Ginseng and cordyceps put to the test: can they supercharge your workout?
NCT ID NCT07729943
First seen Jul 28, 2026 · Last updated Jul 29, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial investigates whether taking ginseng or cordyceps mushroom extract for 30 days can improve aerobic capacity, lactate clearance, and nitric oxide levels in healthy adults aged 40–65 who report low energy. Participants are randomly assigned to receive ginseng, cordyceps, or a placebo, and undergo exercise tests before and after supplementation. The goal is to see if these natural supplements can enhance endurance and energy without the need for pharmaceutical drugs.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Panax ginseng extract and Cordyceps militaris mushroom extract
- What this could lead to
- If effective, these supplements could offer a natural way to improve endurance and energy in healthy people.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, short-term trial in healthy volunteers, so results may not apply to athletes or people with medical conditions. Supplements can also cause side effects like digestive upset.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 75 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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40 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Provide voluntary signed and dated informed consent. * Be in good health and able to participate in cognitive performance testing as determined by assessment, medical history, and routine blood chemistries. * Between the of 40 and 65 years of age (inclusive). * Body Mass Index of 18.5-34.9 (inclusive). * Body weight of at least 110 pounds. * Normotensive (seated, resting systolic blood pressure \<140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure \< 90 mm Hg. If the first measurement is slightly elevated above these limits, the subject will be given a brief (5-minute) rest period, and two more measurements will be taken. The average of all three measurements will be used to determine eligibility. * Normal supine, resting heart rate (\<90 per minute). * Able to provide an adequate blood draw. * If a dietary supplement was initiated within the past month, the participant is willing to discontinue supplement use followed by a 2-week washout prior to participation in the study. * Willing to duplicate their previous 24-hour diet, refrain from caffeine and alcohol for 24 hours, refrain from exercise for 48 hours prior to each trial, and fast for 10 hours prior to each visit. * Recreationally active (≥3 exercise sessions/wk) Exclusion Criteria: -Smokers. * History of malignancy in the previous 5 years except for non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell cancer or squamous cell cancer of the skin). * Prior gastrointestinal bypass surgery (Lapband, etc.). * Other known gastrointestinal or metabolic diseases that might impact nutrient absorption or metabolism, e.g. electrolyte abnormalities, diabetes, thyroid disease, adrenal disease, hypogonadism, short bowel syndrome, diarrheal illnesses, history of colon resection, gastric ulcer, reflux disease, gastroparesis, Inborn-Errors-of-Metabolism (such as PKU). * Chronic medically diagnosed inflammatory condition or disease (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, Lupus, HIV/AIDS, etc.). * Medical history of metabolic, cardiovascular, hepatorenal, musculoskeletal, autoimmune, or neurologic disease. * Use of performance enhancing drugs * Anti-inflammatory supplement/medication use started within 4 weeks * Ergogenic supplement use started within 4 weeks. (i.e. beta-alanine, creatine, beet root, citrulline, arginine, ) * Individuals with excessive caffeine intake (\>400mg/day). * Known sensitivity to any ingredient in the test formulations as listed in the Certificates- of-Analysis. * Women currently pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breastfeeding a child. * Any other diseases or conditions that, in the opinion of the medical staff, could confound the primary endpoint or place the subject at increased risk of harm if they were to participate
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Center for Applied Health Sciences
RECRUITINGCanfield, Ohio, 44406, United States