What is Cordyceps
Cordyceps, in a broad sense, refers to all kinds of mushrooms that parasitize insects, and about 300 to 400 species have been discovered around the world. Representative insects that Cordyceps parasites are bees, ants, dragonflies, butterflies, cicadas, stink bugs, beetles, flies, and spiders. These insects are invaded in the state of eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults.
Mushrooms produced by insects infected with Cordyceps have various beautiful colors such as red, yellow, purple, green, black, white, orange, and olive. They are very difficult to spot because of their very small size and difficult habitat. They are usually found in natural areas with clean air, high humidity, and moderately shaded trees.
Cordyceps is an insect parasitic medicinal mushroom that stays in the insect’s body in winter and appears like grass in summer. Insects infected with Cordyceps fungus do not rot even if they die until mushrooms appear, and the characteristic feature is that they retain their ‘mummy’-like shape.
In the West, ‘Cordyceps ‘ is called ‘vegetable wasps and plant worms’ and ‘winter worm summer grass’, and in China it is denoted as ‘Chungcho’. In Tibet, it is called ‘Asagunba’ and in Nepal it is called ‘Gadavira’.
Cordyceps contains 8.4% fat, 25.3% protein, 28.9% carbohydrates, 18.5% crude fiber, 4.1% ash, and a component called cordycepin. It inhibits the growth of streptococci and anthrax, hemorrhagic septic and staphylococcus in pigs. Cordyceps is good for the bronchi and increases the adrenergic action. It helps kidney function, strengthens energy, is effective for coughing and phlegm, and is also effective for anemia, keratinocytes, cold sweat, erectile dysfunction caused by low energy, and lower back and knee joints. It is also used as an antidote to drug addiction and shortens the recovery time when stamina is consumed. Physiologically active ingredients such as militarin of Cordyceps are known to be effective in anti-cancer, immune enhancement, and anti-fatigue effects.
In China, ginseng and deer antlers were treated as one of the three major herbal medicines, and Chinese political leader Deng Xiaoping said that he enjoyed eating it as a health food in his daily life. In 『Natural Medicine Dictionary』, it is recorded that “Cordyceps herb is sweet and mild, helps kidney function, strengthens the lungs, and is effective in tonicity, energy enhancement, sedation, and anemia.”
In China, only cordyceps, which parasitizes the larvae of living bat moths, is recognized as a medicinal product. This natural bat moth caterpillar Cordyceps sinensis is a rare and precious medicinal product that is only harvested in the alpine areas of 4,000m above sea level, such as Tibet, Nepal, Himalayas, Sichuan, Cheonghae, and Guizhou in China.
Japan and China are the countries where most recent animal experiments and clinical research on Cordyceps are being conducted, but they are also being actively studied in Korea, Taiwan, the United States, and Europe. Recent studies have shown that it has anti-cancer, immune enhancement, anti-fatigue, and anti-aging effects. Research results published in Japan and the United States also report anti-cancer effects, immune enhancement, suppression of immune response after kidney transplantation, and blood sugar lowering effects.
Core Ingredients and Efficacy of Cordyceps
- Cordycepin : Natural antibiotics, immune enhancing substances
- Cordycepic poly saecharides : Immunity enhancement, cancer cell suppression function, anti-aging
- Cordycepic acid (Manitol) : Helps with cerebral thrombosis symptoms as a vasodilator.
- Super oxide dismutase : Contains a large amount of SOD, a substance that prevents aging, cancer, and adult diseases caused by free radicals.
- 8 essential amino acids
- Vitamin A and 4 other types
What is the benefits of Cordyceps
Boost immunity
About 45% of beta-glucan contained in Cordyceps has an immune-modulating function by strengthening the immune system. In addition, it contains esterol and mannitol, which protects our body from external bacteria and viruses and is effective in enhancing immunity. Therefore, it helps to prevent various diseases and improves physical strength, so it is said to be good for colds, asthma, chronic cough, and pulmonary tuberculosis. It also helps people who are physically active or mentally active to recover quickly from fatigue.
According to the study, 100 adult men and women who suffered upper respiratory tract infections such as colds at least twice a year were divided into a control group fed with a placebo and an experimental group fed with Cordyceps extract. In the group that ate the cordyceps extract, it was found that natural killer cells, which are innate immune cells, were activated, and the level of immunoglobulin A, an acquired immune substance, was higher than that of the control group.
It contains cordycepin, one of the anticancer components, so it is good for lung cancer and liver cancer
Cordyceps is rich in antioxidants called militarin, and it has a strong anticancer effect by inhibiting the development and growth of cancer cells and preventing proliferation. It also significantly strengthens the immune function and increases the organism’s resistance to bacterial and viral infections. In fact, according to the study results, the tumor suppression rate of Cordyceps reached 83%.
Fatigue recovery
It is known to improve mitochondrial energy, increase the body’s cold tolerance and reduce fatigue.
Pernicious anemia Vitamin B12 ingredients are rich, so it is said to be good for anemia.
Liver health
Cordyceps sinensis contains large amounts of ergosterol, polysaccharides, and mannitol, so it is said to be effective for liver health. Therefore, if people who drink often consume cordyceps regularly, they can prevent damage to the liver, restore liver function, and prevent various liver diseases such as hepatitis and liver cancer.
