Cordyceps
Encyclopedia
Cordyceps is a genus
of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) that includes about 400 described species. All Cordyceps species are endoparasitoids, mainly on insects and other arthropod
s (they are thus entomopathogenic fungi); a few are parasitic on other fungi. The best known species of the genus is Cordyceps sinensis, first recorded as yartsa gunbu in Tibet in the 15th Century. It is known as yarsha gumba in Nepal. The Latin
etymology describes cord as club, ceps as head, and sinensis as Chinese. Cordyceps sinensis, known in English commonly as caterpillar fungus, is considered a medicinal mushroom in oriental medicines, such as Traditional Chinese medicine
s and Traditional Tibetan medicine
.
When a Cordyceps fungus attacks a host, the mycelium
invades and eventually replaces the host tissue, while the elongated fruiting body (ascocarp
) may be cylindrical, branched, or of complex shape. The ascocarp bears many small, flask-shaped perithecia contain the asci
. These in turn contain the thread-like ascospores, which usually break into fragments and are presumably infective.
Some Cordyceps species are able to affect the behavior of their insect host: Cordyceps unilateralis
causes ants to climb a plant and attach there before they die. This ensures the parasite's environment is at an optimal temperature and humidity and maximal distribution of the spores from the fruiting body that sprouts out of the dead insect is achieved. Marks have been found on fossilised leaves which suggest this ability to modify the host's behaviour evolved more than 48 million years ago.
The genus
has a worldwide distribution and most of the approximately 400 species have been described from Asia
(notably Nepal
, China
, Japan
, Korea
, Vietnam
and Thailand
). Cordyceps species are particularly abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests.
The genus has many anamorphs (asexual
states), of which Beauveria
(possibly including Beauveria bassiana
, Metarhizium
, and Isaria) are the better known, since these have been used in biological control of insect
pest
s.
Some Cordyceps species are sources of biochemicals with interesting biological and pharmacological properties, like cordycepin
; the anamorph of Cordyceps subsessilis (Tolypocladium inflatum
) was the source of ciclosporin
—a drug
helpful in human organ transplants, as it suppresses the immune system
(Immunosuppressive drug
).
Some work has been published in which Cordyceps sinensis has been used to protect the bone marrow
and digestive systems of mice
from whole body irradiation. An experiment noted Cordyceps sinensis may protect the liver
from damage. An experiment with mice noted the mushroom may have an anti-depressant effect. Researchers have noted that Cordyceps has a hypoglycemic effect and may be beneficial for people with insulin resistance.
, the coach of a group of female Chinese athletes who broke five world records in distance running in 1993 at the National Games in Beijing
, China, told reporters that the runners were taking Cordyceps at his request. The number of new world records being set at a single track event caused much attention and suspicion of drug use, and the records are still widely regarded as dubious, as the athletes failed to match these performances outside of China at independently drug tested events where illicit substances other than cordyceps would be detected.
, basically 900% between 1998 and 2008, an annual average of over 20%. However, the value of big-sized caterpillar fungus has increased more dramatically than smaller size Cordyceps, regarded as lower quality.
According to Modern Marvels
, a show on the History Channel, mushroom hunters in Nepal can earn 900 dollars for an ounce of cordyceps.http://www.alohamedicinals.com/research.htm
The high value of cordyceps was evidently the reason it was one of only two Chinese traditional medicines to be stolen in a brazen theft in British Columbia. The stolen cordyceps has been estimated to have been worth Can $38,000.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) that includes about 400 described species. All Cordyceps species are endoparasitoids, mainly on insects and other arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s (they are thus entomopathogenic fungi); a few are parasitic on other fungi. The best known species of the genus is Cordyceps sinensis, first recorded as yartsa gunbu in Tibet in the 15th Century. It is known as yarsha gumba in Nepal. The Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
etymology describes cord as club, ceps as head, and sinensis as Chinese. Cordyceps sinensis, known in English commonly as caterpillar fungus, is considered a medicinal mushroom in oriental medicines, such as Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
s and Traditional Tibetan medicine
Traditional Tibetan medicine
Traditional Tibetan medicine is a centuries-old traditional medical system that employs a complex approach to diagnosis, incorporating techniques such as pulse analysis and urinalysis, and utilizes behavior and dietary modification, medicines composed of natural materials and physical therapies...
.
