The Chinese caterpillar fungus, also known as Cordyceps sinesis, is a unique creature indigenous to the grassy marshland in China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is regarded as one of the 3 top tonics in traditional natural medicine, along with ginseng and pilose deer-horn. In summer, it resembles a worm and in winter a grass. Hence the name in Chinese pinyin “Dongcong Xiacao”, which means literally “Winter-worm & Summer-grass”.
The growth of the caterpillar fungus is really amazing. In winter when an insect (in its larva form) hibernates, the fungus spores sprout up and intrude into its circulatory system. The hyphae of the fungus grow so rapidly after absorbing nutrition from the larva that they eventually form a tough shell covering the whole thing. Then the insect dies because of this and becomes a firm and full hyphal body. The external part remains the same, which makes it look like a worm still. When summer comes around next year, the top part of the worm sprouts out from the earth and looks just like a grass. Mr. Pu Songling, a renowned Qing dynasty writer, has described this wonderful change as following: “The name Dongcong Xiacao accords with the reality, and the transformation happens smoothly. One thing can be both animal and plant, and the innate laws of things are mysterious indeed.”
Owing to its unique properties, the Chinese caterpillar fungus is rare in the wild and so very difficult to collect. As a valuable medicinal herb, it is as precious as “gold” in Chinese natural medicine.
The caterpillar fungus is also associated with something that happened in ancient China. The story goes that about 1000 years ago, during the late Southern Song Dynasty, a vast land stretching from Asia to Europe came under the rule of Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire. In order to conquer the entire country, the nomads started an invasion into where is now southwest China. To their great surprise, their attack was repeatedly repulsed by the resistance of the local people, who were very tough and strong and were able to hold back the Mongol cavalrymen's onslaught. So the Mongol had to send more troops to occupy this place.The Mongol monarch then ordered a probe; it turned out that the local people used the caterpillar fungus a lot in their food and that had helped to build up their strong physique.
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