(cord=club, ceps=heads; sinensis=from China) Cordyceps, or Caterpillar fungus, is a small (4-11 cm) club or finger shaped parasitic fungus. It is found growing on insect’s larvae and mature insects on mountain tops above 3000m high, in the cold and snowy grass marshlands of China. Cordyceps sinensis grows on the larvae of Lepidoptera, especially Hepialus armoricanus (Bat Moth). The fruiting body of the Cordyceps emerges from the anterior end of the dead host. Various methods of cultivating the Cordyceps species have been studied in China, including submerged fermentation culture. In ancient China, Cordyceps sinensis was used exclusively in the Emperor’s Palace, because it was very scarce. The New York Journal of Medicine reports that it has properties similar to those of ginseng, being used to strengthen and rebuild the body after exhaustion or long-term illness. It was also used traditionally for impotence, neurasthenia, backache, as an antidote for “opium poisoning” and to cure the habit of opium eating. Human clinical studies conducted with Cordyceps have confirmed its therapeutic value in the treatment of chronic obstructive hepatic diseases, hypercholesterolemia and other aging disorders, including loss of sexual drive. Other successful human trials with Cordyceps have included the treatment of hyperlipidemia, lung carcinoma, chronic kidney failure, chronic renal failure, hepatitis B and tinnitus. Cordyceps is known as an antiasthmatic and anticancer agent, which causes smooth muscle relaxation and can potentiate the effects of epinephrine. It has been used to stimulate the endocrine system, as an antibacterial agent and for patients suffering from chronic renal failure. In China, Cordyceps is used to regulate and support the gonads and as a lung and kidney tonic. It is used specifically for excessive tiredness, persistent cough, impotence, debility and anemia. It is also used as a tranquiliser, to build the bone marrow and to reduce phlegm. Cordyceps is also known to stimulate blood circulation and regulate menstruation. | 
