What is Cordyceps sinensis?

Cordyceps sinensis is a bat moth larva parasitized by Cordyceps sinensis of Cordyceps sinensis in alpine meadow soil, which makes the larva body ossified and, under suitable conditions, is formed by the long rod-shaped pedestal extracted from the head end of the ossified insect in summer, that is, the complex composed of the fruiting body of Cordyceps sinensis and the sclerotia of Cordyceps sinensis, which is a valuable nourishing medicine commonly used by the people in our country. its nutritional composition is higher than that of ginseng and can be used as medicine. It is also edible and is an excellent delicacy with high nutritional value.

Winter worm and summer grass are two different species. Winter worm is a kind of insect larva, which is invaded by the strain of summer grass in the process of growth. When summer comes, the fruiting body of summer grass grows out of the body of winter worms, just as winter worms grow into summer grass. Without the invasion of summer grass, winter worms will complete the life process of eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. It is precisely because of the invasion of the bacteria of summer grass that the winter worm ends its life only at the larval stage and becomes the food of summer grass, resulting in the misunderstanding that people change from insect to grass in winter and summer.

Cordyceps sinensis is made by connecting the insect body to the fungus, with a total length of 9cm to 12cm. The worm body, such as the three-sleeping old silkworm, is about 3-6 cm long and 0.4-0.7 cm thick. The appearance is dark yellow and rough, with most transverse wrinkles on the back and 8 pairs on the ventral side. 4 pairs located in the middle of the insect body are obviously visible. The cross-section is full of heart, white, slightly yellowish and dark yellow around. The fungus emerged from the head of the worm, showing a rod shape, curved and slightly enlarged in the upper part. The surface is grayish brown or dark brown, up to 4cm in length and 0.3 cm in diameter. When it is broken, the heart is empty and pink.

Cordyceps sinensis is mainly produced in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, Lancang River and Nujiang River basins, Liangshan in Sichuan Province in the east, Pulan County in Xizang in the west, Minshan Mountain in Gansu Province in the north, and Yulong Snow Mountain in the Himalayas in the south. Xizang's output of Cordyceps sinensis accounts for about 41% of the national Cordyceps output, and Qinghai Province accounts for about 33% of the national Cordyceps output. Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province account for about 11,16% of Cordyceps production each.

The main active ingredient of Cordyceps sinensis is cordycepin, which can enhance the immunity of the body, nourish the lung and kidney, and has obvious inhibitory effect on lung cancer, liver cancer and so on. it has curative effect on lung deficiency and chronic cough, asthma, pulmonary tuberculosis hemoptysis, night sweats, kidney deficiency, waist and knee pain, impotence, spermatorrhea, neurasthenia and erythrocytopenia after chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is suitable for cancer, diabetes, lupus erythematosus, chronic nephritis, senile chronic bronchitis, emphysema, pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchial asthma, cough, shortness of breath, asthenia and hemoptysis, as well as leukopenia, body deficiency and hyperhidrosis, spontaneous sweating, night sweating, weakness after illness, chronic deficiency or senility, deficiency of kidney qi, waist and knee pain, impotence.

Cordyceps sinensis grade does not have a unified standard, the retail market has "first-class, super-class, king-class and so on", but it is not universal. The Cordyceps sinensis trading market defaults to the size and number of Cordyceps sinensis as the specification basis, but this method of distinguishing Cordyceps sinensis by shape is the product of the era of underdeveloped science. Modern science and technology have confirmed that the main active ingredient in Cordyceps sinensis is cordycepin, and it can also accurately determine all kinds of components in all kinds of Cordyceps sinensis, so it is the most scientific method to classify Cordyceps sinensis according to the content of cordycepin.