Cordyceps sinensis is a very original fungus that "starts" its life on a host, most often the larvae of butterflies and moths. Spores released from the fruiting body attach to the larva/larval pupa, which burrows into the ground for the winter to complete its life cycle. However, this is thwarted by the germinating spores of the fungus, which penetrate the interior and form a mycelium, the mycelium, which gradually fills the entire pupa, consuming the larva and using it as a food source. Then in spring, they burst through the pupa and the ground to the surface. The brood above ground is dark brown to black in colour, resembling a 'stick' in shape, while the part underground, in the remaining pupa, is beige to light brown. The name Cordyceps comes from the Latin words cord and ceps, these are the canes and head, thus fully describing its form.

Cordyceps grows at high altitudes, i.e. higher than about 3500 metres above sea level. Its home is the plateaus of the Himalayas, which are part of Tibet, Nepal and China. The mushroom can be collected from April to August. It is collected whole, including the underground part associated with the insect. Cordyceps is an edible mushroom, traditionally added to various dishes, meats and soups. But due to its scarcity and high price, it is no longer used in the kitchen.

In addition, the life cycle of Cordyceps requires certain specifics in order for the mushroom to mature. It is therefore not easy to grow Cordyceps commercially on a large scale, even though the demand is huge. When cultured artificially, it often develops a unicellular anomorphic growth stage. A stressor is also required to move it to the next growth stage. In nature, for example, temperature changes. In the laboratory, it is difficult to simulate the conditions in which Cordyceps grows. It is therefore grown as anomorphic stages that can give rise to pure fungal mycelia. The final mycelial product is identical to that of wild Cordyceps and is referred to as Cordyceps CS-4.

Knowledge that Cordyceps has some effects dates back to about 1500 years ago, when Nepalese yak herders noticed that if their animals also fed on Cordyceps, they were more alive, more fertile, healthier.

About 1000 years later, the imperial physician of the Quing dynasty became more interested in Cordyceps and used it as a powerful aphrodisiac.

The first mention of the use of Cordyceps dates from around 101 BC. The records are not attributed to anyone, i.e. they are anonymous, and are found in the Sheng Nung Bon Cas Chien "herbarium". Other written records describing Cordyceps date mainly from 620 AD, which is the reign of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). Here, Cordyceps is described as a precious raw material, with magical powers, undergoing an amazing transformation from animal to plant in summer and changing back to animal for the winter. More recently, in 1757, Cordyceps was described in Chinese texts in a more "scientific" way, by Wu-Yiluo in Ben Cao Congxin (New Compilation of Materia Medica).

In Tibet, the first person to describe Cordyceps, whether Yartsa gunbu, was probably the Tibetan physician Zurkhar Nyamnyi Dorje (1439-1475). The references come from the treatise "An Ocean of Aphrodisiacal Qualities". According to Phuntsho Namgyel, knowledge of Cordyceps is important in Bhutan.

Traditional Scythian healers also used Cordyceps. Both men and women used to take one piece of Cordyceps with a cup of milk. In Bhutan, a piece of Cordyceps was served with local alcohol. The people of North Sikkim report that their ancestors used Cordyceps before the Chogel period, between 1200-1600 BC.

The "Western" world became interested in Cordyceps in the 18th century. The first published texts come from the pen of the Perennin priest Jean Baptiste du Halde. The latter recounted his experiences with the Himalayan aphrodisiac, which he received during a visit to the Chinese court where he was staying. In 1726, he presented the sponge at a symposium in Paris. Soon after the presentation in France, the scientific community began to pay more attention to the mushroom. In 1843, an article was published by the Rev. Dr. M. J. Berkeley, who described the connection between the fungus and the insect's pupae, its "roots." Cordyceps was named Shaeria sinensis and was renamed Cordyceps in 1878. The name was given to it by Pier Andrea Saccardo, who was a professor at the University of Illinois. The mushroom began to be imported to the United States in large quantities in the mid-nineteenth century. It was started by the Lloyd Brothers of Cincinnati Ohio.

The great boom and demand for Cordyceps occurred in the 1970s. Even the price of Cordyceps skyrocketed and is more expensive than gold. Efforts are being made to grow it artificially, but they are still not succeeding. The price of a wild Cordyceps is around 100 USD for 4 pieces, while 1 piece of the mushroom weighs only 0.5 grams.

Why is Cordyceps so sought after?

What makesCordyceps Cordyceps is its exceptional composition, which we will now take a look at.

Nucleosides and nucleobases

An interesting component of Cordyceps is undoubtedly nucleosides. The most famous and quite unique is cordycepin. Furthermore, Cordyceps contains more than 10 other nucleosides and their compounds, namely adenine, adenosine, inosine, cytidine, cytosine, guanine, uridine, thymidine, uracil, hypoxanthine, guanosine. Nucleosides play a major role in the body, they are part of the genetic information, i.e. DNA, they can influence many processes in the body.

Cordycepin (higher concentration is in C. militaris) was discovered around 1950. It is a 3-deoxyadenosine. It is therefore an analogue of adenosine. Like other nucleosides, cordycepin has many biological effects (see our articles for more).

Nucleobases include cytosine, uracil, thymine, adenine, guanine and hypoxanthine. These are purine and pyrimidine bases that make up genetic information, i.e. they are part of DNA, RNA.

