Cordyceps CS-4 mushroom extract, powder and capsules

Cordyceps sinensis properties

Cordyceps sinensis originally comes from the Tibetan highlands, but it also grows in parts of China and India. It has gotten the nickname “caterpillar mushroom” from its very brutal use of a growing material.

Before winter, the fungus attacks a certain type of caterpillar underground, which it kills and uses as food. At the beginning of spring, the mushroom then sprouts out of the dead caterpillar with a club-shaped, brown fruiting body that only grows to a height of around 5-15 cm.

Due to its high demand and popularity especially in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Tibetan folk medicine, and the very time-consuming way of collecting it in nature by hand, Cordyceps sinensis is currently traded as the most expensive mushroom. The market price in Shanghai in 2018 was between $50,000 and $56,000/kg. So, outside of Asia is not really feasible trying to sell the nature-grown Cordyceps.

How is Cordyceps sinensis grown then?

It’s impossible to cultivate the Cordyceps fruiting body. Luckily, after years of research, a mycelium was isolated from wild Cordyceps sinensis and propagated using a special fermentation technique.

First, the mushroom is cultivated in a natural nutrient solution (no grain or similar substrate is used). At the end of the ripening period, the mycelium has absorbed all liquid. What remains is a solution called Cordyceps CS-4. According to scientific studies, it’s chemical composition is so similar to that of the naturally growing Cordyceps mushroom that CS-4 can be officially called “Cordyceps”.

Ingredients of Cordyceps sinensis

The ingredients of the Cordyceps mushroom include not only vitamins (B1, B2, B12, E and K), amino acids and minerals (e.g. iron, calcium and magnesium) that are important and essential for optimal bodily functions.

It also contains various bioactive components such as ergosterol, ophicordin, adenosin, galactomannan and L-tryptophan, that appear to be behind the mushroom’s potential health benefits. Naturally Cordyceps also contains polysaccharides and beta-glucan as well as special glycoproteins.

Cordyceps in research and practice

Cordyceps is often used in Asia to enhance athletic performance, and this potential is the subject of many recent studies. Other popular uses and research topics include the mushroom’s ability to boost the immune system and improve overall mood.