When a Cordyceps fungus attacks a host, the mycelium
Mycelium
thumb|right|Fungal myceliaMycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. The mass of hyphae is sometimes called shiro, especially within the fairy ring fungi. Fungal colonies composed of mycelia are found in soil and on or within many other...
invades and eventually replaces the host tissue, while the elongated fruiting body (ascocarp
Ascocarp
An ascocarp, or ascoma , is the fruiting body of an ascomycete fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and may contain millions of asci, each of which typically contains eight ascospores...
) may be cylindrical, branched, or of complex shape. The ascocarp bears many small, flask-shaped perithecia contain the asci
Ascus
An ascus is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. On average, asci normally contain eight ascospores, produced by a meiotic cell division followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or species can number one , two, four, or multiples...
. These in turn contain the thread-like ascospores, which usually break into fragments and are presumably infective.
Some Cordyceps species are able to affect the behavior of their insect host: Cordyceps unilateralis
Cordyceps unilateralis
Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is a parasitoid fungus that infects ants such as Camponotus leonardi, and alters their behavior in order to ensure the widespread distribution of its spores...
causes ants to climb a plant and attach there before they die. This ensures the parasite's environment is at an optimal temperature and humidity and maximal distribution of the spores from the fruiting body that sprouts out of the dead insect is achieved. Marks have been found on fossilised leaves which suggest this ability to modify the host's behaviour evolved more than 48 million years ago.
The genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
has a worldwide distribution and most of the approximately 400 species have been described from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
(notably Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
). Cordyceps species are particularly abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests.
The genus has many anamorphs (asexual
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only, it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which is reproduction without...
states), of which Beauveria
Beauveria
Beauveria is a genus of asexually-reproducing fungi allied with the ascomycete family Clavicipitaceae. Its several species are typically insect pathogens. The sexual states of Beauveria species, where known, are species of Cordyceps....
(possibly including Beauveria bassiana
Beauveria bassiana
Beauveria bassiana is a fungus that grows naturally in soils throughout the world and acts as a parasite on various arthropod species, causing white muscardine disease; it thus belongs to the entomopathogenic fungi. It is being used as a biological insecticide to control a number of pests such as...
, Metarhizium
Metarhizium
Metarhizium is a genus of entomopathogenic fungi in the Clavicipitaceae family. With the advent of genetic profiling, it has now become possible to place these fungi in proper taxa. Most turn out to be the asexual forms of fungi in the phylum Ascomycota.- Species :Nine distinct species have now...
, and Isaria) are the better known, since these have been used in biological control of insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
pest
Pest (animal)
A pest is an animal which is detrimental to humans or human concerns. It is a loosely defined term, often overlapping with the related terms vermin, weeds, parasites and pathogens...
s.
Some Cordyceps species are sources of biochemicals with interesting biological and pharmacological properties, like cordycepin
Cordycepin
Cordycepin, or 3'-deoxyadenosine, is a derivative of the nucleoside adenosine, differing from the latter by the absence of oxygen in the 3' position of its ribose part. It was initially extracted from fungi of genus Cordyceps, but is now produced synthetically.Because cordycepin is similar to...
; the anamorph of Cordyceps subsessilis (Tolypocladium inflatum
Tolypocladium inflatum
Tolypocladium inflatum is an asexual ascomycete fungus originally isolated from a Norwegian soil sample that, in certain conditions, produces ciclosporin....
) was the source of ciclosporin
Ciclosporin
Ciclosporin , cyclosporine , cyclosporin , or cyclosporin A is an immunosuppressant drug widely used in post-allogeneic organ transplant to reduce the activity of the immune system, and therefore the risk of organ rejection...
—a drug
Medication
A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
helpful in human organ transplants, as it suppresses the immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
(Immunosuppressive drug
Immunosuppressive drug
Immunosuppressive drugs or immunosuppressive agents are drugs that inhibit or prevent activity of the immune system. They are used in immunosuppressive therapy to:...
).
