The caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinensis), also Tibetan caterpillar fungus or Tibetan caterpillar club fungus, is a tubular fungus (Ascomycota) of the nuclear club group that attacks caterpillars. It is endemic to the highlands of Tibet. The mushroom plays a role in traditional Chinese medicine and is a sought-after medicinal mushroom. The secondary fruit form is Paecilomyces hepiali.

The Chinese caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) has been valued for centuries and is still used as currency today. During the Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976, the market of the mushroom collapsed. At that time, a kilogram cost 21 yuan. From the 1980s, prices rose very quickly. The value of Chinese caterpillar mushroom increased about ninefold between 1997 and mid-2008. In mid-2008, it fetched between 60,000 and 160,000 yuan per kg in Lhasa, for example, depending on quality. In Shanghai, high quality specimens were selling for up to 320,000 yuan per kg at that time. Pills extracted from the mycelium fetch only a fraction of these prices.

Today, many of the modern drugs are purified versions of the chemicals found in those traditionally used medicines. It seems to be quite the herb considering there are many links and pages found online that lead to ways to purchase it. Since Caterpillar Fungus is found at such high altitudes, it is quite rare but fairly expensive. In fact, the price increases regularly recently hitting $53 dollars a pound with a consistent inflation rate from 100-300%.

Caterpillar Fungus was credited for the success of women athletes at the National Games in Beijing in 1993! Three of the Chinese track runners set new world records!

People give Caterpillar Fungus as gifts, and it’s not like giving someone coal, they are valuable gifts!

The fruiting body is up to 4 inches long and half a centimeter wide! They aren’t your typical mushroom shape, either. They’re usually curved and club shaped.

It also seems to act like an antioxidant in the body.

It is also referred to as yartsa gunbu in Tibetan.

In Chinese, it is often abbreviated as chong cao.

Kids are taken with to help hunt for caterpillar fungus, because they are closer to the ground with better eye sight.

The fungus attacks caterpillars of the genus Thitarodes, which belongs to the butterfly family of root borers (Hepialidae). This affects 30 species of the approximately 40 species of this butterfly genus known from the highlands of Tibet. The infected caterpillars survive the winter in the soil, being less deep than uninfected individuals. In spring, the fruiting body emerges from the caterpillar’s head above the soil surface. As the fungus develops, the substrate is progressively decomposed until only the soft outer shell remains, filled with the mycelium of the fungus.

Fructification is thought to be favored by high rainfall in the previously occurring monsoon. Large amounts of snow in winter have a similar effect, especially if the spring is mild. However, long persistent snow cover results in decay of numerous fruiting bodies.

Cordyceps sinesis, also called caterpillar fungus, is found in certain parts of the world on the caterpillar species Hepialus armoricanus, including some provinces of China and other parts of the higher Himalayan regions such as Nepal, Tibet, and India.

Cordyceps sinesis is probably not the first organism someone would look for in these areas when mammals such as black bears and snow leopards roam. The species Cordyceps sinesis also has a Tibetan name, yadza gümbu, which means “summer grass, winter worm.” This is because the spores of Cordyceps sinesis infect the caterpillar in the fall and completely fill the carcass with their mycelium until spring. The spores of this species are spread by natural forces such as the wind and land on the soil and plants that the insect feeds on, allowing the spores to germinate inside the insect. The dead caterpillar turns yellowish to brown, while the fruiting body continues to grow into the summer until it emerges from the head of the infected host. The fruiting body contains more spores, which are again dispersed into the wild by the wind to feed again as the cycle continues.

1. Dissolve the malt extract and agar in distilled water.
2.  Sterilize the solution by autoclaving at 121°C for 15-20 minutes.
3. Pour the sterilized media into petri dishes or other containers under sterile conditions.
4. The Yeast is optional, but you can add it to any recipe for nutritions, same for Peptone.

Rye Berries, grain mix

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Cordyceps sinensis attacks caterpillars (genus Thitarodes) and dissolves them, first as a parasite and then as a secondary decomposer.

Chinese caterpillar fungus is found in grasslands and shrublands that receive at least 350 mm of precipitation per year, but usually at least 400 mm. Scaly sedges are predominant in the habitat. The infested caterpillars feed on young roots of knotweed, legumes, sour grasses (including scaly sedges), sweet grasses, and lily plants. Grazing in the highlands of Tibet has significantly increased the habitat of the fungus. It grows at altitudes between 3000m and 5000m. Locally it occurs in a range of 500 meters altitude around the tree line.

The fruiting bodies appear in spring from May, on the eastern slopes even from mid-April. Fructification lasts until mid-June, at higher elevations until mid-July. In some regions, the mushroom can be encountered at various elevations for nearly two months. Overstory specimens may persist into August.

Cordyceps sinensis is endemic to the highlands of Tibet. In this area it occurs widely in the southwest and somewhat less densely in the south. The range runs along the entire southern border of the Tibet Autonomous Region, with the core area of distribution covering the entire eastern part of Tibet as well as the entire southeastern part of Qinghai Province and the entire northwestern part of Sichuan Province, in addition to the extreme southwestern and extreme northwestern parts of Gansu and Yunnan Provinces, respectively. The southern foothills extend into northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India. In addition, the fungus has been reported from the Tian Shan and Altai regions of Xinjiang.

Grasslands and scrublands in Asia: China, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, India...

from summer to autumn

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Cordyceps sinensis is often cooked with chicken or duck.