Cordyceps

Cordyceps militaris

Cordyceps sinensis are so highly valued in Traditional Chinese Medicine that they were exclusively available to the emperor’s family in ancient China. TCM traditionally used Cordyceps as an adaptogen and immunosupportive herb, to support the kidney and lung systems.* Cordyceps grows wild in the Himalayan foothills of Tibet and Bhutan, where it infects and then devours the pupal stage (or caterpillar) of ghost moths. From this caterpillar, it grows a grass-shaped fruiting body, which then releases spores for reproduction. Due to the unique nature of its development, the Chinese named it “winter worm summer grass.” Wild C. sinensis is both expensive and rare. Recently, cultivated varieties (Cordyceps militaris) have been developed. These Cordyceps fruiting bodies are cultivated on nutritious barley substrate, and they are therefore vegan. Research has shown that C. militaris and C. sinensis provide similar support, and they are used interchangeably in TCM and other branches of herbalism.* A mushroom goes through many stages during its life cycle, just like any plant or animal. Each part of a mushroom has unique attributes that support wellness and serve a different purpose for the organism, but it’s the fruiting bodies that receive the most attention and are the most familiar. Fruiting bodies emerge from the substrate on which they grow — such as trees or fallen logs — to become the part of the mushroom we recognize. They’re the above-ground part that we can see when we walk through the woods, and they’re also what have been traditionally foraged and consumed, in food and supplements.