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Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc.
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English Name |
Chinese Caterpillar Fungus, |
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Latin name |
Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc. |
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Family & Genus |
Clavicipitaceae, Cordyceps |
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Description |
Stromas of asomycete from head of larvae hosts, solitary, rarely 2-3 from the head, slender or cylindrical, 4-11cm long; base 3-8cm long, diameter of 1.5-4mm, tapering upward; upper part is the head of stroma, slightly swollen, cylindrical, 1.5-4cm long, 2.5-6mm in diameter, brown, internally well filled up at the top, hollow towards the end. Except small part at tip, with densely numerous perithecium; most of perithecia fall into stroma, only tip protrudes outward, oval or elliptic, 250-500 microns long, 80-200 microns in diameter, each perithecia with numerous linear, strip-like ascus; each ascus with 1-3 ascospores(with a few more than 4); ascospores slender, with multiple trabecula that continuously undergo fragmentation. |
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Distribution |
Growing in the bodies of larvae of Hepialidae insects, commonly on mountains at altitude 4,000m, especially prevalent in alpine meadows of accumulated snow and good drainage. Can be cultivated. Distributed in Gansu, Sichuan, Qinghai, Hubei, Tibet, Yunnan and other provinces. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan and other provinces. |
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Part Used |
Medical parts: parasitic stroma of Hepialidae insect larvae and larvae body complex. Chinese name: Dongchongxiacao. |
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Harvest & Processing |
Harvested in early summer when stroma emerging from soil and spores not divergent. Dried in the sun until 60-70% dried, removed impurities and fibrous-like attachments, sun-dried or dried under low-temperature. |
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Chemistry |
Contains cordycepic acid (1, 3, 4, 5-tetrahydroxy-cyclohexyl acid) of about 7%, proteins about 39.22%, and lipids about 8.4%. Cordycepic acid was reported to be D-monnitol. |
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Pharmacology |
Immune-function enhancing, anti-cancer, beneficial to cardiovascular and endocrine systems, anti-inflammatory, renal-function enhancing, sedative, anti-convulsant, and anti-bacterial. |
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Properties & Actions |
Sweet, warm.Tonifying the lung and the kidney, relieving hemorrhage and reducing phlegm. |
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Indications & Usage |
Used for persistent cough and dyspnea due to deficiency, over-strained cough and empsyxis, impotence and seminal emission, cold pain in the waist and knees.Oral administration: decocting, 5-10g; or made as pills or powders; or stewed with chicken or duck. Use with care in case of having the following symptoms: fever, aversion to cold, headache, nose stuffy, cough, etc. |
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Examples |
1. Dyspnea due to deficiency: Chinese caterpillar fungus 15-30g, steam with old male duck, and eat.
2. Anemia, impotence, emissions: Chinese caterpillar fungus 15-31g, stew with meat or chicken, and eat. |
| Link to |
 Chinese Medicinal Material Images Database
Phytochemical Image Database
Chinese Medicine Specimen Database
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