What Are Cordyceps?




Cordycep is a fungus or mushroom which gets into a caterpillar and sprouts in a fruit shape from the ground right from the body of the caterpillar. It comes in the family of mushroom. It is also believed that they can attack the insects and make them do what they like.
Very few people know that the delicious mushroom dishes we eat are the outcome of some dead insects. The farmer who works in the field knows this fact. Because, while digging the field they come across these caterpillars who live inside the earth. These caterpillars are eco friendly as the holes they make below the field make it fertile. The fungus attacks such caterpillar and after sometime the mushroom sprouts out of the body of the caterpillar. If you go to village area and see the first rain, some flying ants come out of the ground in so many numbers. Next day if you go to see the ground small size mushrooms are sprouted out of the body of the flying ants. So cordycep is also from the same family. But it is used as traditional medicine in Asian countries, especially in China and Japan. Further, cordycep is very difficult to farm like the button mushroom we eat.
It is said that cordycep has the medicinal value to increase our immune system. There is also a saying that the Japanese and Chinese have very long life because they know this secret. Cordycep has come in the market also as some companies have started to manufacture them in bulk in artificial condition. But, it is always advisable to go to a reputed company as all dried mushroom look alike. It is said that the pure cordyceps sold by the reputed Chinese herbal specialist is very costly. So, in spite of its tempting advantages we should not take it without authorized doctor`s advice.