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Harvesting of Cordyceps
By Peace | March 9, 2006
Chinese Cordyceps (Dong Chong Xia Cao) is actually a caterpillar fungus that has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years and was first officially-recorded in the 18th Century Ben Cao Cong Xin (Revised Material Medical).
Unlike cyclosporin, which is hosted by a beetle, Cordyceps sinensis’ host is the Hepialus moth, found only in the high and cold elevations of China’s mountains, especially in the southwestern regions like Szechuan, Qinghai and Tibet.
This insect produces a soil-inhabiting larva (caterpillar) that becomes active in the late summer and eventually is infested by the Cordyceps fungus. The name Dong Chong Xia Cao, or ‘Winter Worm, Summer Plant’ came about due to the unique lifecycle of the fungus-infected caterpillar.
The worm-like stage in winter
At the beginning of autumn, the Cordyceps fungus releases its spores and invades the active Hepialus caterpillars. The fungus slowly eats away the tissues of the hibernating caterpillar throughout winter, filling them up with long filaments (hyphae).
The plant-like stage in summer
By spring, the fungus would have sprouted a long stalk of fruiting body(stomata) that produces spores in the dead caterpillar. The stalks are revealed when the snow melts. By summer, the long stalks of the fruiting plant-like body release their spores, which continue to invade more caterpillars. Uninfected caterpillars then grow into Hepialus moths.
Harvesting of Cordyceps
When the snow melts (between spring and summer), the long stalks/stems of the Cordyceps are exposed. This signals the picking time for Cordyceps, which lasts only for 30 days. Since snow melts at different times in different provinces, the picking months vary. The Cordyceps have to be picked before they release their spores. After the spores are released, the compound body of caterpillar-fungus wilts and dries off.
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