User:Sanjay Pokhrel/sandbox
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Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a fungus that parasitizes larvae of ghost moths and produces a fruiting body valued as an herbal remedy. The fungus germinates in the living larva, kills and mummifies it, and then the stalk-like fruiting body emerges from the corpse. It is known in English colloquially as caterpillar fungus, or by its more prominent foreign names (see below): yartsa gunbu or yatsa gunbu (Tibetan), or Dōng chóng xià cǎo (Chinese: 冬虫夏草; lit. 'winter worm', 'summer grass'). There are various fungus in the Zygomycota, “Deuteromycota”, and Ascomycota which infect the insects [2]. Insect associated fungi are not monophyletic, but most of them can be commercially cultivated and used for bio-control of insects. Of the various entomopathogenic fungi, Ophiocordyceps sinensis is one that has been used for at least 2000 years[3] to cure many diseases related to lungs, kidney, and also used as a natural Viagra. This fungus is not yet cultivated commercially[4], despite the fact that several fermentable strains of Ophiocordyceps sinensis are isolated by Chinese Scientists [5]. Overharvesting and over exploitation have led to the classification of O. sinensis as an endangered species in China [6]. Additional research needs to be carried out in order to understand its morphology and growth habit for conservation and optimum utilization.
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Sanjay Pokhrel/sandbox | |
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Ophiocordyceps sinensis (left) growing out of the head of a dead caterpillar | |
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Species: | O. sinensis |
Binomial name | |
Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) G.H.Sung, J.M.Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora (2007) | |
Synonyms[1] | |
Sphaeria sinensis Berk. (1843) |
The moths in which O. sinensis grows are ambiguously referred to as "ghost moth", which identifies either a single species or the genus Thitarodes, and the species parasitized by O. sinensis may be one of several Thitarodes that live on the Tibetan Plateau (Tibet, Qinghai, West-Sichuan, SW-Gansu & NW Yunnan), and the Himalayas (India, Nepal, Bhutan).
O. sinensis is known in the West as a medicinal mushroom, and its use has a long history in Traditional Chinese medicine as well as Traditional Tibetan medicine.[7] The hand-collected fungus-caterpillar combination is valued by herbalists and as a status symbol;[8] it is used as an aphrodisiac and treatment for ailments such as fatigue and cancer, although such use is mainly based on traditional Chinese medicine and anecdote. Recent research however seems to indicate a variety of beneficial effects in animal testing, including increased physical endurance through heightened ATP production in rats.[9]