Cordyceps sinensis is a strange thing that grows together with worms and grass. In winter, it is the worms, and in summer, the grass grows out of the worms. The worm is the larvae of the Cordyceps bat moth, and the grass is a Cordyceps fungus.

Cordyceps sinensis, the name of Chinese medicine. It is a complex of the stroma of the Cordyceps sinensis fungus of the ergot fungus plant parasitic on the larvae of the bat moth insect and the corpse of the larvae.

It consists of the insect body and the fungal spores growing from the head. The body of the insect is like a silkworm, 3-5cm long, 3-8mm in diameter, dark brown to yellowish brown on the surface, with 20-30 rings, and the rings near the head are thinner; the head is reddish brown, and there are 8 pairs of legs in the middle. 4 pairs are more obvious; they are brittle and easy to break, the cross section is slightly flat, and they are light yellowish white. The pedestal is solitary, slender and round, 4-7cm long, about 3mm in diameter; the surface is dark brown to tan, with fine longitudinal wrinkles, the upper part is slightly enlarged, and there is no obvious difference between the head and the handle; the texture is flexible, and the cross-section is off-white. .

Among them, the completely wild Cordyceps sinensis is divided by professionals into Qinghai grass (meaning produced in Qinghai Province), Tibetan grass (some people say it means produced in Tibet Autonomous Region), Sichuan grass (meaning produced in Sichuan Province) Produced within the territory), Yunnan grass, Gansu grass, furnace grass, shrub grass, etc. Among them, those from Qinghai and Tibet are the most precious. Cordyceps sinensis is wild and grows on grass slopes near the snow line above the alpine grassland shrub belt at an altitude of 3,000 to 5,000 meters.

Before and after the summer solstice, when the snow has not yet melted, go into the mountains to collect. At this time, the bases are mostly exposed on the snow. If it is too late, the snow will melt, weeds will grow, it is difficult to find, and the insects in the soil will wither. , not suitable for medicinal purposes. After digging up, when the insect body is moist but not dry, remove the outer layer of soil and membrane and dry it in the sun. Or spray it with rice wine to make it soft and straight. Tie every 7 to 8 pieces with red thread into small handfuls; dry them over low heat.