Cordyceps

Cordyceps sinensis

The name cordyceps in Chinese literally means "winter bug summer herb." It is an antlered fungus that grows in insect larvae, usually before the insect's cocoon is formed. The short, sticklike fungus has a fat, full, round, yellow-white cross section. It is gathered in the early summer. Although this fungus is found throughout Japan and in China, as well as on the Atlantic seaboard of the United States, it is very difficult to collect from the wild and so is usually grown in laboratories in tissue cultures.

Medicinal mushroom expert Christopher Hobbs writes that in ancient China, cordyceps was used exclusively in the Emperor's palace because it was very scarce. It was prepared by stuffing it into the stomach of a duck, and then slowly roasting the duck over a low flame. Then the cordyceps was removed, and the duck was eaten for eight to ten days.

Other names

• Dong Chong Xia Cao

Uses

Cordyceps relieves conditions that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) associates with the kidneys, including high cholesterol and ringing in the ears. The herb is an aphrodisiac that has been used as a cure for impotence. It has also been used in cancer treatment. Cordyceps strengthens the immune system of people who have undergone radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or surgery, and helps to strengthen people who have had long-term illnesses or suffer from exhaustion. Cordyceps is known to boost energy levels and increase endurance in athletes.

Benefits of cordyceps for specific health conditions include the following:

• Cancer. Cordyceps delays the diffusion of cancer cells and is able to control the division of cancer cells. It also increases the ability of the immune system's T cells and macrophages to engulf and destroy invaders. It therefore may aid in the fight against cancer.
• High cholesterol. Cordyceps increases the heart's strength while slowing the pulse, and it raises high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good") cholesterol levels while lowering total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels. Cordyceps stops the formation of cholesterol plaques by stimulating the activity of macrophages that otherwise might become "sluggish" and lodge in the artery wall, becoming a platform on which cholesterol can accumulate.
• Tinnitus. Cordyceps helps people with tinnitus caused by fluid accumulation in the inner ear. It is not helpful for tinnitus accompanied by a long history of auditory nerve disorder, however.

Considerations

Cordyceps is available in tablets and tinctures. You should not use it if you have a hormone-sensitive disorder such as breast cancer (for women) or prostate cancer (for men). Most manufacturers of cordyceps products also caution that the fungus should be used by adults only, and that people who use anticoagulant drugs, asthma inhalers, or immunosuppressant drugs for lupus, myasthenia gravis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or Sjögren's syndrome should consult a health-care provider before using the herb.

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