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Cordyceps [Cordyceps Militaris]

Modern herbalists use Cordyceps to support healthy stamina and physical energy levels.

It is considered an immune modulator and adaptogen that promotes overall endocrine health and is used to support the liver and kidneys.

Cordyceps' diverse functions make it similar to a conductor within the body, supporting the communication between the adrenals (the body's natural stress response) and the immune system.

The fruiting bodies of this mushroom contain polysaccharides, specifically a type called beta-glucans, which have been studied to support immune health and overall wellness and normal, healthy cell growth and turnover.

File:Harilik kedristõlvik (Cordyceps militaris) Eestis.JPG

Cordyceps Sinensis is valued so highly in Traditional Chinese Medicine that these mushrooms were exclusively available to the emperor's family in ancient China.

Cordyceps grows wild in the Himalayan foothills of Tibet and Bhutan, where it infects and then devours the pupal stage of ghost moths. From this caterpillar, it produces an orange horn-like fruiting body, which then releases spores for reproduction.

Wild C. Sinensis is both expensive and rare. Recently, cultivated varieties (Cordyceps Militaris) have been developed. These Cordyceps fruiting bodies are cultivated on barley substrate; no sacrifice of a pupa is needed. Research has shown that C. militaris and C. Sinensis provide similar support, and they are used interchangeably in TCM and other branches of herbalism.