What is Cordyceps sinensis? What are the effects and functions of Cordyceps sinensis?

Cordyceps sinensis (scientific name: Stachys geobombycis CY Wu) is a plant of the genus Stachys of the family Clavicipitaceae. It is a dried complex of the fruiting body and larval corpse of the fungus Cordyceps sinensis parasitizing the larvae of the insects of the family Bat Moth. Cordyceps sinensis is as famous as ginseng and deer antlers, and is a precious medicinal material in my country. According to modern scientific measurements, "cordyceps sinensis" contains cordycepic acid, cordycepin, amino acids, vitamin B12 and a variety of trace elements. In clinical medicine, it is an excellent tonic and strengthening medicine, so it is praised as "the same effect as ginseng, but more expensive than ginseng". Now, let's take a look at what cordyceps sinensis is with Encyclopedia Knowledge Network.

Contents of this article

1. What is Cordyceps sinensis?

2. Origin and output of Cordyceps sinensis

3. The efficacy and function of Cordyceps sinensis

4. Grade standards of Cordyceps sinensis

What is Cordyceps

Winter worms and summer grass are two different species. Winter worms are larvae of an insect. During their growth, they were invaded by the fungus of summer grass. The summer grass grew inside the winter worms, causing their death. When summer comes, the fruiting bodies of summer grass grow out of the winter worms, just as the winter worms have grown into summer grass. If there is no invasion of summer grass fungus, the winter worms will complete the life cycle of eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. It is precisely because of the invasion of summer grass fungus that the winter worms end their lives at the larval stage and become food for summer grass, which has caused people to misunderstand that they are insects in winter and become grass in summer.

Cordyceps sinensis is composed of the insect body and the fungus seat connected together, with a total length of 9 to 12 cm. The insect body is like an old silkworm that has been sleeping for three days, about 3 to 6 cm long and about 0.4 to 0.7 cm thick. The appearance is dark yellow and rough, with many horizontal wrinkles on the back, and 8 pairs of legs on the ventral side, 4 pairs of which are located in the middle of the insect body. The cross section is full inside, white, slightly yellow, and dark yellow around. The fungus seat grows from the head of the insect body, is rod-shaped, curved, and slightly swollen at the top. The surface is gray-brown or black-brown, up to 4 to 8 cm long, and about 0.3 cm in diameter. When broken, the inside is empty and pink-white.

Origin and production of Cordyceps sinensis

Cordyceps sinensis is mainly produced in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, Lancang River and Nujiang River, from Liangshan in Sichuan Province in the east to Purang County in Tibet in the west, from Minshan in Gansu Province in the north to the Himalayas and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Yunnan Province in the south. The production of Cordyceps sinensis in Tibet accounts for about 41% of the national production, the production in Qinghai Province accounts for about 33% of the national production, and the production in Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province each accounts for about 11-16%.

The efficacy and function of Cordyceps sinensis

The main active ingredient 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 is effective for long-term cough due to lung deficiency, asthma, hemoptysis due to pulmonary tuberculosis, night sweats, low back and knee pain due to kidney deficiency, impotence and spermatorrhea, neurasthenia, and a decrease in red blood cells after chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is suitable for patients with cancer, diabetes, lupus erythematosus, chronic nephritis, chronic bronchitis in the elderly, emphysema, tuberculosis, bronchial asthma, cough and shortness of breath, hemoptysis due to weak asthma, as well as patients with leukocytopenia, physical weakness and sweating, spontaneous sweating, night sweats, weakness after illness, long-term weakness or aging weakness, insufficient kidney qi, low back and knee pain, impotence and spermatorrhea.

Grade Standards of Cordyceps Sinensis

There is no unified standard for the grade of Cordyceps sinensis. In the retail market, there are terms such as "first-grade, special-grade, and king-grade", but they are not universal. The Cordyceps trading market defaults to the size and number of Cordyceps as the specification basis, but this method of distinguishing the quality of Cordyceps by shape is a product of the era when science was not developed. Modern technology has confirmed that the main active ingredient in Cordyceps is cordycepin, and it can also accurately measure the various ingredients in various Cordyceps. Therefore, the most scientific method is to grade Cordyceps based on the content of the main active ingredient cordycepin.