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Cordyceps, Caterpillar Fungus, Dong Chong Xia Cao 冬虫夏草

Dong Chong Xia Cao ('Winter Worm, Summer Herb', TCM)
dByar rtswa dgun 'bu  དབྱར་རྩྭ་དགུན་འབུ་ (Tibet)
Left: uncleansed and cleansed fresh Cordyceps; Right: bunches of graded Cordyceps as sold on the Chinese Market.

More Photos of Cordyceps

Entomological name:
Cordyceps sinensis (syn. Ophiocordyceps sinensis)
C. militaris and others have been used similarly.

Parts used:
Dried worm with Cordyceps

Temperature & Taste:
Warm, moist. Sweet

Classification:
N. Yang Tonic

Uses:
1. Warms and Strengthen the Kidneys, Tonifies Yang:
-Impotence, Spermatorrhea, premature Ejaculation
-Weakness and pain of the lower back and knees
-frequent urination
-mental decline, Tinnitus, Forgetfulness, Failing Memory

2. Strengthens the Lungs, Stops Cough and Wheezing:
-Chronic Cough and Wheezing from deficiency
-Consumptive cough, Hemoptysis
-relieves altitude sickness
-nourishes Lung Yin, increases Lung Qi and Yang and is therefore very effective for chronic cases


DOSE:
Powder: 500mg–2 grams
Now cultured mycelium of Cordyceps is being grown for the medicine market which is chemically very similar and also far cheaper.

Main Combinations:
1. Kidney weakness with Impotence and chronic Lower Back Pain:
i. Cordyceps with Eucommia Du Zhong, Epimedium Yin Yang Huo and Cistanches Rou Cong Rong.
ii. Cordyceps, Velevt Deer Horn (Lu Rong), Epimedium Yin Yang Huo ('Honry Goatweed')
iii. Cordyceps with Solomans Seal, Withania, Asparagus racemosus, Orchis (as in Gso Byed 6 Pa of Tibetan Medicine)
iv. Cordyceps with Rehmannia Shu Di Huang, Cornus Shan Zhu Yu, Epimedium Yin Yang Huo
2. Weakened resistance to colds and flu, spontaneous sweating:
i. Cordyceps with Astragalus Huang Qi, Saposhnikovia Fang Feng
ii. cook Cordyceps with Duck, Chicken or Pork and Astragalus Huang Qi, Angelica Dang Gui and Lycium Gou Qi Zi.
3. Night Cough, Cordyceps with American Ginseng (Xi Yang Shen), Codonopsis Dang Shen, Astragalus Huang Qi
4. Chronic Cough, Asthma from Lung and Kidney deficiency:
i. Yin Deficiency, Cordyceps, Ophiopogon Mai Men Dong, White Lily (Bai He), Fritillaria Chuan Bei Mu
ii, Cordyceps, Adenophora Sha Shen, Fritillaria Chuan Bei Mu, Gecko Ge Jie
iii. Kidney and Lung deficiency, Cordyceps, Ginseng, Schisandra Wu Wei Zi, Licorice
5. Lung Cancer: Cordyceps, Ophiopogon Mai Men Dong, Derndrobium Shi Hu, Rehmannia Shu Di Huang (Chen & Chen)
6. Sweating from weakness, Cordyceps with Astragalus Huang Qi and Atractylodes Bai Zhu.
7. Lower Back Pain from Chronic Kidney weakness, Cordyceps, Eucommia Du Zhong, Dipsacus Xu Duan, Cibotium Gou Ji
8. Liver Fibrosis, Cordyceps, Peach kernel (Tao Ren), Astragalus Huang Qi
9. Tinnitus, Cordyceps, Lycium Gou Qi Zi ('Goji'), Cornus Shan Zhu Yu
10. Altitude sickness;
i. Cordyceps with Rhodiola Hong Jing Tian, Snow Lotus Xue Lian
ii. Cordyceps with Rhodiola Hong Jing Tian, Withania, Dang Gui, Licorice

Cautions:
Very Safe.
Not used for acute conditions (exterior pathogens).

Main Preparations used:

Research:
1. Anti-aging
2. Enhances Athletic performance
3. Improves Male Sexual function, increases Male hormones. (C. sinesis and C. miliaris)
4. Promotes Female Fertility
5. Diabetes: lowers blood sugar, promotes release of insulin, increase cell sensitivity to Insulin. (C. sinesis and C. miliaris)
6. Hepato-protective: inhibits hepatic fibrosis, restores liver function after damage including alcohol-induced Liver damage. (C. sinesis and C. miliaris)
7. Nephro-protective: improves Kidney function in chronic renal failure, speeds recovery after gentamycin-induced Kidney damage.
8. Chronic Lung Disease and COPD have shown improvement.
9. Anti-Viral. (especially C. miliaris)
10. Increases Immunity
11. Anti-Cancer: against various cell lines including oral, colon, bladder, leukemia, melanoma, breast and prostate.
(Medicinal Mushrooms A Clinical Guide - 2nd Ed., Powell, 2014)