What is the difference between cordyceps and cordyceps flower? A quick guide to telling them apart

Cordyceps generally refers to Chinese cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), while cordyceps flower refers to Cordyceps militaris, also called pupa cordyceps or pupa grass. In daily life many people mistakenly think that cordyceps flower is Chinese cordyceps, but the two are essentially different. Chinese cordyceps is a complex of the Chinese cordyceps fungus and the larvae of moths in the family Hepialidae, while cordyceps flower is a medicinal fungus. So what exactly are the differences between the two?

1. Different growing environments

1. Cordyceps: Chinese cordyceps is entirely wild, growing on grassy slopes near the snow line above the alpine grassland and shrub belt at altitudes of 3000 m to 5000 m. It is mainly distributed in the high-altitude areas of around 4000 m in Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Gansu in China, and cordyceps is also cultivated in the Jilin area of Northeast China.

2. Cordyceps flower: mainly cultivated artificially, with a culture medium that mimics the various nutrients contained in natural cordyceps, including grains, beans, eggs and milk, and so on; it belongs to a type of fungus. The optimal growth temperature for the mycelium is 15 to 25°C, and the optimal growth temperature for the stroma is 18 to 22°C. The culture room needs to maintain a certain temperature, humidity and air cleanliness.

2. Different morphological characteristics

1. Cordyceps: its body resembles an old silkworm, with a yellow-brown surface, many wrinkles on the back and eight pairs of legs on the underside; its cross-section is white or slightly yellow, with a dark yellow rim; the body is six cm long and about three mm in diameter, much like a blade of grass.

2. Cordyceps flower: orange-yellow and translucent white, with grass stems about 2.5-6 cm long; the cultivated cordyceps flower is relatively slender, has fewer spore heads and has a milky aroma. In appearance, cordyceps flower has no “insect body”, only an orange or yellow “grass”.

3. Different effects

1. Cordyceps: its main active components are cordycepin, cordycepic acid (that is, D-mannitol), cordyceps polysaccharides and other substances beneficial for absorption by the human body, and it has various effects such as regulating immune system function and resisting fatigue.

2. Cordyceps flower: cordyceps flower is rich in protein, amino acids, as well as cordycepin, mannitol, SOD, polysaccharides and other components, among which cordycepic acid and cordycepin can comprehensively regulate the internal environment of the human body, enhance the function of macrophages in the body, and have a certain effect on strengthening and regulating human immune function and improving the body's disease resistance. It has the effects of benefiting the liver and kidneys, replenishing essence, stopping bleeding and resolving phlegm.

4. Different prices

The effect of Chinese cordyceps is better than that of cordyceps flower, but the price of Chinese cordyceps is several tens of thousands of yuan per jin, while cordyceps flower costs only a few hundred yuan per jin. Comparing cordyceps flower and Chinese cordyceps of the same weight, Chinese cordyceps has the better effect; comparing cordyceps flower and Chinese cordyceps at the same price, cordyceps flower has a much better effect.

That is all we have to say about cordyceps and cordyceps flower. When buying cordyceps or cordyceps flower on the market, pay attention to telling them apart to avoid buying counterfeit or inferior products.