cordyceps

This fungus belongs to the genus Ergot. It parasitizes on certain types of living organisms, namely insects. To date, about 400 species of these mushrooms are known. It is not so easy to call cordyceps a mushroom, nevertheless, it is one. Let's take a closer look at what we're dealing with.

Surprisingly, cordyceps is quite widespread throughout the world. Sometimes a person can simply not pay attention to him, although in fact a mushroom is under his feet. The population is due to an impressive number of insects, which the fungus uses for its own growth. However, in certain regions, the diversity of cordyceps is higher - the tropics.

Perhaps the most popular parasitic fungus is the lopsided cordyceps. It is able to influence the behavior of insects and parasitizes the common ants known to all of us.

Mushrooms reproduce by parasitizing caterpillars, ants and other insects. The spores land on their bodies, grow, and burrow directly under the outer shell. Over time, the insect dies, and a new cordyceps life develops inside it.

The fungus has a rather interesting and unusual development cycle. The fact is that he prefers caterpillars of butterflies. The spores are dispersed by the wind and fall on the plants. The caterpillar feeds on these plants. For a long period of time, the fungus may not manifest itself in any way.Before winter, the caterpillar feeds calmly, preparing to turn into a full-fledged butterfly with the onset of spring. But it is by spring that spores come to life and begin active development.

After the spread of the mycelium, Cordyceps manages to capture the entire body of the caterpillar. As soon as the weather becomes warm, the body of the fungus begins to grow from the mouth of the insect. It then keeps the caterpillar from decomposing, creating a close bond for the rest of its life. From the point of view of treatment, it is a full-fledged mushroom with a caterpillar body that is recommended to be used.

The appearance of cordyceps is non-standard. The caterpillar acquires a light brown hue, and the fungus itself becomes dark brown. If you break it in half, then inside we will see a completely white substance.

Sizes are usually small, and are no more than 11 centimeters. The largest especially had a length of 13 cm. The thickness at the widest point was 3-4 centimeters. Body with extensions to the fruit part and at the tip. The middle is narrowed. A very pleasant smell emanates from the mushroom, and its taste is sweetish.

You can determine that you have cordyceps in front of you due to appearance - whole and long. It develops on very thick caterpillars.

You can see the process of mushroom growth in the following video.

For the first time, based on the information available today, this mushroom was found high in the mountains of Tibet. Now it grows mainly in China, where they learned to cultivate it. In Russia, this mushroom does not grow.

Studies show that Cordyceps' favorite habitat is the high mountains in China. In this case, the height above sea level should be from 3500 meters. For about two years, the embryo lives underground, due to which it manages to accumulate an abundant amount of nutrients, juices and other useful components.

It is quite rare to find fresh cordyceps, since special dietary supplements are mainly made from it, which are supplied to us.

But if it so happened that you managed to find a natural mushroom somewhere, then it must be dried, crushed and turned into powder. It is in this form that it should be taken, simply with a glass of water.

There are some key features specific to Cordyceps. First of all, they concern ways to distinguish a true beneficial parasitic fungus from fakes. Plus some other details.

• We are dealing with a traveling fungus that abuses the body of insects.
• Until now, some are actively arguing about whether to attribute this fungus to fauna or flora.
• After the death of the insect, the fungus takes root, clings to the herbs growing nearby, feeds on their substances, vitamins.
• The peculiarity of reproduction provoked an unusual appearance, which consists of two parts. The first is an insect, and the second is a smooth sprout.
• Caterpillars in which cordyceps grows are also used to make medicines.
• It is believed that the size of the mushroom directly affects the quality and quantity of useful properties in it. The largest instances are the most useful.
• The rarity of the fungus is due to the difficult conditions in which it develops - high altitude, lack of oxygen, low temperature.
• The price of this mushroom is huge. In some cases, a cost of 400 thousand of it per kilogram was assigned.
• After scientists were able to identify the true huge benefits of cordyceps, they began to grow it artificially. It is noteworthy that at the same time the mushroom has not lost its beneficial properties.
• The mushroom has a pleasant aroma and sweetish taste.

To date, we sell cordyceps mainly as a dietary supplement, which means you need to look for it in pharmacies. A healing composition is made from the fungus and distributed into capsules.

