Cordyceps sinensis

DongChongXiaCao.

Meridian: kidney-lung

Associated elements: Water

It is one of the rarest and most valuable Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) remedies. Also according to TCM it has a warming thermal effect, the lodge to which it can be traced is water then kidney and bladder where it manifests rebalancing action of the whole genito-urinary system. It is an ascomycete, which is quite peculiar since all other fungi are basidiomycetes, plus it is a parasitic ascomycete of an insect and because of that it has a completely different kind of energy component. Where most fungi turn YANG by moving energy , cordyceps regenerates therefore manifests a very YIN action precisely regenerative. Its action is mainly YANG tonifying and in particular it has a YIN effect on the lung and both YIN and YANG on the kidney tonifying it (cough, bronchitis, phlegm).

Its use is always indicated in psychophysical exhaustion and it is a mushroom that directly enters the endocrine area going to implement our energy by also acting on the 2ndchakra, acting on sexual potency and promoting passion in life and the desire to do things thanks to the increase of dopamine. It practically promotes a positive approach to novelty and increases all catecholamines.A pool of substances ranging from the complete battery of amino acids to Vitamins E, K, B1, B2, B12, as well as essential minerals such as V, Ga, Sr, Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu Ca, Na, Se, Si, sterols, β-glucans, chordicepine(3-deoxyadenosine), chordicepic acid(D-mannitol) is stored in it. In particular, the latter two components are particularly indicated in positive liver function and protection. As with most mushrooms, intake is recommended on an empty stomach.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

-Kazuki Nakamura, Kazumasa Shinozuka, Noriko Yoshikawa Anticancer and antimetastatic effects of cordycepin, an active component of Cordyceps sinensis a Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 11-68, Koshien Kyuban-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8179, Japan b Institute for Biosciences, Mukogawa Women's University, 11-68, Koshien Kyuban-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8179, Japan

– Zhu JS, Halpern GM, Jones K. The scientific rediscovery of an ancient Chinese herbal medicine: Cordyceps sinensis: part I. J Altern Complement Med. 1998;4: 289e303.

 – Tuli HS, Sharma AK, Sandhu SS, Kashyap D. Cordycepin: a bioactive metabolite with therapeutic potential. Life Sci. 2013;93:863e869.

-Santos C. Cordyceps sinensis Supplementation as immunonutrition in Alcohol induced liver steatosis-II. Mycology News Sept. 2009 vol 1 Edit IX