Cordyceps sinensis

Cordyceps sinensis[1], also known as Gunny's Cordyceps and Hawks' Cordyceps, is an endoparasitic ascomycete that parasitizes the larvae of Lepidoptera insects. It consists of a stroma that grows from the insect body and the head. The stroma grows from the host head, with a milky white stalk and a generally dark grey to black grey apex, oblong to columnar, single, dichotomously branched or borne in clusters, generally 8-22mm with a periodontium of 5-8mm, with a clear boundary with the stalk when mature, and no sterile top.

Ascocarp is ovoid or ampoule-shaped, buried, with the mouth exposed when mature. Spread across Guizhou Province and other places. It is currently being used in drug research in Guizhou Province. Because it has certain side effects, large-scale consumption is not recommended, and pharmacological analysis and research are still underway.

Shape characteristics of Cordyceps sinensis

The stroma is single, extending from the front of the host, 6-8cm long, 2mm thick, with a mostly curved stalk and a gray-black color.

, with longitudinal wrinkles or ridges, smooth on the top and fine hairs on the bottom. The head is short cylindrical with a round top, 12mm long, 3.5mm thick, and dark brown. Ascocarp is buried in ascocarp, elliptical to ovate, 600-700μm, periphery 230-260μm, tube opening is gray-black, granular and spotted. Ascus 400-500μm, pericyte 5μm, spores broken into 8-9μm, pericyte 0.5-1μm segments.

The natural environment of Cordyceps sinensis growth

It lives on the larvae of Lepidoptera under the dead leaves in the forest.

Cordyceps sinensis is widely distributed in

It is mainly distributed in Guizhou and Hunan provinces, and a small number are also distributed in Yunnan, Anhui, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan and other places.

The main value of Cordyceps sinensis

Main uses of Cordyceps sinensis in economic development

It is edible. The folk custom in Hunan Province steams duck or other meat with Cordyceps sinensis as a nutritional food. According to the comparison of chemical composition and ultraviolet spectrum made by Hunan Drug Inspection Institute, it is similar to the composition of Cordyceps.

Evaluation of Cordyceps sinensis

Characteristics of this product show that it is composed of the insect body and the stroma growing out of the head family. The body of the insect resembles a silkworm, 3-4cm long and 4-5mm in diameter, with a reddish-yellow or purple-black head, a milky white epidermis, 20-30 stages, 3 pairs of legs near the head, 1 pair at the tail end, and 4 pairs in the middle. The cylinder is spotted and gray-black. Scrape off the gray-white fungal film on the surface, and the dark brown or chestnut-dark brown insect body cuticle can be seen; it is brittle and easy to break, with a slightly flat cross-section and reddish-brown color. The stoma is single, sometimes 2-3, 4-8cm long, with a short cylindrical head, blunt top, 1-1.2cm long, 3-6mm in diameter, dark brown, with a mostly curved stalk, 2-4mm in diameter, grayish white or dark gray, with longitudinal stripes; brittle, easy to break, with a loose or hollow cross section. It has a fragrant aroma and tastes slightly salty (pyracantha) or light (spermatozoa). Identify the cross section of the stroma under a microscope: the ascocarp is buried in the stroma, flask-shaped or shoe-shaped, 325-585μm long and 65-156μm in diameter; the ascus is 304-398μm long and 3-5μm in diameter; the ascospores are linear, 182-325μm long and 1.5-2μm in diameter, with inconspicuous septa; the fungi on the wall are closely arranged; the fungi in the myelin are loosely arranged.