Cordyceps sinensis
(Berkeley) Saccardo
Caterpillar fungus, Winter worm summer-herb
ClavicipitaceaeMushrooms
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) akerwin70, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) akerwin70, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) soraj25, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) soraj25, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) bronn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) bronn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fungus, Mushroom
The fungus is cooked with duck, chicken, pork, and fish in soups and stews where it enhances flavour, and is also used in herbal mixtures.
Where to Find It
It occurs in the Himalayan grassland above 3353 m altitude.
Asia, China, Himalayas, India, Nepal,
Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
How to Identify
A fungus that parasitizes insect larvae in high-altitude Himalayan grasslands above 3,353 m, producing fruiting bodies that grow on the larval carcass.
How to Grow
Spores are spread onto a suitable host.
Production
It has to be harvested by trained experts.
Notes
There are about 100 Cordyceps species.
Names & Synonyms
Chongcao, Dong chong cao, Yarsagumba
Anamorph - Hirsutella sinensis
References (9)
- Boa, E. R., 2004, Wild edible fungi and their importance to people. FAO Non Wood Forest Products Booklet 17
- Brown, D., 2002, The Royal Horticultural Society encyclopedia of Herbs and their uses. DK Books. p 179
- Devkota, S., 2008, Distribution and Status of Highland mushrooms: A study from Dolpa, Nepal. J.Nat.Hist.Mus.Vol.23,2008, 51-59
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 251
- Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 262
- Kozarski, M., et al, 2015, Antioxidants in Edible Mushrooms. Molecules 20, 19489-19525
- Kunshan, Shi, Non-wood forest products in Asia. FAO Corporate Document Repository
- Leung, P., et al, 2009, Chemical properties and antioxidant activity of exopolysaccharides from mycelial culture of Cordyceps sinensis fungus Cs-HK1. Food Chemistry 114: 1251-1256
- Semwal, K. C., et al, 2014, Edible mushrooms of the Northwestern Himalaya, India: a study of indigenous knowledge, distribution and diversity. Mycosphere 5(3): 440–461
