Best Season to Eat Cordyceps and How to Eat Fresh Cordyceps: A Breakdown of Single-Serving Amounts

Cordyceps sinensis is a health product and tonic with very good effects. The main effects of cordyceps are reflected in regulating immunity, anti-tumor, anti-cancer, tonifying qi, tonifying blood, strengthening yang, etc. So what season is best to eat Cordyceps sinensis? How do you eat fresh cordyceps? How many grams at one time?

What season is best to eat Cordyceps sinensis?

Since ancient times, Cordyceps sinensis has always been hailed as the “king of Chinese medicine” in our country, and together with ginseng and deer antler it is known as one of China's three great tonics, ranking first among the three. As early as 1757, “Ben Cao Cong Xin” recorded that “Cordyceps sinensis is sweet and neutral, protects the lungs, benefits the kidneys, supplements marrow, stops bleeding and resolves phlegm, and is good for consumptive cough and for treating diaphragmatic disorders.”

Traditional Chinese medicine holds that Cordyceps sinensis is sweet and neutral in nature and flavor, enters the lung and kidney meridians, and functions to benefit the lungs and kidneys, stop cough, supplement deficiency and damage, and boost essential qi. Modern Chinese medicine holds that Cordyceps sinensis can treat consumptive cough with phlegm and blood, resolve phlegm and stop bleeding, spontaneous sweating and night sweats, impotence and seminal emission, senile weakness, chronic cough and asthma, and soreness and pain of the waist and knees, and has advantages in enhancing human immunity and fighting cancer that other drugs cannot replace.

Modern medical clinical research shows that the ability of Cordyceps sinensis to devour tumor cells is 4 times that of selenium. The cordycepin contained in Cordyceps sinensis can significantly enhance the ability of red blood cells to adhere to tumor cells, inhibit tumor growth and metastasis, significantly increase the number of white blood cells and platelets, and rapidly improve symptoms such as vomiting and nausea after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, poor appetite, hair loss, and insomnia.

Because Cordyceps sinensis is warm in nature, it can be eaten all year round. Generally speaking, it is best to take it from September each year to May of the following year. In addition, eating Cordyceps sinensis should also be done in moderation; do not eat too much at one time.

How do you eat fresh cordyceps?

How to eat (fresh Cordyceps sinensis does not need to be thawed before eating; just take it out of the freezer and gently scrub it with water.)

1. Eat raw: chew it directly; it has a soft mushroom texture and a strong fragrant aroma.

2. Steamed rice: add fresh cordyceps after the rice comes to a boil.

3. Congee: add fresh cordyceps after the congee comes to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

4. Stewed soup: add fresh cordyceps when the stewed soup is turned to low heat, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes; you can stew chicken, duck, pigeon, etc.

The best ways to eat Cordyceps sinensis

Cordyceps sinensis is very suitable for people to use to improve immunity, or for physical recovery after surgery or childbirth. However, if the eating method is improper, it often cannot fully exert its nutritional effect. Regarding how to eat Cordyceps sinensis, many claims circulate online: some say to drink it soaked in water, some say to stew it, some say to grind it into powder, and some say it can be chewed directly. So exactly how is it better to eat Cordyceps sinensis? The best ways to eat Cordyceps sinensis:

1. Boil Cordyceps sinensis in water and drink it

Usually, Cordyceps sinensis should be boiled for 6~10 minutes at a time. Note that low heat should be used. The boiling time is short; after the water boils, drink it immediately, adding water while drinking. When the color of the Cordyceps sinensis water is darkest, its nutrition is the richest, and the water at this time must not be wasted.

Cordyceps sinensis water will go through a process from light to strong and then back to light, and the aftertaste is also very long. When the Cordyceps sinensis water becomes light or even appears white, do not drink it anymore; you can eat the Cordyceps sinensis. A pot of Cordyceps sinensis tea can be drunk for at least half an hour, adding water 4~6 times.

2. Stew it with meat products

When stewing (steaming) meat, put cordyceps into the meat (inside the belly of duck, pigeon, etc.), and stew over low heat until the meat is cooked. This method is the traditional way of eating cordyceps banquet dishes. Combined with different meat varieties, the effects differ somewhat. The disadvantage of this method is that it is not suitable for long-term daily consumption.

3. Grind into powder and take with warm boiled water

Take the purchased Cordyceps sinensis to a pharmacy and grind it into powder (it can also then be put into capsules). Take a small spoonful each time, about 1 to 1.5 grams, and take it with warm boiled water, once in the morning and once in the evening. Significant effects can be seen after taking it continuously for half a month.

Which is better, fresh cordyceps or dried cordyceps?

Answer: Which has better medicinal value, newly harvested fresh Cordyceps sinensis or dried Cordyceps sinensis? From a conventional perspective, newly dug Cordyceps sinensis also has fairly obvious advantages and disadvantages:

Fresh cordyceps: active ingredients are preserved more completely, and heat-sensitive substances such as cordyceps polysaccharides will not denature or become inactivated; fresh Cordyceps sinensis tastes better, with a sweet flavor, and is easier to chew thoroughly when eaten directly, increasing the human body's absorption of the nutritional components of Cordyceps sinensis; its appearance is fuller and its size is larger.

Dried cordyceps: the Cordyceps sinensis we commonly see is formed by drying fresh Cordyceps sinensis in the shade after harvesting. During the shade-drying process, water will evaporate by 30%~50%, and the active nutritional components in the cordyceps will rapidly be lost in large amounts. Ordinary cordyceps requires high-temperature stewing when eaten, which will also cause part of the nutrition to be lost.

What should be noted when eating Cordyceps sinensis?

Cordyceps can also often be stewed with chicken, duck, pork, mutton, etc., but note:

First, considering both medicinal efficacy and economy, 3 grams to 4 grams of cordyceps each time is enough. Correspondingly, the amount of meat and water added when stewing soup should not be too much. Try to “eat it all and drink it all,” including the meat, soup, and cordyceps residue.

Second, the stewing time for cordyceps should not be too long, preferably not more than 2 hours. Generally about 1 hour is enough, and “low heat” should be used; the heat should not be too high or too fierce. If you want the meat to be tender and soft, you can stew it for a period first, then add the cordyceps afterward.

Third, when stewing cordyceps, it is best to use a clay pot, porcelain pot, or glass pot; do not use an iron pot or aluminum pot.

Taking cordyceps must be kept in “moderation.” First, for cordyceps to exert effects in the human body, a certain amount of accumulation is needed. Usually it must be taken continuously for at least 1 month to 2 months. Second, although cordyceps is mild in medicinal nature, it is not suitable to take it continuously all year round without interruption. Long-term excessive consumption can also disrupt the body's balance; as the saying goes, going beyond the limit is as bad as falling short.

However, some experts point out that taking it raw at room temperature is the way of eating Cordyceps sinensis with the greatest medicinal value. High-temperature heating and stewing will cause the loss and destruction of many important essence components in Cordyceps sinensis, and the effects will be significantly reduced. Moreover, these methods are also extremely inconvenient to eat and hard to keep up.

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 has been found that to achieve therapeutic effects, a sufficient amount must be taken, 3~5 grams per day.