Kidney Protection and Repair

Traditional beliefs are that Cordyceps mushrooms are useful for strengthening the kidneys. Many other traditional uses for this mushroom can be traced back to proper kidney health. Fatigue, impotence, joint and back pain, and even ringing in the ears are all symptoms of degenerative kidney health. It has been shown that much of Cordyceps kidney-enhancing potential comes from its ability to increase 17-hydroxy-corticosteroid and 17-ketosteroid levels (Zhu et al. 1998).

From evaluating the results of the many kidney studies, Cordyceps appears to be a low-cost, low-toxicity medicine that is well tolerated and has real value for clinical application in this field. Patients with chronic renal failure or reduced kidney function often suffer from hypertension, proteinuria, and anaemia. In a study with such patients, it was found that after 1 month on Cordyceps, a 15% reduction in blood pressure was observed. Urinary protein was also significantly reduced validating the long-held TCM belief that Cordyceps is valuable for treating diseases and weakness of the kidneys (Holliday 2017). In another recent study, the mechanism of action for Cordyceps’ kidney-protection mechanisms was studied, gaining insight into how and why Cordyceps works in preventing and reversing kidney damage (Zhong et al. 2012).

References:

• Zhu JS, Halpern G, Jones K. The scientific rediscovery of an ancient Chinese herbal medicine: Cordyceps sinensis. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (1998) (Part I) 4(3):289–303; (Part II) 4(4):429–457.
• Holliday J. Cordyceps: A Highly Coveted Medicinal Mushroom. Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. (2017) D.C. Agrawal et al. (eds.), Medicinal Plants and Fungi: Recent Advances in Research and Development, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World 4.
• Zhong F, Liu X, Zhou Q, Hao X, Lu Y, Guo S, Wang W, Lin D, Chen N. 1H NMR spectroscopy analysis of metabolites in the kidneys provides new insight into pathophysiological mechanisms: applications for treatment with Cordyceps sinensis. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation (2012) 27(2):556–565.