5 facts about cordyceps, the bug-eating parasitic fungus that inspired HBO’s zombie apocalypse series The Last of Us
- Also known as caterpillar fungus, cordyceps consumes insects’ bodies from the inside, and inspired the hit HBO zombie series and video game it’s adapted from
- Used in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia, it is now being farmed in factories. Here are some things about the sought-after fungus you may not know
It is the stuff of nightmares.
Spores from a killer fungus infiltrate your body and mind, controlling you while slowly killing you with only one goal – to procreate. The body of the cordyceps erupts from your head and, when it finishes growing, deadly spores explode from its tip, leaving any creature of the same species in the vicinity to meet the same fate.
Could these murderous, zombifying fungi take over the human race? There are more than 600 species of cordyceps, each dedicated to a particular type of insect – but none capable of infecting and killing humans.
He told the American non-profit media company NPR that cordyceps cannot survive in animals with a body temperature higher than 34.5 degrees Celsius (94.1 degrees Fahrenheit). Humans generally have a temperature of about 37 degrees Celsius.
The traits that allow the fungi to attack insects evolved specifically for a single species, he added, so they cannot infect humans, which share only around a third of the DNA with the insects cordyceps do attack.
Here are five things you may not know about cordyceps.
1. The fungus was reserved for Chinese imperial use
2. In TCM, cordyceps helps restore energy balance and male vitality
In particular, To says cordyceps may strengthen lung and kidney function. The kidneys are associated with male vitality, which is why the fungus is said to help with male sexual problems, too. It is nicknamed “Himalayan Viagra”.
To says that when it comes to health benefits, cordyceps are better used as a supplement combined with other things, rather than on their own.
How cordyceps of ‘The Last of Us’ notoriety are farmed in China for health
3. Factory farming brings cordyceps’ price down
In 2019, cordyceps were reported to cost HK$370 (US$47) per gram – about HK$40 a gram more than gold at the time.
4. Wild cordyceps attracts a premium price
There is a distinction between wild and farmed cordyceps; wild cordyceps are in high demand and fetch a high price.
The supply of wild cordyceps is limited. Ophiocordyceps sinensis, the species most commonly used in TCM, flourishes at high altitudes – from 3,000 to 5,000 metres (9,600 to 16,000 feet) above sea level – in parts of China such as Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan and Gansu.
Foraging for the fungus is generally left to local residents who are acclimated to the thin air, and the collection process is slow.
5. Cordyceps is best served steamed or boiled
The fungus has a savoury and earthy flavour, and a nutty taste not unlike that of chestnut mushrooms.
Ho Wai-sing, executive chef of The Royal Garden Chinese Restaurant, in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui East neighbourhood, says the ingredient is best served steamed or boiled.
“Cordyceps with mallard duck in soup is a classic Cantonese dish. The soup is nourishing, sweet in flavour, and because there isn’t a lot of fat on the duck, the proteins bring out the flavour of the fungi.”
