Cordyceps

Wild cordyceps are super rare and insanely expensive to source, commonly grown in the mountainous regions of China, the Himalayas and Tibet. In the wild, cordyceps exist as a parasitic fungus that inhabits the body of insects such as caterpillars and ants. Ophiocordyceps sinensis, formerly ‘Cordyceps sinensis’ (we use a cultivated form of this strain at Superfeast), appears as a blade-like mushroom growing out of the head of a caterpillar. The cordyceps mycelium is encased in the mummified body of the caterpillar, this is where the fungus germinates. The fruiting body sprouts forth from the caterpillar, and is generally capless and shaped like a blade or twig. 

Due to the prohibitive cost of this wild tonic herb, the Chinese developed a really smart and effective way to cultivate cordyceps mycelium, which they now grow in liquid fermentation tanks (and is completely caterpillar free!). This pure mycelium product is known as Cs-4 and this is what we use at SuperFeast.

At SuperFeast we primarily work with the fruiting bodies of our medicinal mushrooms (as opposed to the mycelium, which is another popular way of consuming mushrooms, but less traditional). We do have one exception to this rule and that is cordyceps.

A large body of research has demonstrated that Cs-4 (the cultivated strain of cordyceps) has a similar medicinal profile and level of active constituents to those found in wild cordyceps. Several years of compositional analysis as well as clinical trials have demonstrated that Cs-4 acts medicinally in a manner consistent with that of wildcrafted cordyceps. The term Cs-4 translates to mean the 4th strain of the cordyceps mycelium. Many strains of cordyceps mycelium have been researched and scientists have found that only the 4th strain of cordyceps mycelium could be grown using liquid cultivation methods. This method produces effective levels of all the active compounds found in the fruiting body of wild cordyceps. 

Let’s dive a little deeper into some of the amazing health benefits of cordyceps mushroom. 

Within the Taoist Tonic Herbal tradition and Traditional Chinese Medicine, cordyceps is a respected Lung tonic, used to treat ailments of the respiratory system and has since been shown to alleviate the symptoms of various respiratory illnesses including chronic bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, and phlegm. This is mainly due to the anti-inflammatory properties of cordyceps and its tendency to relax the bronchial walls and promote enhanced oxygen utilisation efficacy.

Cigarette smoking is a significant factor in the development of respiratory disorders and cordyceps has been found to reduce lung tissue deterioration in vitro. Cordyceps was shown to reduce the free radical damage associated with oxidative stress. In this regard, the herb may provide a promising treatment strategy in cases where chronic smoke exposure is involved.

Cordyceps, like many of its medicinal mushroom friends, has a strong supportive action on the immune system. Cordyceps acts as a bidirectional modulating agent, regulating both innate and adaptive immunity via its ability to potentiate and suppress the immune response. An action that may be beneficial in conditions where autoimmunity is involved. Naturally high in polysaccharides, particularly beta-glucans, medicinal mushrooms can provide deep nourishment to the immune cells and microbiome, which are particularly useful in re-balancing a dysbiosis of particular strains of bacteria such as Candida albicans.