Dong Chong Xia Cao Caterpillar Fungus Cordyceps Sinensis Tincture Dried Fungus Liquid Extract Dong Chong Xia Cao Glycerite Herbal Supplement 2 Oz

Dong chong xia cao is a type of fungus that is found living on certain types of caterpillars. Its habitats stretch in Sichuan, Qinghai provinces and Tibet Autonomous Region in China. It is plucked in early summer when the stroma comes out and the spore doesn't scatter. Dong chong xia cao has slight raw meat smell, slightly bitter. It is composed of the insect body and the connected fungal stroma that grows from the insect head. The former part looks like silkworm, 3 to 5cm long, and 0.3 to 0.8cm wide. Surface is from deep yellow to yellow-brown, and with 20 to 30 rings, in which the ones closer to the head are smaller. Head is reddish brown. Feet are 8 pairs, in which the central 4 pairs are more obvious. It is brittle, easily broken, with yellowish white, slightly flat cross section. Stroma is pliable and tough, slender and cylindrical, 4 to 7cm long, about 0.3cm in diameter, and with a slightly swollen upper part and an off-white cross section. Stroma surface is from dark brown to sepia, and with fine longitudinal wrinkles. Cordyceps has been used for centuries in traditional Asian and Chinese medicine. Chemical constituents: nucleosides, sterides, polysaccharides, proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals.