A man discovered strange orange-yellow mushrooms emerging from a patch of green moss. Curious, he decided to dig them up. To his surprise, beneath these mushrooms lay the remains of insects.
Many might immediately think of cordyceps (Scientific name: Ophiocordyceps sinensis) – a valuable medicinal fungus that forms on the bodies of insects.
Cordyceps (left) and cordyceps larvae (right). (Photo: Kemmurad)
Cordyceps larvae (left) and cordyceps (right). (Photo: Medifun)
However, the shape of this mushroom is quite different, featuring a club-shaped head and an orange-yellow color instead of the dark brown head typical of cordyceps. So what exactly is this type of mushroom?
The man unexpectedly dug up cordyceps larvae, which are as precious as cordyceps?
Cordyceps larvae – an herb often confused with cordyceps
In fact, many people confuse cordyceps with the mushroom known as cordyceps larvae, as seen in the video above. The reason is that both share the common trait of growing from the remains of underground insects.
However, their shapes, growth locations, colors, and characteristics are very different; by understanding these distinguishing factors, we can easily differentiate between the two types of herbs quickly.
Due to their ease of cultivation, many businesses conflate their products as “Cordyceps”, leading to confusion among consumers. Thus, from the different characteristics mentioned above, we can distinguish between these two types of herbs.
Although cordyceps larvae do not have as much nutritional value as cordyceps, they are still a valuable medicinal resource with significant benefits in medicine.
The price of cordyceps is approximately 1.5 – 2 billion VND/kg, while cordyceps larvae cost about 100 – 200 million VND/kg (according to Medifun). Cordyceps larvae are used to help patients with appetite, sleep, tumor resistance, anti-inflammatory properties, fatigue reduction, and enhanced libido…
