Can Cordyceps sinensis Be Cultivated? Feasibility Analysis of Artificial Cultivation

Cordyceps sinensis is a rare and precious Chinese medicinal herb. Because its price is relatively high, many people want to cultivate it, so can Cordyceps sinensis be cultivated?

1. What is Cordyceps sinensis?

Cordyceps sinensis is a complex of the fungus Cordyceps sinensis and the larvae of moths in the family Hepialidae, belonging to the order Hypocreales, family Ophiocordycipitaceae.

In our country, it is mainly produced in the high-cold zones and snow-mountain grasslands of five provinces in mainland China: Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu.

The worm body of Cordyceps sinensis resembles a silkworm, 3-5cm long and 3-8mm in diameter, with a surface dark brownish-yellow to yellowish-brown, bearing 20-30 rings, with the rings near the head being finer; the head is reddish-brown, with 8 pairs of legs, of which the middle 4 pairs are more obvious; it is brittle and easy to break, with a slightly flat cross-section that is pale yellowish-white. The stroma is solitary, slender and cylindrical, 4-7cm long and about 3mm in diameter; the surface is dark brown to brownish-brown, with fine longitudinal wrinkles, slightly swollen at the upper part, and the head and stalk have no obvious distinction; it is soft and pliable, with a nearly white cross-section. The odor is slightly fishy and the taste is bland.

2. Can Cordyceps sinensis be cultivated?

Cordyceps sinensis can be cultivated, but the medicinal value and price of artificially cultivated Cordyceps sinensis are much lower than those of wild Cordyceps sinensis. On the market, artificially cultivated Cordyceps sinensis is often called Cordyceps militaris, cordyceps flower, etc.

3. What effects does Cordyceps sinensis have?

1. It has sedative, anticonvulsant and cooling effects on the central nervous system, and enhances humoral immune function;

2. It has the effects of tonifying the kidney and benefiting the lung, stopping bleeding and resolving phlegm. It mainly treats impotence and spermatorrhea, soreness and pain of the waist and knees, chronic cough with deficiency panting, and consumptive cough with blood-streaked phlegm.

But for Cordyceps sinensis to have an effect on the human body, two conditions must be met:

First, there must be a sufficient number of mycelia;

Second, it must not contain impurities harmful to the human body. After a large amount of clinical research, it was found that to achieve a therapeutic effect, a sufficient amount must be taken, 3-5 grams per day.