Medicinal importance
The Cordyceps mushrooms have a long history as medicinal fungi. The earliest clear record is a Tibetan medical text authored by Zurkhar Nyamnyi Dorje in the 15th Century outlining the tonic propensities of Yartsa gunbu - Cordyceps sinensis renamed now to Ophiocordyceps sinensis, especially as an aphrodisiac[2]. Although there are often-repeated claims of thousands of years of use in Traditional Chinese medicine, so far no clear textual source has surfaced. Cordyceps has been used to treat several conditions, recently also cancers. Extracts from both mycelium and fruiting bodies of C. sinensis, C. militaris and other Cordyceps species showed significant anticancer activities by various mechanisms such as, modulating immune system and inducing cell apoptosis. Some polysaccharide components and cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) have been isolated from C. sinensis and C. militaris, which acted as potent anticancer components.Some work has been published in which Cordyceps sinensis has been used to protect the bone marrow
Bone marrow
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...
and digestive systems of mice
MICE
-Fiction:*Mice , alien species in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*The Mice -Acronyms:* "Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions", facilities terminology for events...
from whole body irradiation. An experiment noted Cordyceps sinensis may protect the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
from damage. An experiment with mice noted the mushroom may have an anti-depressant effect. Researchers have noted that Cordyceps has a hypoglycemic effect and may be beneficial for people with insulin resistance.
Ma Junren case
Ma JunrenMa Junren
Ma Junren is a famous Chinese track coach. He trained several world-class middle and long distance female runners including Wang Junxia and Qu Yunxia, who hold several world records...
, the coach of a group of female Chinese athletes who broke five world records in distance running in 1993 at the National Games in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China, told reporters that the runners were taking Cordyceps at his request. The number of new world records being set at a single track event caused much attention and suspicion of drug use, and the records are still widely regarded as dubious, as the athletes failed to match these performances outside of China at independently drug tested events where illicit substances other than cordyceps would be detected.
Value
According to Daniel Winkler, the price of Cordyceps sinensis has risen dramatically on the Tibetan PlateauTibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...
, basically 900% between 1998 and 2008, an annual average of over 20%. However, the value of big-sized caterpillar fungus has increased more dramatically than smaller size Cordyceps, regarded as lower quality.
| Year | % Price increase | Price/kg (Yuan Chinese yuan The yuan is the base unit of a number of modern Chinese currencies. The yuan is the primary unit of account of the Renminbi.A yuán is also known colloquially as a kuài . One yuán is divided into 10 jiǎo or colloquially máo... ) |
|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,800 | |
| 1997 | 467% (incl. inflation) | 8,400 |
| 2004 | 429% (incl. inflation) | 36,000 |
| 2005 | 10,000–60,000 | |
According to Modern Marvels
Modern Marvels
Modern Marvels is a documentary television series that premiered on January 1, 1995 on History. The program focuses on how technologies affect and are used in today's society....
, a show on the History Channel, mushroom hunters in Nepal can earn 900 dollars for an ounce of cordyceps.http://www.alohamedicinals.com/research.htm
The high value of cordyceps was evidently the reason it was one of only two Chinese traditional medicines to be stolen in a brazen theft in British Columbia. The stolen cordyceps has been estimated to have been worth Can $38,000.
See also
- Medicinal mushroomsMedicinal mushroomsMedicinal mushrooms are mushrooms, or mushroom extracts, that are used or studied as possible treatments for diseases. Lentinula edodes , Grifola frondosa , Ganoderma lucidum , and Cordyceps, have a history of medicinal use spanning millennia in parts of Asia...
- Caterpillar fungus
- Yarchagumba (Caterpillar fungus, Tochukaso, Dong Chong Xia Cao)
- Cordyceps information from Drugs.com.
- Medicinal Mushrooms: Their Therapeutic Properties and Current Medical Usage with Special Emphasis on Cancer Treatments by Cancer Research UK (the American equivalent to the US National Cancer Institute), 2001.http://sci.cancerresearchuk.org/labs/med_mush/med_mush.html
External links
- Photos of Cordyceps fungi
- Independent Medicinal Research on Cordyceps
- Clinical Potential of C. sinensis by J. Howard
- Fun Facts about Cordyceps
- L'or brun du Tibet 2008 TV5 documentary coverage of Cordyceps
- BBC Planet Earth documentary coverage of Cordyceps
- Vietnamese Ministry of Health: The first time in Vietnam, Prof.Aca.D.Sc Dai Duy Ban with his scientists discovered Cordyceps Sinensis as Isaria cerambycidae N.SP. and Fermentation Đông Trùng Hạ Thảo BVM-VN by Công ty TNHH Daibio in Vietnam
- An Electronic Monograph of Cordyceps and Related Fungi
- Cordyceps sinensis in Tibet