Cordyceps

[beach sunrise]

Ophiocordyceps Sinensis......(I also read papers a few yrs ago about Cordyceps killing kRAS)
Cordyceps Sinensis is one of the oddest elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It is also known as a vegetable caterpillar, Chinese caterpillar fungus, Dong chong xia cao (Chinese), Semitake (Japanese), Hsia ts’ao tung ch’ung, and Yarsha gumba. The scientific name for this is Ophiocordyceps Sinensis. Cordyceps contains a fungus (“mushroom”) that grows on the larvae of caterpillars. Although more than 400 species of Cordyceps have been identified, “most of these have not been well explored regarding their potential for medicinal use.”

According to one source:

“Cordyceps Sinensis is formed when the fungus attacks moth caterpillars infecting it with spores during fall, then develops over the winter. When spring comes, the fungus has completely killed and wrinkled the caterpillar growing and producing a long slender fruiting body.”
Image1
Fungus and Larvae
The remains of both the fungus and the larvae are therefore contained in the product and both are consumed. According to laboratory studies, cordyceps stimulate the immune system. Research into this bizarre product is booming (with an increased interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine). From 1947 to 1987 there were a total of 40 references in PubMed. Nowadays there are over 200 per year. Many of these are in Chinese, without English abstracts. Very few are clinical trials.

According to a Korean study of healthy young people, the cordyceps group showed a statistically significant increase in natural killer (NK) cells and lymphocytes compared to a placebo group. There was no significant increase in adverse side effects. The authors called it “is safe and effective for enhancing cell-mediated immunity of healthy male adults.” However, there is little information about how or whether this effect also occurs in human cancer patients.

(Kang HJ, Baik HW, Kim SJ, et al. Cordyceps militaris Enhances Cell-Mediated Immunity in Healthy Korean Men. J Med Food. 2015 Oct;18(10):1164-72. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2014.3350. Epub 2015 Aug 18. PMID: 26284906)