What’ What’s s the the Diffe Differen rence ce betwe between en the Medi Medici cina nall Mush Mushroo room m Speci Species es Cordyceps
militaris and Cordyceps sinensis ?
Our blend blend uses the species species Cordyceps Cordyceps militaris militaris (Cm) rather than the more well-known and closely closely-rela -related ted species species Cordyceps Cordyceps sinensis sinensis (Cs) that most other USA producers market.
In the wild, both both mushroom mushroom species species are parasites parasites o certain certain species species o moth
lar!ae. lar!ae. "resently "resently,, C. sinensi sinensis s (Cs) products are more widely marketed and distributed than C. militaris (Cm) products. #his is perhaps due in lar$e part to the e%otic storyline o wild Cs ruit body har!estin$ har!estin$ in the &imalayan &imalayan re$ions re$ions o #ibet, #ibet, 'epal and hutan. hutan. #he Cm species is much more widely distributed in the world and is not e%clusi!ely associated with &imalayan re$ions.
Cordyceps ruit bodies that ha!e been har!ested in their nati!e habitats are e%ceedin$ly e%pensi!e. #his is due in lar$e part to their small sie and the diiculty o indin$ them in remote locations. locations.
In #raditio #raditional nal Chinese Chinese *edicine (#C*), Cordyceps Cordyceps ruit ruit bodies bodies are
har!ested, sold and consumed with the attached dead carcass o the parasitied moth lar!ae. lar!ae. #here #here are si$niic si$niicant ant microbio microbiolo$i lo$ical cal contamin contaminatio ation n issues issues associat associated ed with with the har!estin$ har!estin$ and handlin$ o these mushrooms and the insect carcass. Conse+uently Conse+uently,, or both product cost and product purity reasons, artiicially cultured Cordyceps mycelium and mycelial biomass is $enerally used rather than Cordyceps ruit bodies in dietary supplement products. In se!eral re$ards, Cm is a more suitable species or culti!ation and marketin$ than the Cs species. species. Se!eral Se!eral research research papers papers ha!e ha!e reported reported that Cm products products contain hi$her hi$her le!els o acti!e acti!e in$redients in$redients than Cs products. products. In a comparati!e comparati!e study o the protecti!e protecti!e eects a$ainst o%idati!e dama$e (u /), cultured Cm e%tracts were ound to ha!e hi$her antio%idant eiciency, hi$her contents o bioacti!e in$redients cordycepin 0 adenosine,
hi$her polyphenolic contents, and hi$her la!onoid contents than CS e%tracts. 1im (2) also ound hi$her concentrations o e%opolysaccharides and cordycepin in C. militaris than in C. sinensis in submer$ed mycelial cultures. 3i (4) reported stron$ antio%idation acti!ity in Cordyceps and that the acti!ity in cultured mycelium was e+ual or $reater to that in the natural orm. Additionally, Cs strains tend to be !ery unstable and diicult to maintain under conditions o artiicial culti!ation.
5'A se+uencin$ technolo$y has shown that
se!eral mushroom dietary supplement producers who thou$ht they were producin$ a special strain o the Cs species were actually producin$ somethin$ else, oten a un$al parasite o Cs6 in eect, a parasite o a parasite. #he Cm species is much more stable $enetically and perorms consistently and dependably under Solid State 7ermentation production methodolo$ies. References8
5as S1 et al. 4 9In praise o the humble mushroom Cordyceps militaris” (:e!iew Article). Int ;rnl "harm :es 0 Science 4(/)84-/ 1im S< and ;< un. 2. 9A comparati!e study o the production o e%opolysaccharides rom two entomopatho$enic un$i Cordyceps militaris and Cordyceps sinensis in submer$ed mycelial culture=. Jrnl Applied Microbiology
