Drug & supplement interaction

Cordyceps + Testosterone

Testosterone brand names: Intrinsa, Testim, Androgel, Andropatch, Testogel, and others.

Minor Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Minor

Cordyceps has a minor interaction with Testosterone. Theoretically, concurrent use of cordyceps and testosterone might have additive effects.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Cordyceps and Testosterone

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

TESTOSTERONE

Theoretically, concurrent use of cordyceps and testosterone might have additive effects.
Animal research suggests that cordyceps can increase testosterone levels. The clinical significance of this finding is unclear.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist for combining cordyceps with your prescribed testosterone. This isn't about cordyceps changing how your body breaks the medication down. Instead, some animal studies hint that cordyceps may nudge testosterone levels up a little on its own. So in theory, taking it alongside your testosterone could add slightly to the overall effect.

Honestly, the evidence here is thin and comes from lab and animal work, not real people. The practical effect is likely minor and may not be noticeable at all. If anything did add up, you might see things linked to higher testosterone, like acne, mood shifts, or fluid retention. Since your doctor monitors your levels with bloodwork, just mention the cordyceps so they can keep an eye on things.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Hsu, C. C., Huang, Y. L., Tsai, S. J., Sheu, C. C., and Huang, B. M. In vivo and in vitro stimulatory effects of Cordyceps sinensis on testosterone production in mouse Leydig cells. Life Sci 9-5-2003;73(16):2127-2136. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Cordyceps Also Interacts With Other Medications

Cordyceps has 241 moderate, 7 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Testosterone one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 241 Minor 7 No known interaction 2,582 (incl. Testosterone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Cordyceps

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Cordyceps. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Cordyceps or Testosterone

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Cordyceps or Testosterone, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Testosterone

This page covers Cordyceps only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Testosterone page lists 170 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Beer (major), Grapefruit (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Wine (major).

By severity: 5 major · 129 moderate · 36 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Testosterone page

“The supplement list for testosterone therapy (Androgel, Testim, Nebido, and others) deserves real attention, mainly because five of its 170 entries are rated major and four of those are everyday items: grapefruit, St. John's wort, and alcohol in the form of beer or wine.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Testosterone interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Cordyceps as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 2,140 real supplement products containing Cordyceps, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Cordyceps. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Testosterone too, on top of Cordyceps — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Cordyceps and Testosterone Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Cordyceps
Top 10%

#122 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Testosterone
Top 1%

#23 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Cordyceps

What is Cordyceps?

Cordyceps
  • Fatigue and low energy
  • Athletic performance and stamina
  • Respiratory and lung support
  • Immune support
  • Kidney health support
  • General wellness/anti-aging

Cordyceps is a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine for energy, exercise performance, and lung and immune support. Human research is limited and mostly low quality, so its benefits are not well proven. It appears generally well tolerated in the short term, but quality varies and it should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding due to lack of safety data.

Read the full Cordyceps monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Testosterone

What Is Testosterone Used For?

Brand names: Intrinsa, Testim, Androgel, Andropatch, Testogel, Nebido, Delatestryl, Natesto, Vogelxo

Testosterone replacement therapy is used in adult males whose bodies do not produce enough of their own testosterone. This includes primary hypogonadism — where the testes themselves fail due to causes such as Klinefelter's syndrome, injury, chemotherapy, or surgical removal — and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, where the brain's signaling system (the hypothalamus or pituitary gland) fails to trigger testosterone production.

Testopel (subcutaneous pellets) may also be used to stimulate puberty in carefully selected males with clearly delayed puberty. The safety and efficacy of testosterone for age-related (late-onset) hypogonadism have not been established for most products, including AndroGel, Testim, Jatenzo, Kyzatrex, Natesto, Depo-Testosterone, Testosterone Cypionate, and Xyosted.

See full Testosterone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Cordyceps

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Cordyceps — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
241Moderate
7Minor
2,581No known interaction
241 Moderate 7 Minor 2,581 No interaction
Moderate

241 interactions

Showing 60 of 241 moderate interactions — see all 241 on the Cordyceps page.

Minor

7 interactions

No interaction 2,581 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Cordyceps against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,581 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Cordyceps list.

See the full Cordyceps interactions page
See every supplement checked against Testosterone, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Cordyceps monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Testosterone supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Testosterone, ranked by severity Testosterone drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Cordyceps and Testosterone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Cordyceps with Testosterone?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Cordyceps and Testosterone interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Testosterone and Cordyceps?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.