Nucleotides, which are phosphorylated nucleosides linked to a sugar moiety (ribose, deoxyribose), are also another important component. These include e.g. AMP (adenosine 5 monophosphate), UMP (uridine 5 monophosphate), GMP (guanosine 5 monophosphate).

Sterols

Sterols are natural compounds that have a sterol core. This includes steroid hormones or cholesterol and also substances contained in Cordyceps. The most abundant sterol in Cordyceps is ergosterol and other substances i.e. phytosterols. These include ^{Δ3ergosterol}, ergosterol peroxide, ceraterol, β-sitosterol, daucosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, H1-A. It is clear from the very nature of the compounds that they have many biolgical effects. Ergosterol is actually a provitamin D, it is converted to vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) by UV irradiation. Vitamin D is very important for human health, both for bone health and immunity.

Protein

Since mushrooms are not typical representatives of the plant kingdom, they have a higher protein content than any other plant. Complex proteins, enzymes and nucleic acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, can be found in Cordyceps.

Some of the enzymes found in Cordyceps include DNases, as the name suggests, these enzymes cleave DNA molecules, the carriers of genetic information. The enzymes work in a lower pH environment. They can be divided into two groups, DNase I and DNase II. They hydrolyse DNA.

Other important enzymes are serine proteinases, which have fibrinolytic activity. They can break down blood clots (thrombi) and also break down serum albumin. Like DNases, serine proteinases are released outside the fungal cells into the environment.

The body is able to synthesize a large proportion of the amino acids itself, but some must be supplied by diet. Cordyceps contains a wide variety of amino acids, including those that are not synthesized in the body.

Typical proteins for Cordyceps are cordymin, cordycedipeptide A, which is a cyclic peptide, cordyceamides A and B, and myriocin, which is also known as an antibiotic.

Fats and fatty acids

Cordyceps like other mushrooms are unique in that they contain protein and also fats and fatty acids. These are found in the plant mainly in the kernels, seeds, etc.

According to studies, there are 28 fatty acids in Cordyceps , a large proportion of which are also polyunsaturated fatty acids, which can also be referred to as PUFAs, which are also recommended for inclusion in the diet by doctors.

Abundantly represented are e.g. palmitoleic, palmitic, lauric, cristic, stearic, pentadecyl and other acids.

Polysaccharides and other sugar components

When one says mushroom and its composition, polysaccharides are the first thing people think of. And for good reason, as they make up a large part of the mushroom. They make up 3-5% of the total weight of the mushroom, and if you consider that about 90% is water, polysaccharides are indeed the majority component.

The polysaccharides of Cordyceps are divided into exopolysaccharides, these are complex sugars that are released by the fungus outside the cells, into the environment. They are therefore extracellular carbohydrates. These include, for example, the polysaccharide referred to as EPS-1A, a branched polysaccharide - (1 → 6)-α-d-glucose and (1 → 6)-α-d-mannose.

Others are intracellular, i.e. those that are part of the cell, e.g. cell wall, etc.

The most well-known polysaccharides of Cordyceps are certainly the beta-glucans, which have been much discussed in recent years in connection with the immune system. Both beta-glucans and, in smaller amounts, alpha-glucans - 1,3-β-D-glucans, 1,3-α-D-glucans and 1,4-α-D-glucans - are found in Cordyceps. The molecular weight of glucans varies between 7.7-1180 kDa. According to their molecular weight and branching ratio also determine the effects of beta-glucans.

Other polysaccharides:

• Acid polysaccharides contain mannose, glucose and galactose in ratios of 3.3:2.3:1. Their effects are similar to those of beta glucans.
• The water-soluble polysaccharides CPS-1 are contained in the mycelia of Cordyceps. It is a glucomanogalactan with monosaccharide residues that are glucose, mannose and galactose. A similar polysaccharide is CPS-2.
• Cordyceps also contains neutral mannoglucans with glucosyl residues.
• Cordysinosans have been extracted from mycelia.

Monosaccharides are also present in Cordyceps, mainly rhamnose, ribose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, galactose, mannitol, fructose and sorbose.

Other components of Cordyceps

When listing the ingredients of Cordyceps, it is impossible to forget the vitamins and minerals.

Among the minerals we can mention sodium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, selenium, magnesium and many others. Vitamins in Cordyceps are vitamin D, K and E and B vitamins.

We can't leave out other interesting ingredients that are less represented in the mushrooms but add to their overall effectiveness.

These are minerals, trace elements and, of course, vitamins. The minerals in Cordyceps include potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc and selenium. Cordyceps contains vitamins D, E and K, as well as B vitamins and, in smaller amounts, vitamin C.

Cordyceps also contains melanin, which is a brown pigment that is also found in the skin. It is known to be a powerful antioxidant and therefore protective.

We have already mentioned mannitol among the carbohydrates, but we will mention it here as well, it is also referred to as cordycepic acid.

Less known action of Cordyceps

From the richness of the composition of Cordyceps it is clear that it will have a large number of effects that can affect the human condition, you can read about them in publicly available sources on the internet. For example at www.cinskyherbar.cz.

Here we list other possible uses of Cordyceps. Because it also contains enzymes, it can be used to degrade, i.e. break down, toxic substances that are introduced into nature by human action and are dangerous to humans. These include dioxins and their compounds. It can also degrade the insecticide dieldrin.

Furthermore, Cordyceps is able to promote the growth of bifidobacteria, which are part of the intestinal microflora and are beneficial to humans. They are present in many products, including dairy products.