© Lukas Large · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Scarlet caterpillarclub
CautionPuppen-Kernkeule · (Cordyceps militaris)
Cordycipitaceae (Cordycipitaceae)
Description
Cordyceps militaris is a parasitic ascomycete fungus that grows on buried moth pupae and produces orange-red, club-shaped fruiting bodies. It is widespread across temperate Europe, Asia and the Americas. Unlike its relative Ophiocordyceps sinensis it is readily cultivated, which has made it commercially important as a dietary supplement and medicinal mushroom. Its principal bioactive compound is the nucleoside cordycepin. In TCM it is regarded as a strengthening tonic believed to support the lungs and kidneys.
- TeaInternalTraditional use
Traditionally used in Chinese medicine as a tonic for fatigue and cough and to support lung and kidney function.
- TeaInternal
Marketed as an adaptogen claimed to improve stress resilience and reduce fatigue. Human exercise-performance studies are inconsistent and inconclusive; the constituent cordycepin has shown immunomodulatory effects in lab and animal studies without proven benefit in humans.