Cordyceps has been used for centuries by traditional Chinese medicine to help with sexual dysfunction.
Preclinical data on the effects of Cordyceps on mice showed sex steroid-like effects. (Holliday, J. et al. On the Trial of The Yak Ancient Cordyceps in the Modern World. 2004)
The results of human clinical trials published in The Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine demonstrated that Cordyceps is effective in increasing sex drive and affects sexual functions either via sex hormone systems or by directly acting on the sexual organs. For example, three separate studies were conducted on a total of 756 people with decreased sex drive who were given either a placebo or 3g per day of Cordyceps for 40 days. The results of those studies demonstrated that 64.8% of the Cordyceps users reported significant improvement in sexual function compared with 23.8% of the placebo group. (Zhu, J. et al. The Scientific Rediscovery of an Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicine: Cordyceps sinensis The Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine [part 1]Volume 4, Number 3, 1998, pp. 289—303 [part 2] Volume 4, Number 4, 1998, pp. 429 – 457.)
The results of another controlled study conducted on elderly men and women with decreased libido, impotence and other sexual dysfunctions who were given 3g per day of Cordyceps for 40 days, showed increased sperm survival time and increased sperm count as well as a majority of patients reporting improvement in libido and sexual health (Zhu, J. et al. The Scientific Rediscovery of an Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicine: Cordyceps sinensis The Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine [part 1]Volume 4, Number 3, 1998, pp. 289—303 [part 2] Volume 4, Number 4, 1998, pp. 429 – 457).