamina. 💪
The Science Behind Cordyceps
Cordyceps mushrooms have gained fame from their fictional role in The Last of Us, but in reality, they’re nothing to fear—unless you’re afraid of energy and endurance.
So, what’s the real story? In the wild, cordyceps are known for their terrifying ability to infect insects and control their behavior. The most common cordyceps infects underground moth caterpillars. These caterpillars become infected when cordyceps spores attach to the insect as they chew through roots and move through the soil.
Cordyceps can produce chemicals that alter the insect's behavior, moving the insect into an ideal place to disperse spores and infect other insects. For the moth caterpillars, this is generally just below the surface of the ground. As the fungus grows inside the insect, it produces a fruiting body that bursts out of the caterpillar's head, releasing spores to infect new hosts.
But here’s the good news: Cordyceps cannot and will not infect humans.
Our body temperature is too high, and we lack the biological conditions necessary for cordyceps to survive in us.
Even better? The cordyceps we use (functional, not fictional) are:
- 100% vegan 🌱
- Organically grown
- Beneficial for energy, endurance, and stamina ⚡
Completely free of any creepy-crawly connections. No bugs, no parasites—just pure functional benefits for energy, endurance, and stamina.
Not only will it not hurt you, but many of the 600+ species of cordyceps are powerful medicinals that humans have used for thousands of years.
The quick and dirty:
At Four Sigmatic, we use the fruiting body of Cordyceps militaris, organically grown on a plant-based substrate, and extracted for highest potency. This is your best ally for pre-workout, post-workout, endurance, and energy.
The Last of Us Cordyceps Coffee
Curious about our limited-edition Cordyceps Coffee? Get infected with mental clarity and energy from functional superfoods infused with real Arabica coffee:
- Arabica coffee grounds: we only use premium, organic coffee from small family farms in Honduras. Tested for all the nasties (heavy metals, mold, yeast, pesticides, and more).
- Lion's Mane: this is another one of our favorite functional mushrooms. It's research-backed to support cognition and mental focus. Check out more on lion's mane here.
- Cordyceps: this misunderstood shroom is our go-to fungus for energy and stamina. Vegan, ethical, and bounding with energy!
- Vitamin B12: a crucial nutrient for increasing focus and productivity
- Extra caffeine: we add organic coffee bean extract for even more caffeine-powered energy.
Discover How to Use Cordyceps
If you’re not afraid of this fungus, keep reading and you’re in for a treat! In this section, we’ll go over:
- Traditional uses
- Proper sourcing for highest quality
- Effective dose
- Best time to take
- Four Sigmatic products with cordyceps ☕
- How to maximize benefits by pairing with the right ingredients
Traditional uses of cordyceps
Cordyceps were first discovered by yak shepherds or sherpas of the Himalayan mountains ⛰️ over 2,000 years ago. As legend goes, the sherpas upon reaching altitudes of 13,000 ft+, would watch as their yaks roamed the hills. When the yaks started munching on things they found in the grasses, they nearly instantly went into heat!
It wasn’t long until the sherpas tried these small, strange-looking fruits of nature for themselves. And it turns out that the energy and stamina-inducing effects observed in the yaks were also experienced by the sherpas.
The result: they realized they could breathe easier at higher altitudes, had greater endurance, a lift in physical energy, and experienced a sense of ease and lowered physical stress on long treks.
Cordyceps: The Athlete's Secret Performance Booster
Fast forward to 1993, when a Chinese women’s running team shattered multiple world records, raising suspicions of doping. Their secret? Cordyceps.
While rumors spread, the false allegations were stopped by the coach who shared that he had added cordyceps to their training protocol. Athletes have been using cordyceps ever since. 🍄🏃💨
Curious about other super-ingredients for energy? Read our blog on eluthero.
Today, cordyceps is used for much of the same benefits originally discovered by the sherpas and further confirmed by the runners of ‘93. We now have several thousand years of experience using the mushroom, as well as research to validate the compounds in the mushroom responsible for its energizing benefits.
Ethical Dilemmas of Wild Cordyceps
These original, wild cordyceps used by the sherpas were actually growing off of insects out in the wild. With the rise in popularity of cordyceps, places where the mushroom grows naturally (including northern India, Tibet, China, and Nepal), there is intense competition to collect the mushrooms.
Unfortunately, wild harvesters are not paid fair wages.
The price of wild cordyceps has literally surpassed the price of gold, gram for gram. Due to these sustainability and ethical concerns, we stay away from wild cordyceps.
Vegan Cordyceps: No Bugs Required
Instead, most cordyceps you can find in your Western grocery store today are grown on a substrate (a base that mimics the compounds found in the insects it grows on in nature). While we typically avoid any mushrooms grown on substrates other than what they are found on in nature, cordyceps is the exception.
Research shows that consuming the fruiting body of cordyceps, wild or grown on a substrate, has benefits nearly analogous to the wild varieties. This avoids the sustainability and ethical issues, as well as ensuring you are getting a fully vegan product!
The Gold Standard: Fruiting Body vs. Mycelium
It's important to use the part of the mushroom called the fruiting body, and it should always be organic. If you want an effective boost, don't use the parts of the mushroom called mycelium. In simple terms, mycelium is the root system of the mushroom (which has significantly less active compounds than the fruiting body).
For a deeper dive into fruiting body vs mycelium, check out our blog here.
Often the mushroom roots grow on grains like oat or rice. Cordyceps products that use mycelium cultured on grains, actually contain a lot of the grains it was growing in. And very little mycelium.
It’s the gold standard, to put it simply. Even worse, if it hasn’t been extracted, your body can’t access all the beneficial compounds in cordyceps that contribute to its energy and endurance benefits.
Before looking at dosage, make sure you know what you are getting! To ensure the highest potency and bioavailability for your body, check the supplement label for:
- Fruiting body (AKA – the real mushroom)
- USDA certified organic
- Extracted, meaning it is bioavailable
The Effective Dose of Cordyceps
An effective dose of cordyceps extract is between 500 mg - 1500 mg. Always start small and slowly build up after a few days as your body allows. Benefits start plateauing around 3,000 mg/day.
👍Tip for use: you can combine cordyceps with vitamin C-rich foods or adaptogens like schisandra or cacao to increase benefits.
Cordyceps is a perfect way to give your body the physical energy it needs to power through a big day, a workout, or get you past the afternoon slump without having to worry about a come-down later. Since an effective dose of Cordyceps extract is between 500 mg - 1500 mg, we always follow this range in all Four Sigmatic products containing cordyceps.
Not sure when to take Cordyceps, before or after a workout? There are benefits to both!
- Before: Cordyceps supports energy and stamina, so it’s a great addition to your pre-workout routine.
- After: Cordyceps is also an adaptogen, so it helps your body to adapt to any extra stress your workout is adding to your day. In this way, it can help support recovery.
Four Sigmatic Cordyceps for Energy
We only use extracted, fruiting bodies of cordyceps mushrooms, never wild-harvested or sourced from non-vegan sources.
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NEW! The Last of Us Cordyceps Coffee – The ultimate collaboration for uncontainable energy with cordyceps, lion's mane, B12, and extra caffeine.
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Our best-selling product with cordyceps is our Boost Cacao. It's like a European, better-for-you hot chocolate with an energizing effect.
- You can also find cordyceps in
