Resources for Mushroom Growers
Cordyceps Cultivation
Cordycep sinensis or as renamed Ophiocordyceps sinensis or commonly caterpillar fungus or Dong Chong Xia Cao, is a mushroom that grows as a parasite from larvae of the Thitarodes moth (ghost moth). There are many other potentental host species. In nature the moth larvae embed themselves in prairie soils in China, Tibet, India Bhutan and Nepal at elevations from 11,000 to 16,000 feet. The fungus attacks the larva and fruits out of its head. The trick has been getting this mushroom to grow under controlled conditions.
Researchers have produced Ophiocordyceps mycelia in liquid culture and produced fruiting bodies for many years. They have shown that the constituents of the cultivated fungus match those of the wild fungus. These researchers continue to improve their processes with the aim of achieving economic commercial production.
- Kai Yue, Meng Ye, Xiao Lin, and Zuji Zhou of Sichuan Agricultural University: The Artificial Cultivation of Medicinal Caterpillar Fungus, Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Ascomycetes): A Review. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 2013.
- Bikash Baral and Jyoti Maharjan of Nepal Acedemy of Science and Technology: In-vitroculture of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Yarsagumba) and their associated endophytic fungi of Nepal Himalaya. Scientific World 2012.
Health Information
- Ashok Kumar Panda and Kailash Chandra Swain: Traditional uses and medicinal potential of Cordyceps sinensis of Sikkim. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine 2011.
- Ningqun Wang, Jie Li, Xiaobo Huang, Wenqiang Chen, and Yujing Chen: Herbal Medicine Cordyceps sinensis Improves Health-Related Quality of Life in Moderate-to-Severe Asthma. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2016.
- Katie R. Hirsch, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, Erica J. Roelofs, Eric T. Trexler, and Meredith G. Mock: Cordyceps militaris improves tolerance to high intensity exercise after acute and chronic supplementation. Journal of Dietary Supplements 2016.
- Yaolei Li, Yue Liu, Xiao Han, Hongyu Jin and Shuangcheng Ma: Arsenic Species in Cordyceps sinensis and Its Potential Health Risks. Frontiers of Pharmacology 2019.
