Yangcheng Cordyceps

Yangcheng Cordyceps

　　Yangcheng Cordyceps is a specialty of Yangcheng County, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province. Also known as Dongchongxiacao or simply Cordyceps, it is a composite of the stroma and the carcass of the larva formed by the fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis, which parasitizes the larvae of ghost moths. As a traditional and highly valued tonic Chinese medicinal herb, it is ranked alongside natural ginseng and deer antler as one of the three major tonics. With a mild medicinal property, it can be consumed all year round and is suitable for people of all ages, including the elderly, children, the sick, the weak, and those in poor health. It has a broader range of medicinal benefits than other types of tonics.

　　Also known as Dongchongxiacao, Cordyceps is a Chinese medicinal herb. The Compendium of Materia Medica states that it has the function of dispelling wind and cold. In Jincheng, it is mainly produced in areas such as Aobei Mountain and Dale Ridge in Yangcheng.

　　Cordyceps, also known as insect fungus, is one of the renowned products of the snow-covered highlands of Lijiang. Cordyceps (Tibetan: Yartsa Gunbu) is a precious medicinal ingredient in China’s pharmaceutical treasury and is often ranked alongside ginseng and deer antler as one of the three great tonics.

　　Its tonic and therapeutic efficacy surpasses even that of ginseng and deer antler, and it is extremely expensive. The reason Cordyceps is called “winter worm, summer grass” lies in its unique life cycle: during the peak summer melt on the snowy plateau, bat moth eggs laid on meadow grasses, leaves, and flowers hatch naturally into larvae that burrow into the soil and feed on plant roots. At this time, the Cordyceps fungus, which becomes active in the summer, infiltrates the larvae to parasitize and germinate mycelium. From summer to winter, it slowly consumes the underground larvae, resulting in what is known as the “winter worm.” The following summer, the Cordyceps fungus grows a stroma inside the larva, emerging above ground as a small purple-red plant about 4 to 10 centimeters tall with a pineapple-shaped capsule on top—this is the “summer grass.” Once the spores inside the summer grass capsule mature, they are ejected through the capsule pores, carried by the wind, and wait to infiltrate other larvae to reproduce, thus beginning the next cycle of “winter worm, summer grass.”

　　Its nourishing and therapeutic effects surpass those of ginseng and deer antler, and it is extremely expensive. The reason Cordyceps is called "winter worm, summer grass" lies in its unique life cycle: when the snow and ice melt on the high-altitude snowy plateau during midsummer, the eggs laid by bat moths on meadow flowers, grass, and leaves hatch naturally into small worms that burrow into the soil and grow by feeding on plant roots and stems. At this time, the Cordyceps, which becomes active during the peak of summer, infiltrates the worm’s body to parasitize and reproduce, sprouting fungal hyphae. From summer to winter, it gradually consumes the underground larva, killing it and forming the "winter worm." The following summer, the Cordyceps fungus grows a stalk (stroma) from inside the insect, emerging above ground as a 4–10 cm tall purplish-red stalk with a pineapple-like sac at its tip—this is the "summer grass." When the spores inside the sac of the summer grass mature, they are ejected through the sac’s opening, carried by the wind, and wait to infiltrate another insect’s body to reproduce, thus beginning the next cycle of "winter worm, summer grass."