HSUS's Tibet Cordyceps (Dong Chong Xia Cao) 1oz

Ophiocordyceps sinensis (formerly known as Cordyceps sinensis) is an entomopathogenic fungus (a fungus that grows on insects) found in mountainous regions of Nepal and Tibet. It parasitizes larvae of ghost moths and produces a fruiting body which used to be valued as a herbal remedy.

The fungus germinates in the living larva, kills and mummifies it, and then a dark brown stalk-like fruiting body which is a few centimeters long emerges from the corpse and stands upright. It is known in English colloquially as caterpillar fungus, or by its more prominent names yartsa gunbu or Chinese in Dong Chong Xia Cao.