What exactly is Cordyceps sinensis? The latest explanation is here
Cordyceps sinensis is formed by the fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis of the order Hypocreales, family Ophiocordycipitaceae, genus Ophiocordyceps, parasitizing Hepialidae moth larvae in alpine meadow soil, causing the larval body to become rigid, and under suitable conditions, in summer, a long club-shaped stroma emerging from the head end of the rigid insect, that is, a complex formed by the fruiting body of Ophiocordyceps sinensis and the sclerotium of the rigid insect. It is a precious tonic medicinal material commonly used in Chinese folk medicine, with nutritional components higher than those of ginseng. It can be used as medicine and also eaten, is a superior delicacy, and has high nutritional value.
The winter worm and the summer grass are two different species. The winter worm is the larva of an insect, which is invaded by the fungal species of the summer grass during its growth process, and the summer grass grows inside the winter worm's body, causing the death of the winter worm. When summer arrives, the fruiting body of the summer grass grows out of the winter worm's body, just as if the winter worm had grown into the summer grass. If there were no invasion by the summer grass fungal species, the winter worm would complete its life course of egg, larva, pupa, and adult. It is precisely because of the invasion by the summer grass fungal species that the winter worm terminates its life at only the larval stage, becoming food for the summer grass, which has caused people's misunderstanding that it is a worm in winter and becomes a grass in summer.
Cordyceps sinensis is formed by the connection of the insect body and the fungal stroma, with a total length of 9-12 cm. The insect body resembles a three-times-molted old silkworm, about 3-6 cm long and about 0.4-0.7 cm thick. The surface is dark yellow, rough, with many transverse wrinkles on the back, and 8 pairs of feet on the ventral surface, with the 4 pairs located at the middle of the insect body clearly visible. The cross-section is solid inside, white, slightly yellowish, with the periphery appearing dark yellow. The fungal stroma grows from the head of the insect body, is club-shaped, curved, and slightly swollen at the upper part. The surface is grayish brown or dark brown, up to 4-8 cm long, about 0.3 cm in diameter. When broken, the interior is hollow and pinkish white.
Cordyceps sinensis is mainly produced in the upper reaches of the three river basins of the Jinsha River, Lancang River, and Nujiang River, from Liangshan in Sichuan Province in the east to Burang County in Tibet in the west, from Minshan in Gansu Province in the north to the Himalayas and Yulong Snow Mountain in Yunnan Province in the south. The output of cordyceps in Tibet accounts for about 41% of the national cordyceps output, the output of Qinghai Province accounts for about 33% of the national cordyceps output, and the cordyceps output of Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province each accounts for around 11-16%.
The main active component of Cordyceps sinensis is cordycepin, which can enhance the body's immunity, nourish the lungs and kidneys, and has a significant inhibitory effect on lung cancer, liver cancer, etc. Clinically, it has therapeutic effects on chronic cough due to lung deficiency, asthma, hemoptysis due to pulmonary tuberculosis, night sweats, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees due to kidney deficiency, impotence and seminal emission, neurasthenia, and decreased red blood cells after chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is suitable for consumption by people with cancer, diabetes, lupus erythematosus, chronic nephritis, chronic bronchitis in the elderly, emphysema, pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchial asthma, cough with shortness of breath, asthmatic deficiency with hemoptysis, as well as those with decreased white blood cells, body deficiency with excessive sweating, spontaneous sweating, night sweats, weakness after illness, prolonged deficiency without recovery or aging and frailty, insufficient kidney qi, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, and impotence and seminal emission.
There is no unified standard for the grading of Cordyceps sinensis. The retail market has “terms such as first-grade, special-grade, and king-grade”, but they are not universally applicable. The cordyceps trading market defaults to using the size and number of cordyceps as the specification basis, but this method of distinguishing good from bad cordyceps by shape is a product of an era when science was undeveloped. Modern science and technology have already confirmed that the main active component responsible for the efficacy of cordyceps is cordycepin, and can also precisely determine various components in various cordyceps. Therefore, grading cordyceps by the content of the main active component cordycepin is the most scientific method.