Effect of Cordyceps militaris on Testosterone Production in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Some of men have been suffered from the insufficient secretion of testosterone causing by physical factors, social and psychological factors. Testosterone is an essential steroid hormone controlling male reproductive function. Alternative medicines in plants, fungi, and insects have been studied to enhance sexuality. Cordyceps species including Cordyceps sinensis (CS) and C. militaris(CM) has been used as for the enhancement of sexual functionfor hundreds of years in Far East Asian. In the present study, we determined the effect of fruiting bodies of C. militaris which cultured on bee drone medium (CMD) and brown rice medium (CMB) on testosterone concentration in Sprague-Dawley rats. Eighteen rats per group were housed to regular diet or diet supplemented with CMB and CDD, respectively for 4 weeks. Serum was collected from 6 rats per group. Results showed that changes of the body weight, food and water intake of the rats were not observed in this study. However, both CMB and CDD increased the serum testosterone concentration in rats. Furthermore, CMD significantly stimulated testosterone production (p <0.05) compared to the control. Hence, it suggests that C. militaris fruiting bodymight be developed as a complementary medicine to improve sexual hormones.