It is not recommended to buy a mushroom from the hands. The fact is that under such circumstances there is a great risk of paying for a fake. In addition, there are many poisonous species of cordyceps that sellers pass off as medicinal. As you understand, it is not worth buying such a product.

The exact nutritional value and calorie content of the mushroom in its raw form is unknown. But preparations derived from it have the following data per 100 grams of product:

Of course, the healing properties found in cordyceps are due to its rich chemical composition. Among the most important substances for the human body are the following:

• Vitamin C, B vitamins, Vitamin D, Vitamin PP, Vitamin E, Vitamin K;
• Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats;
• Amino acids;
• Antioxidants;
• Coenzymes, Enzymes;
• Calcium, Potassium;
• Iron, Phosphorus;
• Magnesium, Manganese;
• Selenium, Zinc, Boron;
• Antibiotic and more.

In terms of beneficial effects, cordyceps is one of the best mushrooms in the world. We highlight the most important of them from the point of view of human health.

• Detrimental effect on pathogenic organisms;
• Destroys viruses and viral infections (flu, herpes, AIDS);
• Has bactericidal properties;
• Relieves inflammation;
• Removes toxins;
• Provides antioxidants;
• Fights allergic reactions;
• Improves the tone of muscle tissue;
• Restores after operations, long-term illnesses;
• Helps to restore strength after mental and physical labor;
• Removes heavy metals, toxins, radionuclides;
• Positive effect on the heart and blood vessels;
• Normalizes cholesterol levels;
• Expands blood vessels and improves blood flow, stimulates the brain;
• Helps improve metabolism;
• Helps with male infertility, allows you to restore potency;
• Dissolves blood clots, prevents the formation of new ones;
• Fights bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma, promotes expectoration;
• Dissolves kidney stones;
• Stimulates the work of the bone marrow;
• Has a positive effect on the skin, hair, nails;
• Serves for the benefit in the treatment of eye diseases;
• Used in the treatment of cancer;
• It has a general strengthening effect, strengthens the body and improves immunity;
• Fights depression, insomnia, nervous system disorders and so on.

In fact, this is not a complete list of useful properties. It is worth noting that among medicinal mushrooms it is not only one of the best, but also the most expensive. In many ways, it was the abundance of useful qualities and inaccessibility for most people that led to the fact that the mushroom began to be grown artificially. Most importantly, when cultivated, Cordyceps did not lose the same properties as when growing in the wild in the mountains of Tibet.

You can learn more about cordyceps in the following video.

As such, cordyceps does not carry any harm. This is if we talk about medicinal varieties. The most important thing is not to confuse it with fakes, as well as dangerous species.

As for therapeutic cordyceps, its contraindications can be expressed as follows:

• It is not recommended to take pregnant women, as well as mothers during breastfeeding;
• Children under 12 should also not be given this mushroom;
• The properties of cordyceps have not been fully studied, in this regard, doctors do not advise taking it along with anticoagulants;
• For the same reason, do not use the mushroom at the same time as drugs whose action is aimed at dilating the bronchi.

If you decide to use a drug based on cordyceps, you must first understand the features of its use.

First of all, it is a completely safe and non-toxic drug. So you should not be afraid of an overdose.

For prevention, two courses are taken during the year for 30 days. For treatment, the course lasts 90-120 days.

There are two main prescriptions for taking the drug.

• 0.5 grams of mushroom powder pour 200 ml of water. Insist 8 hours. It is necessary to drink before meals 3 times a day for a third of a glass. Stir the mixture before drinking.
• 0.5 grams of the drug pour 30 ml of water. It is necessary to drink an hour before breakfast.

Unlike some other varieties of expensive medicinal mushrooms, there is no secret to growing cordyceps. However, this is not as easy as it seems at first glance.

It is no secret that cordyceps, being a fungus, reproduces with the help of spores. He throws them out in the warm season, and the spores are carried over a vast territory due to the wind.

Caterpillars, butterflies, or various larvae act as a nutrient medium. When spores fall on them, the process of germination into the body begins. Over time, the body dies, but the fungus continues to grow, lets out roots. By isolating a special antibiotic into the carrier, caterpillars or larvae do not die from exposure to microorganisms.

