What is the origin of Cordyceps sinensis?
The varieties of Cordyceps sinensis in the market are mixed, and its producing areas are not only Qinghai and Tibet, but also Gansu and Sichuan, and even Hebei and Anhui, and the price difference is often nearly 10 times.
Cordyceps sinensis mainly grows in high-altitude forest meadows or lawns; Due to the soil quality, the color of Cordyceps sinensis growing in forest meadow is mainly dark yellow-brown, while that of Cordyceps sinensis growing in grassland is mainly yellow-brown. The former is mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu, while the latter is mainly produced in Tibet and Qinghai.
According to experts, even Cordyceps sinensis produced in Qinghai and Tibet is quite different in different regions due to the differences in natural environment such as altitude and air. There are obvious differences between Tibetan Cordyceps Naqu, Qinghai Cordyceps and Sichuan Cordyceps, with different harvesting time, body color and medicinal value.
Generally speaking, the quality of Cordyceps collected in May and June is the best. The higher the altitude, the later the weather gets warmer, and the later the harvesting period of Cordyceps sinensis. Moreover, the higher the altitude, the better the quality of Cordyceps sinensis. Topographically speaking, Cordyceps sinensis on sunny slope is better than that on shady slope.
In terms of producing areas, Tibet Naqu Cordyceps is the best, especially in color and size; The worse one is Sichuan Cordyceps sinensis, which is smaller in size, darker in color and longer in pedestal. Due to the difference of climatic conditions in Tibet, the period of collecting and digging Cordyceps in Tibet is delayed by about half a month or one month compared with other provinces and regions. Cordyceps began to grow in May in Naqu area, and the quality of Cordyceps was the best in June.
The quality of Cordyceps sinensis varies greatly because of its different altitude. Naqu, Tibet, is the highest-altitude Cordyceps production area, with an altitude of about 4,500-6,000 meters. Followed by Qinghai, the production area is about 0-4000 meters above sea level; Once again, Sichuan and other areas, the quality of Cordyceps sinensis is poor.
Cordyceps Naqu in Tibet and Cordyceps Yushu in Qinghai are recognized as the best cordyceps at present. Compared with other producing areas, these two kinds of cordyceps have the following characteristics:
1, Cordyceps Naqu is slightly yellower than Cordyceps Yushu. The surface color of Cordyceps Naqu in Tibet is the most yellow and clean, and Cordyceps Yushu is relatively yellowish brown. Cordyceps from other places is light in color, or reddish and gray. In addition, the eye color of Cordyceps produced in Naqu, Tibet is brown, the eye color of Cordyceps produced in Yushu and Guoluo, Qinghai is yellow, and the grass produced in Sichuan and other areas is mostly red.
2, the same size of Cordyceps Naqu should be lighter, so the Yushu Cordyceps of the same specification looks more compact, and the Cordyceps Naqu will look more fat.
3. The body and tail of Cordyceps Naqu in Tibet are bright and oily, with a strong butter smell. The smell of Cordyceps Yushu in Qinghai has a strong mushroom-like smell, while the smell of Cordyceps from other places is extremely weak.
4. Cordyceps sinensis is also produced in Aba, Ganzi and other places in Sichuan. The quality of its products is inferior to that of Cordyceps sinensis produced in Qinghai and Tibet. Generally speaking, Cordyceps sinensis produced in Sichuan is hard in meat, dark in color and bitter in taste, and its eyes are dark brown.
Experts say that the medicinal value of Cordyceps sinensis varies from place to place. Because of the place of origin, we should pay special attention to "counterfeiting the place of origin" when buying Cordyceps sinensis now.
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