Overview of Cordyceps militaris

1. Name & Taxonomic Classification

• Scientific name: Cordyceps militaris (Le×Fr.) Link, also called Pupa Cordyceps / Northern Cordyceps.
• Etymology: Cordyceps = club-head; militaris = soldier. English names: Trooping Cordyceps, Scarlet Caterpillar Fungus.
• Taxonomy: Ascomycotina, Pyrenomycetes, Clavicipitales, Clavicipitaceae, genus Cordyceps.
• Global: ~400 Cordyceps species; China: ~100 recorded species.

2. Economic & Medicinal Value

• Main Cordyceps species: Cordyceps sinensis, Cordyceps militaris, Cordyceps cicadae, Cordyceps hawkesii.
• C. militaris is edible & medicinal macrofungus. Its key active components are similar or even higher than wild Cordyceps sinensis.
• Nutrients: Protein, amino acids, vitamins, Ca, Fe, Mn, Zn, Se. Bioactive substances: cordycepic acid, cordycepin, cordyceps polysaccharides, SOD.
• Health benefits: Nourish lungs and kidneys, sedation, blood pressure regulation.
• Application: Raw material for over 30 types of medicines and health supplements.

3. Cultivation Development Status

• 19th century: Overseas started research on artificial fruiting body cultivation.
• 1932: Japan successfully cultivated C. militaris on sterilized rice medium.
• 1936: UK obtained stromata by infecting live moth pupae.
• China pioneered large-scale commercial cultivation since the 1980s.
  • 1981: Yang Yunpeng’s team realized fruiting body growth on rice medium.
  • 1986: Cultivation success with silkworm & tussah pupae as host.
  • 1986–1987: Complete fruiting bodies obtained on rice substrate and tussah pupae.
  • 1988–1994: Industrial cultivation technology system established. Rice/wheat substrate replaced insect pupae for mass production.
  • 1999: Developed value-added products: selenium-enriched cordyceps powder, C. militaris liquor.