Vascular health
It contains a large amount of potassium, so it is said to be effective in preventing high blood pressure as well as vascular health by discharging sodium from the body out of the body. In addition, more than 80% of the fat contained in cordyceps is unsaturated fatty acid, which lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood, purifies the blood and helps smooth blood circulation, which is good for preventing vascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis and myocardial infarction.
Kidney Health
It is rich in D-mantinol, which is said to be effective in strengthening kidney function because it draws in water and aids diuretic action. In addition, it is said to help in the elimination of toxins by accelerating biological reactions. Cordyceps also contains an antibiotic called cordycepin and a polysaccharide, which can help smokers by helping to detoxify toxic substances such as nicotine.
Reduce stress
It contains melatonin, which is effective in relieving stress. By supplementing melatonin through intake of cordyceps sinensis, it helps the body clock to work normally, so that you get good quality sleep and help reduce stress. In addition, it has been reported that it acts on the adrenaline and dopaminergic nerves, which are brain neurotransmitters, to exhibit antidepressant effects, so antistress and antidepressant effects can be expected with the efficacy of cordyceps.
What is the Cordycepin
The core of cordycepin’s medicinal properties is a nucleic acid-like substance that is both an antibiotic and an immune enhancer. It is called an anti-immune substance with excellent cytotoxicity due to its excellent growth inhibitory action against harmful bacteria in the intestines. The structure of cordycepin is a nucleic acid substance, which activates the reduced immune function while being involved in the genetic information of cells.
It is known to have the effect of preventing normal cells from mutating into cancer cells. In particular, it has a positive effect on all human body systems, such as the role of enhancing immune function and suppressing cancer.
Cordycepin has been shown to be helpful in improving inflammation in atopic dermatitis. It is also attracting attention as a raw material for various therapeutic agents. In addition to this, studies on a wide variety of effects are being announced.
How to take Cordyceps
Drink as tea
The easiest way to eat it is to boil it as a tea. Cut cordyceps in half and boil them with 2 liters of water for about 30 minutes. At this time, if stored at room temperature, it may go bad, so please keep it in the refrigerator.
Alternatively, put 20g of Cordyceps sinensis powder in 3-4L of water and boil for 4-5 hours. It is best not to exceed 20 g per day when taking powder.
Eat raw
If you cut off the upper part of the cordyceps oat broth and eat it raw, you will get a crunchy, soft and savory taste. It tastes better than you think. Eating it raw is said to be the most effective.
Eat with chicken soup
To consume it as a food, it goes well with chicken, so at the finishing stage of chicken soup, you can tear raw cordyceps and put it on top, or put it together and boil it. Please note that if you add cordyceps and boil it at this time, the color of the broth will turn yellow.
Grind and consume
You can easily consume it by grinding it with yogurt or fruit and making juice. The color is beautiful and the taste is good. Cordyceps sinensis is not a mushroom with a strong taste, so if you have detox juice or juice that you usually drink, it is very good to grind it and add it.
Drink as alcohol
For those who like alcohol, put 1 barrel of raw vinegar and 1.8 liters of pure distilled spirit in a glass bottle and let it mature for about 30 days before drinking.
Grill and eat while grilling meat.
When you grill and eat meat, you grill and eat bean sprouts or mushrooms. Just like that, you can put cordyceps on a pan, grill and eat it with meat.
Side Effects
First of all, it is not suitable for those who have a lot of body heat. Also, not suitable for those who have respiratory diseases such as the common cold. And it is good for the lungs, but ironically, there are opinions that it is not good for those who already have lung disease.
Lastly, I think it would be better not to consume it for children and pregnant women. First of all, immunity is slightly lower than that of healthy adult men, and it is difficult to cope with abnormal reactions in the body, so children and pregnant women should avoid it.
Do not use in the following cases
If there is a rash on the skin and flesh of arms and legs, such as cold, numbness, and heavy symptoms
In case of hemoptysis (spitting out blood or sputum mixed with blood) due to lung fever
Refrain from taking it if you have a lot of fever in your body or if you have a fever. Symptoms such as fever, chest tightness, heart palpitations, and insomnia may occur. If such a person wants to consume cordyceps on a regular basis, it is recommended to drink barley tea, green tea, gardenia tea, ginseng tea, yellow white tea, etc. to cool the body.
Excessive intake may cause side effects such as headaches and stomach upset, so it is recommended to gradually increase the intake if possible.
If you eat cordyceps with radish, the ingredients are neutralized, so it is not good to eat with radish.
When decocting cordyceps, it is better to avoid iron containers and use a water heater or a glass container.
How to Pick Good Mushroom
- Mushrooms are clean and free of foreign substances
- Dark mushroom color
- Bright and unstained biofilm on the medium (mushroom base)
- Good fruiting body and unbroken mushroom
- The brighter the color, the longer the storage period or the poorer the storage condition.
How to store cordyceps
It is recommended to consume it as soon as possible, but if you remove the mushroom part from the medium and put it in a zipper bag and refrigerate it, it can be stored for about a month.
How to care for Cordyceps sinensis
Place on a sieve and wash gently with running water. Recently, after drying, it is made into powder and used in various dishes. At that time, check the manufacturing date and expiration date.