Now let's look at how such an unusual mushroom is grown.

The Chinese began to make the first attempts at laboratory cultivation of cordyceps as early as 1950. The artificial method is the only alternative, since the growth area of ​​this fungus is too inaccessible, it is extremely difficult to get there. In addition, in the wild, a person cannot get as many mushrooms as he needs.

In laboratories, caterpillars or larvae are not used. Instead, specially prepared substances act as a nutrient medium.

Production at an industrial level is now established in many countries of the world. The most successful in this component were in China, the USA, Latin America and especially in Nepal.

Now humanity can get as many cordyceps mushrooms as it needs. Every year the demand for this product increases, as more and more people discover the beneficial properties of this plant. Farmed cordyceps are a much cheaper alternative to wild cordyceps. And in terms of quality, they are not inferior to each other.

This technique involves growing with two separate strains. Mushrooms are placed in a medium that is enriched with rattlesnake venom. Two types of cordyceps are crossed, they exchange genetic data and create a new hybrid strain, which is distinguished by high biological activity and value in terms of pharmacology.

Here we are talking about growing mycelium. Requires a temperature of about 22 degrees Celsius, diffused lighting and 30 days. After that, the mushroom is placed in a completely dark place, the temperature is raised to 30 degrees, and the oxygen concentration is reduced to 50 percent. Under these conditions, the fungus lives for about 5 months.

For production in industrial volumes, cordyceps spores must be placed in sterile special substrates and conditions should be created that maximally repeat the natural habitat of the fungus. The composition of the substrate includes sorghum grains, vegetable oils, mineral-based additives, millet. After a certain time, about 96 percent of the entire substrate is replaced by mycelium.

It is possible that you can grow cordyceps in your garden. To do this, you will need a shaded area, or a box with soil and a small room, a basement. Seeds, that is, mycelium, can be purchased in stores or even online.

Take equal parts of soil from the garden and humus, mix them and make a layer of about 15 centimeters. Sow 100 grams of mycelium there, place 5 kilograms of larvae on top. Those that are offered for catching fish in the respective stores are also suitable. Now cover the larvae with a 2 cm layer of earth.

Harvest can appear after 120 days. Many factors can affect yield. Nevertheless, as practice shows, from 4 to as much as 20 kilograms of product grows on one square meter.

To grow it at home, packs of substrates sold in stores will serve you well. Mushroom seeds are already added to them. Growing cordyceps using such a substrate is necessary inside the containers in which it is sold.

Specialists managed to grow new types of Cordyceps by crossing different species. Due to this, mushrooms were obtained, which have the greatest value from the point of view of medicine.

The cell nuclei of fungi are fused by exposure to rattlesnake venom.The exchange of genetic data begins, a new species is created, the amount of cordycepin in which is much greater than in the wild mushroom. In addition, the bred hybrids reproduce better.

However, strict measures are now being taken to identify fakes, check the quality of supplied mushrooms and prevent counterfeit goods from entering the shelves.

Chinese folk medicine uses cordyceps as a rejuvenating drug, and also recommends it as an aphrodisiac.

This mushroom is present in some Chinese dishes, and together with the larva in which it grew.

Wild mushroom is incredibly expensive. Because of him, the civil war in Nepal largely began. The local Maoists fought against the government and wanted to take control of the lucrative exports during the harvest season (which starts in June and ends in July).

Harvesting cordyceps in Nepal was made legal only in 2001.

Nepal has the largest harvest of Cordyceps, ahead of China, Korea, Japan and Thailand.

For the last 20 years, Cordyceps has become more and more expensive every year. Already in 2007, the lowest-grade cordyceps were asked for 3 thousand dollars, and the best cost from 15 thousand dollars. Today, prices reach up to 50 thousand dollars for some types.

The popularity of the mushroom came in the early 90s of the twentieth century. This happened after two athletes from China set several world records in long-distance running at once.According to some reports, their trainer recommended the use of cordyceps, since the fungus has positive properties for athletes. It is not classified as doping, just like Siberian ginseng. The Olympic Commission allows its use.

According to studies, artificially grown cordyceps have similar beneficial properties to wild mushrooms. Plus, the laboratory mushroom is more viable.