Skip to content
In short: It depends on how the cordyceps was grown. Wild cordyceps grows on an insect, so it isn’t vegan. Almost all cordyceps sold today is cultivated without insects, on rice, grain or a nutrient medium, and that is vegan. The exception to watch for is Cordyceps militaris grown on silkworm pupae. Our Cordyceps drops are cultivated Cordyceps sinensis with no insects involved, and the drops are vegan.
Why the question comes up
Cordyceps is a parasitic fungus. In nature it infects an insect, grows inside it and sends up a fruiting body out of the body. Wild Cordyceps sinensis grows on ghost moth caterpillars on the Tibetan Plateau, and wild Cordyceps militaris grows on moth pupae. A product made from wild cordyceps includes the insect, so it isn’t vegan, and most vegans would avoid it.
Is cultivated cordyceps vegan?
Usually, yes. Cordyceps doesn’t need an insect to grow if it’s given the right food. Most cultivated cordyceps is grown on:
- Brown rice or other grains (common for militaris fruiting bodies): vegan.
- A liquid or solid nutrient medium in sterile tanks or trays: vegan.
- Silkworm pupae (some militaris farms, mainly in Asia): not vegan.
How to check a product
- Look for the species and how it was grown. “Cultivated” or “grown on grain” is a good sign.
- If it’s sold as whole wild cordyceps, or the price is very high, it’s probably wild sinensis, with the caterpillar.
- Check the other ingredients too: some capsules use gelatine shells, which aren’t vegan.
- If you’re not sure, ask the seller how it’s grown. A good seller can tell you.
Are our Cordyceps drops vegan?
Yes. They’re made from cultivated Cordyceps sinensis, grown in Poland with no insects, extracted in water and food-grade alcohol. There’s nothing of animal origin in the bottle.
What vegans tend to think about cordyceps
Fungi aren’t animals, so mushrooms are vegan. Cordyceps only raises questions because of the insect host. Cultivated cordyceps removes that, and many vegans are comfortable with it. Some prefer to avoid it entirely because of how it grows in nature. Either way, the question to ask about a product is how it was grown.
Questions people ask
Is cordyceps a mushroom or an insect?
A fungus. In the wild it grows on an insect, but the cordyceps itself is a fungus.
Is cordyceps vegetarian?
Cultivated cordyceps grown on grain or a nutrient medium is. Wild cordyceps, and cordyceps grown on silkworm pupae, isn’t.
Is cordyceps halal or kosher?
That depends on the certification of the specific product, and tinctures also contain alcohol. Check with the seller and your own religious guidance.
How is cordyceps farmed?
See cordyceps farming: how cordyceps is grown.
Our Cordyceps sinensis drops are vegan, with the full ingredients list and lab report.
