Cordyceps mushroom powder

[Discograph]

My friend is a health guru of sorts and has recommended I take the above for my COPD. I was diagnosed 10 days ago and am about to start taking this. My airways are inflamed and chest is tight on the meds I was already taking for asthma which are Fostair and Salbutamol. I hope this helps me 🤞Anyone with previous experience of this treatment?🙏

[Damon1864 Volunteer]

Please be careful even herbal medicine can have side effects. Hope things go ok but if you do start feeling unwell get some medical help. I would also get some medical advice before starting on this, you can always phone your Chemist. Let us know how are getting on, have a lovely weekend and stay safe 😊 Bernadette xx xx 🌈

[Discograph in reply to Damon1864]

Thank you for the advice. I've taken 6g in a coffee, which is the recommended daily dose. It tastes absolutely foul. I think I will continue unless I have any adverse effects as my GP support is non existent atm

[O2Trees]

I endorse what Bernadette has said. Some alternative treatments are great but you should run anything you're taking past your GP or pharmacist. Ive never heard of this. I take turmeric powder - a teaspoonful a day in my porridge which turns bright yellow! That is fairly well evidenced as being good for inflammation and pain. It works great for me but since we are all different this like all other alternative remedies should be talked about with your GP.

The best evidenced conventional treatment for copd is pulmonary rehab - NHS run programme of exercise and education about the condition. This isnt happening at present of course but your GP could refer you for it and then you could start when lockdown is sufficiently lifted. Good luck!

[Corin1950]

Hi Discograph. Welcome to the site. They are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Made from a fungus that grows on insect larvae (ugh!).

If you want to read about it here’s a link.

webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingre...

If I were you I would find out as you as you can about your condition as there are many things you can do to slow the progression of this disease, the main ones being getting on the correct medication for you, a nutritious diet, appropriate exercise, avoiding smoke and pollution and preventing further infections as these damage the lungs. You will soon learn what works for you and if you can attend a pulmonary rehab class in the future that would help. You can learn a lot from people on this site so visit regularly and ask questions. You can use the search box to look at previous posts and you will find many people in a similar situation to yourself.

Take care and let us know how you get on with the Cordyceps.

X

[Discograph]

I am feeling very down and anxious about the whole thing so Ty for the encouragement 🙏

[Caspiana]

Hello Discograph , 👋

I well understand you feel anxious and eager to try and feel better, and I have no doubt your friend has your best interests at heart. But they are not medically trained medical personnel and I am guessing may not actually have COPD either. So I echo what has been said above. I would not take this unless your doctor says it is safe to do so. Please take care and keep us updated if you'd like to.

Best wishes to you,

Cas xx 🙋🐕

[Hidden]

There is some preliminary evidence that cordyceps may have some benefit in COPD by reducing lung inflammation, but the studies to date are very limited, mostly focusing on the effect in mice rather than humans, and like all herbal and alternative treatments, it can interfere with western medicine. In particular, cordycep is clinically known to reduce/prevent effectiveness of the oral steroid prednisone/prednisolone (often abbreviated by most of us to pred), which is a vital drug quite routinely used in respiratory diseases when you have an active infection, as well as being used to manage a number of other inflammatory conditions throughout the body. You would definitely need to make all involved medical professionals, including your pharmacist and GP, aware that you’re taking it, and I would echo other opinions here that ideally, I’d advise you to speak to someone *before* starting it regularly. As long as it’s not considered definitively harmful by the medical profession, from experience of the one alternative treatment I’ve ever used with my daughter for anything, the response will most likely be along the lines of ‘we can’t endorse it or encourage you to take it due to the lack of evidence, but we have no issue with you trying it’.

I’m not medically qualified, I’m equally not a huge believer in alternative medicine as a whole, and it’s not my place to influence you in any direction, but there are historical posts here about other people using cordycep for their lungs if you put it in to the search feature. Whatever you ultimately decide to do, it’s always good to be as well informed as possible about anything you put into your body, prescribed or otherwise, and seek appropriate advice.

[Discograph in reply to Hidden]

Ty for taking the time to share your concerns. I'm genuinely touched by the care you have taken in your response. I was diagnosed 10 days ago and I'm reaching for everything I can to help make a difference. If my symptoms don't get better I actually don't think I want to live. I feel awful physically and mentally and I'm struggling badly. My doctor isn't interested in helping me, I asked for his help, he said the inhalers I was using for asthma, are the same for COPD but they aren't relieving chest tightness/irritation for much longer than an hour at a time. I also have phlegm that feels like it is inside my lungs all the time. I also have very sore throat, painful/burning inner nostrils, hot/itchy/swollen/ feeling of fullness inside my ears and it's not hayfever. I think it's to do with inflammation and blood vessels. I've been like this now since November and my doctor says the COPD nurse will monitor me before any medication will be issued. I'd been telling them for over 18 months that I have shortness of breath and coughing up stuff and they only sent me for a CT scan 2 weeks ago. I don't know what else to do other than take what help others are offering me and see if that helps. I don't know what your services are like but where I live the NHS is seriously overstretched and the people I see have no time or patience. If I manage to get to speak to anyone they rush me so much and just want to get rid of me. I don't know what else I can do to get help 😥

[HungryHufflepuff in reply to Discograph]

Have you spoken to anyone at the BLF phone number? They might be able to give you some practical advice or something, anything. It sounds like you've just been abandoned ☹️ There is a lot of crossover between inhalers for asthma and COPD but that doesn't necessarily mean that the inhalers that treated your asthma will necessarily treat your COPD. You might need a different inhaler or an additional one. It is so horrible when your doctor/ nurse won't listen to you or offer help, its like you're drowning and no one's taking any notice.

I hope you can get some advice and support here, everyone is just great and coming here feels to me like visiting friends where you can just be yourself. I hope you'll find that too.