Last night, we had a very scrumptious soup. My mil double boiled abalone with some lean pork, Chinese wolfberries and ‘toong choong choa’ or cordyceps. That pot of soup cost a fortune as 2 of the ingredients used were really expensive – the abalone and the cordyceps.

Cordycep is a type of fungus mushroom. The fungus mushroom is a product from a type of fungus which parasites upon the larvae of the Chongcao bat moth and forms a fungus/larva composite body which takes five to seven years to complete its life cycle!  I never knew that cordycep is a type of fungus.  All the while, I had thought that it is a kind of root, just like ginseng because it tastes very much like ginseng.

Due to its scarcity and high price, cordyceps were once reserved exclusively for the Emperor’s Palace in China. For generations, cordyceps have been considered the premier agent in the Chinese culture for:

* helping the body build strength, endurance and stamina.
* offers energizing support to people experiencing fatigue.
* aids the upper respiratory tract and promotes healthy lung function.
* supporting male potency and female vitality.
* supporting the kidneys.
* helping the body maintain proper blood viscosity.
* Has properties similar to those of ginseng.

The other day while I was at a Cosway outlet, I saw cordycep pills on the display shelf. I was really tempted to buy a bottle for myself and my 2 older gals since all of use were having cough and phlegm. My mum who recently developed asthma (yes, she only developed asthma at a ripe old age of 60+ years old!) has been popping cordycep pills and her asthma is now under control.

Cordyceps show good results in fighting against cough, chronic bronchitis and asthma, since it relaxes bronchial walls and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Enhancing and strengthening of the immune system. Cordyceps is supposed to increase the number of the Natural Killer Cells, which are responsible for the body defense against viruses and bacteria. Some trials show that the fungus works effectively in the leukemia stricken individuals.

Improving sexual function in men and increasing libido by stimulating the production of sex hormones. Cordyceps may also be a means for fighting female infertility.

Building muscles and improving physical performance. Those Chinese athletes, who use Cordyceps, tend to show better results than the other sportsmen.

Providing anti-aging and fatigue reducing effects. The fungus works as an antioxidant and increases cellular formation, especially in the elderly patients. It also promotes more restful sleep, soothes the nervous system, and reduces anxiety, thus working as a sedative.

Improving the respiratory function.

Enhancing cellular oxygen uptake. This benefits all the body systems, giving them more energy and vitality.

Benefiting vascular system by improving circulation, regulating blood pressure, and strengthening the heart muscle.

Protecting liver and kidneys. Cordyceps improves blood flow to these organs (as well as to the others), which results in their better activity and ability to fight the diseases, including Hepatitis and chronic kidney disease.

Cordyceps is said to be safe and has no side effects. However, pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children are not recommended to use it, since no studies have been conducted on such persons.