Cordyceps militaris

Medicinal properties - Cordyceps medicine for joints

    It is true that the mushroom is inedible, but it has a wide range of health applications. It is a parasite of caterpillars and insect pupae from which it grows. The fungus infecting the pupa produces a substance called cordycepin, which gives hope to patients with osteoarthritis. Cordycepin is also obtained from other mushrooms known in the Far East for their medicinal properties. Oral cordycepin has been shown to reduce pain and stop the progression of osteoarthritis and joint disease. Drugs obtained from the Cordyceps militaris can help people who are not affected by any other treatment methods. Products from the Cordyceps militaris are generally available, most often under the names CORDYCEPS, KORDYCEPS.  

    The fruiting body of the mushroom can reach 5 cm in height and 1 cm in thickness. It can be distinguished by a stem and a head. The head is usually club-shaped (hence the name of the mushroom), but in this case it looks more like a crab claw. Most often, however, it is cylindrical, tapering at the bottom. The color is very distinctive and well visible in the forest - orange, orange-red. The surface of the fungus is not smooth, papillary, it resembles an orange peel.  

    Foot up to 5 cm in length. The color is slightly lighter than the head, bright orange, the base itself may even be white. Cylindrical shape. Empty inside. Flesh of the mushroom lighter than the peel, but in its shade, creamy, light orange, hard, has no noticeable taste or smell.  

    Occurrence - The fungus can be found naturally on moth larvae and pupae, moths buried in the ground in the autumn. It is a parasite. In Asia, it is cultivated on an industrial scale, on various substrates, e.g. silkworm pupae, rice. In Poland, more and more rare.