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Cordyceps is a fungi that includes about 300 species. The Cordyceps sinensis is the most famous of these, having long been considered a precious ingredient in Chinese traditional medicines. All Cordyceps species are entomopathogenic, fungi parasitic mainly on insects and other arthropods. The mycelium invades and eventually replaces the host tissue.
Elongated fruiting body may be cylindrical, branched, or of complex shape. The stroma bears many small, flask-shaped perithecia that contain the asci.
Some Cordyceps species are sources of biochemicals with interesting biological and pharmacological properties, like cordycepin; the anamorph and ciclosporin — a drug helpful in human organ transplants, as an Immunosuppressive drug.
The excessive collecting of Cordyceps sinensis for sale in traditional medicine poses a threat for the environment of the Tibetan plateau where it grows. The high price of wild C. sinensis has led unscrupulous harvesters to insert twigs or even lead wires into the stromata, thereby increasing the weight and price paid. Cultivated C. sinensis mycelium is a more sustainable alternative to wild-harvested C. sinensis, and may offer improved consistency. Artificial culture of C. sinensis is typically by growth of the pure mycelium in liquid culture--stromata are not produced apart from the insect host.
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The genus has a worldwide distribution. Particularly abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests.
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