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The Valuable Gem of Traditional Chinese Medicine

This herb Cordyceps sinensis has been well known in the Chinese community for centuries and used extensively as different treatment plans for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Because of the considerably great health benefits that Cordyceps can bring to our body, the price of this valuable herb has been soaring sky-high! So let’s understand how Cordyceps can bring about these benefits for our body. 

Cordyceps is a genus of sac fungi, which is parasitic on insects. Cordyceps in chinese is called “冬虫夏草”, which literally means it is an insect during winter and an herb during summer. This fungi parasitizes the larvae of other insects like ghost moths, and generates a resulting body which holds important medicinal value. Since the formation of this herb is extremely rare, it is one of the contributing reasons why Cordyceps is so expensive. However, these wild fruiting bodies of Cordyceps found and harvested naturally have shown to possess high levels of heavy metals like arsenic. Such heavy metals are dangerous and possibly poisonous to our body, if accumulated due to prolonged use. This is worrying, which is why many government regulating institutions, e.g. China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) in China and Health Science Authority (HSA) in Singapore perform stringent checks on the TCM products and health supplements to safeguard the consumers’ health. Other than the dangers of metal poisoning, the continued hunting of wild cordyceps is also harming our environmental landscape. 

Today, with the advancement of technology, we can use innovative methods to cultivate cordyceps sinensis mycelium and extract the useful essence. The manufacturing process is controlled and is able to produce results with much improved consistency. Nowadays, the final product can come in the form of powder and capsules. Thus, the new-age Cordyceps TCM supplement is not only safe and of good quality, it is convenient to consume as well! Cordyceps can be consumed with American ginseng as well to provide greater benefits for the body. 

So, what exactly is so good about Cordyceps? Below are some key reasons why people are raving over this valuable TCM herb:

#1. As a TCM herb to “tonify” Lung Meridian and Qi

When discussing about the use of Cordyceps, the first thing that comes to the mind of most people is its ability to treat cough. There are a few misconceptions behind Cordyceps as a wonder drug for all kinds of cough. First and foremost, one of the key functions of Cordyceps in TCM is to 补肺气( Bu Fei Qi), which means to tonify our Lung Meridian, especially helping in the regenerating of Lung Qi in our body.

So, Cordyceps indeed can help with patients suffering from cough, but mainly those who suffer from their cough for a very long time, weak elderly or children. Weakness in Lung Qi can also be responsible for symptoms like breathlessness, pale complexion, asthma etc. This is important for one to decide if his or her condition warrants for the use of Cordyceps to help in the recuperation of the body. Using cordyceps for the wrong condition at the wrong time may not only be useless in the treatment, it may even impede recovery or bring about other cordyceps side effects.

Other than that, the general use of Cordyceps can help to improve the overall respiratory health of the consumer when one is healthy, boosting the Qi and allow the consumer perform daily tasks with better ease.

#2. Replenishing the essence of Kidney Meridian

While most people are aware of the positive effects of Cordyceps on the Lung Meridian, many do not know that Cordyceps can also help with the Kidney Meridian. According to Chinese Medicine theories, our Kidney Meridian is responsible for many functions, including growth, development and reproductive functions. So, when discussing about problems related to fertility or sexual performance, TCM will normally probe into Kidney Meridian functions of patients to understand. As Cordyceps can help tonify Kidney Meridian and replenish the essence of Kidney Meridian, it can help patients deal with the problems related to growth, ageing and reproduction. For males who are experiencing issues related to their sexual performances, the use of Kidney Meridian tonifying herbs like Cordyceps can be considered at times to regulate their body constitutions and boost their overall stamina.

#3. Boosting exercise performances

This point is very similar to the above point about Cordyceps’ ability to strengthen the Kidney Meridian functions. According to scientific studies, Cordyceps are thought to be able to increase the body’s production of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)  molecules, which are units of energy for our body muscles. This means that consuming Cordyceps may be effective in improving our use of oxygen during exercise and thus, peaking our body performances

#4. May help to deal with metabolic disorders like Diabetes

Currently, there are rising cases of chronic conditions in the world due to unhealthy diets. One of the most common conditions is none other than diabetes, a metabolic disorder whereby the body does not produce sufficient insulin hormone or that our body fail to respond to insulin. Insulin is a hormone which regulates the glucose level in our body, and the failure of this insulin mechanism will cause an unhealthy heightened level of blood glucose. In a number of studies, Cordyceps have shown to be helpful in controlling the blood sugar levels, mimicking the mechanism of insulin and keeping diabetes in check.

#5. Fighting against inflammation

Inflammation is a normal body reaction to help protect us from other diseases. However, we face another set of problems due to having too much inflammation. It is believed that having too much inflammation in us can lead to diseases like heart-related conditions and cancers. Research shows promising results that there are proteins found in Cordyceps, which can help to suppress inflammation markers in mice experiments.

So, always remember to assess your own body condition and determine if you need a dose of Cordyceps today!