What is cordyceps? The fungus, its names, and how it shows up on a food label

Cordyceps facts

• Kingdom: Fungi. Phylum: Ascomycota. Family: Cordycipitaceae
• Genus Cordyceps: more than 300 species
• Most species grow on insects and other arthropods
• Found on every continent except Antarctica, and especially diverse in Asia
• Widely commercialized species: Cordyceps militaris
• Renamed example: Cordyceps sinensis became Ophiocordyceps sinensis in 2007
• STAT: cordyceps mushroom powder in Peanut Butter Espresso only, for flavor; no species named and no amount printed

What is cordyceps?

Cordyceps is not one organism. A 2015 review in the journal Mycology describes cordyceps, as a general term, as a group of ascomycete fungi growing on arthropods and other related fungi. Encyclopaedia Britannica describes the genus Cordyceps as more than 300 species, most of which infect and digest insects and other arthropods. The fungi turn up on every continent except Antarctica and are particularly diverse in Asia.

The hosts vary by species. Britannica lists beetles, flies, cicadas, moths and butterflies, and ants, wasps and bees, plus a few species that use spiders and about 20 that grow on hart's truffles, which are other fungi. A sticky spore attaches to a host, the fungus grows inside it, and it then sends up a stalk to release new spores.

Is cordyceps a mushroom?

It is a fungus, in the phylum Ascomycota and the family Cordycipitaceae. It doesn't look like a grocery store button mushroom. What you see is the stalk it sends up to release spores. Commercial cordyceps doesn't have to come from the wild: Britannica notes that Cordyceps militaris can be cultivated commercially, on silkworm larvae or on growth media with no insects, and is sold as a powder or in capsules. On the STAT wrapper, it is named as a mushroom powder.

Why do cordyceps names vary?

Because the scientists keep sorting it. A 2017 review in Mycology describes "innumerable name changes" in Cordyceps and related fungi after family-tree (phylogenetic) classification and the rule that each fungus gets one name. Many species were moved into other genera, including Ophiocordyceps, Tolypocladium and Metarhizium, and the review notes that older scientific names still turn up outside mycology.

The best-known example is the caterpillar fungus of the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayan regions of Bhutan, India and Nepal. Britannica notes that its name changed from Cordyceps sinensis to Ophiocordyceps sinensis in 2007, but it is still widely marketed under the former name. Ophiocordyceps now holds more than 300 former Cordyceps species, including the zombie-ant fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis.

The 2015 review adds that there is no defined classification system for the cordyceps fungi used in industry, which confuses buyers and even scientists. It names Cordyceps militaris as one of the well recognized, commercialized cordyceps fungi. So a package may say cordyceps, a species name, or simply mushroom powder. STAT's label says "cordyceps mushroom powder" and does not name a species, so we don't name one here.

How does cordyceps appear on a food label?

On a packaged food, look in the ingredient list. On the STAT Peanut Butter Espresso wrapper, it reads "cordyceps mushroom powder." An ingredient list tells you the item is in the recipe. It is not a milligram table, and if the wrapper doesn't print an amount, there is no dose to count.

The panel tells you what kind of product you are holding. A Nutrition Facts panel means a food. A product with a Supplement Facts panel is a dietary supplement. Cordyceps is sold both ways, and a food that lists it in the ingredients is still a food. Our explainer on adaptogens in food covers how botanical names work on packaged food, and our guides to what is maca and what is ashwagandha cover the two botanicals in every STAT flavor.

Which STAT flavor has cordyceps?

Only Peanut Butter Espresso lists cordyceps mushroom powder, for flavor, along with maca root powder and ashwagandha powder. No amount is printed on the wrapper, and the label does not name a species. Salted Caramel Coffee lists reishi mushroom powder instead, and Chocolate lists maca and ashwagandha with no mushroom. For every botanical by flavor, see our guide to the protein bar with cordyceps.

Every bar has 100mg caffeine and 0g added sugars (not a low calorie food). Peanut Butter Espresso contains peanuts, milk and soy. Full ingredient lists are on What's inside and STAT by the numbers, and our caffeine protein bar page breaks down the caffeine by flavor.

What is STAT Energy Bar made for?

We've all been there: it's hour ten of a twelve, the coffee pot is empty, and the next call could come any second. That's the moment STAT Energy Bar was made for: power when seconds count. Each bar has 100mg of caffeine for alertness and energy, about what's in a cup of coffee, plus 16 to 19g of protein and 0g added sugar. It's caffeine and protein you can eat in two minutes, then get right back to work. Most protein bars have no caffeine at all, but STAT has 100mg, along with maca, ashwagandha, cordyceps and reishi across the three flavors, all there for flavor. If you like chocolate, the Chocolate bar uses coffee fruit extract. If you're a coffee person, Peanut Butter Espresso and Salted Caramel Coffee use real coffee plus coffee fruit extract. Tuck a couple in your locker for the nights you can't stop for a meal, and find all three on the STAT shop.

Price note (checked October 20, 2026): the Build Your 4-Pack saves $24.97 versus four single boxes, at $134.99 for 48 bars, about $2.81 a bar. Variety 3 Boxes saves $14.98, at $104.99 for 36 bars (regularly $119.97), about $2.92 a bar. Subscribe and save 10% brings a 12-count box to $35.99 from $39.99. U.S. orders of $50 or more ship free. Shop all STAT flavors.

Common questions

What is cordyceps?

Cordyceps is a general name for a group of fungi that grow on insects and other arthropods. On a food label it can appear as cordyceps mushroom powder.

Is cordyceps a mushroom?

It is a fungus. It sends up a stalk to release its spores, and the STAT label calls it cordyceps mushroom powder.

Is there a protein bar with cordyceps?

Yes. STAT Peanut Butter Espresso lists cordyceps mushroom powder, for flavor, along with maca root powder and ashwagandha powder.

Which STAT flavor has reishi instead?

Salted Caramel Coffee lists reishi mushroom powder. Chocolate has neither mushroom; it lists maca and ashwagandha.

Which cordyceps species is in STAT?

The label says cordyceps mushroom powder and doesn't name a species, so we don't name one either.

How much cordyceps is in Peanut Butter Espresso?

No amount is printed on the wrapper. Cordyceps is in the recipe for flavor.

This page covers biology, names, and labeling only. If you have a question about cordyceps and your health or medicines, talk to your clinician.

References

• Dong C, Guo S, Wang W, Liu X. Cordyceps industry in China. Mycology, 2015. PMID 30151320. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• Shrestha B, Sung GH, Sung JM. Current nomenclatural changes in Cordyceps sensu lato and its multidisciplinary impacts. Mycology, 2017. PMID 30123649. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• Encyclopaedia Britannica. Cordyceps. britannica.com
• STAT Nutrition Facts panels and ingredient lists. statbar.com/stat-by-the-numbers